Alright, so the game didn't go quite as planned. The Arizona Cardinals came out and laid a first-half egg on both offense and defense before picking it up in the second half. But by that time, the Philadelphia Eagles had an insurmountable lead they would not -- nor would the referees allow them to -- relinquish.
The Cardinals (7-5) have issues covering tight ends, clearly. I'll get more into that over at Bleacher Report later this week. What can be said right now is that if they cover tight ends in Philadelphia, they are 8-4 right now and not 7-5.
There were some good individual performances despite the loss, so here are the candidates for player of the game.
Larry Fitzgerald
Stats: 5 receptions, 72 yards, 14.4 YPC, 1 TD
The touchdown he scored in Philly was vintage Larry Fitzgerald. It came on 3rd-and-20 in the second quarter, and rather than making the catch and being tackled by two defenders, he shed both of them and had a clear path to the end zone.
The 43-yard touchdown tied the game at seven apiece, giving hope to us all that the offense could hang around and do enough to get a fifth straight win. That didn't happen, as we all know, but it was pretty fun to watch because of the other performances on the list.
Karlos Dansby
Stats: 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended
With two sacks on Sunday, Karlos Dansby moved into a tie for seventh with Al Baker for most games with multiple sacks in franchise history (7). Dansby was everywhere once again, helping keep running back LeSean McCoy at bay in the run game and getting after quarterback Nick Foles in the passing game.
Officially, Dansby has 96 tackles this season, though he will tell you he should have far more than that because of him being ripped off of multiple assisted tackles. Regardless, he's having a Pro-Bowl-type season.
Michael Floyd
Stats: 5 receptions, 99 yards, 19.8 YPC, 1 TD
For a third straight game, Michael Floyd led the team in receiving. He nearly had his third straight game with 100-plus receiving yards, and he still might if a reception gets lengthened. That's doubtful, but you never know.
His highlight came on a deep ball that Carson Palmer underthrew into double coverage (as was the theme of the day). As Floyd does so well, he went up to get the floater between two defenders, high-pointing the ball while they looked on in assured amazement.
Matt Shaughnessy
Stats: 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 4 tackles for loss
Matt Shaughnessy is here this week for his work in stopping McCoy. He was in the backfield many times, as noted by his four tackles for loss.
He is no rock star pass-rusher, but he did record his second sack of the season as well. That is just an added bonus to the run-stopping ability he adds to the defense. He began the week No. 5 against the run among 3-4 OLBs according to Pro Football Focus; he may be at least No. 2 after his performance this week. More on that Thursday in the PFF piece.
Rashard Mendenhall
Stats: 18 carries, 76 yards, 4.2 YPC
With rookie Andre Ellington inactive with a knee injury he suffered in practice during the week, Rashard Mendenhall was the horse in the backfield. Sure, the other rookie, Stepfan Taylor split snaps with Mendenhall, but he carried only three times.
Mendenhall's suddenness carried over from last week; he was quick once again, and he rattled off a handful of chunk plays that moved the chains for the Cardinals -- he was responsible for six of the 24 first downs gained by Arizona.