I know it is early in the week and we don't know who is going to be hurt or not, but after the Philadelphia Eagles managed to find a way to lose yet again at home when they had a fourth quarter lead, I wanted to get some thoughts down. The Cardinals will head in to Philly this week and face one of the most talented teams on paper, with some incredible team speed and talent. However, they have not yet put it together.
The opening line for the game shows little faith in the Cardinals. They open as 14-point underdogs. That's a lot of points to give.
But as troubled as the Eagles have been, this game worries me a bit.
Now, you all know me probably as being a little too positive. There is hope in my mind, based on the ability to stay in really every single game except against the Minnesota Vikings. But this Eagles offense is very, very talented. The were moving the ball rather easily it seemed against one of the most physical defenses in the league in the Chicago Bears.
The Philly defense looks suspect. They have really good coverage guys, but they did not get a single sack against a Bears offensive line reputed for terrible pass blocking. Their run defense is weak.
Here's the problem. Unless Beanie Wells gets a lot healthier, he won't be able to gash the Philly defense the way that Matt Forte did many times. The other running backs on the roster (Chester Taylor, Alfonso Smith, LaRod Stephens-Howling) just simply have not shown they can carry a running game.
We also don't know the quarterback situation. As much as many here want to say that John Skelton should start, let us remember the 50 minutes of suck offense. It looked like 2010, but it was against a bad 1-6 team. Kevin Kolb, as much as he has had struggles, has led some good drives. He is not as poised in the pocket, but he is better than Skelton.
Defensively, stopping the Eagles' speed is going to be a challenge. Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin -- that is a tall task.
The Cardinals showed could run with the big boys for at least a half against the Ravens. They certainly have the talent to be able to do it. The problem is that there are key injuries to attack the Cards' depth and then there is the fact that the Cardinals have yet to put a good 60 minutes together.
What do you think the Cardinals' chances are this week? I think they have a chance...and that's about it. But that is the track record this year talking. If the line stays that high, I think I would lean towards taking the points, but that is because Arizona has played teams closely for the most part.
How much of a chance do you think the Cardinals have of knocking off a very disappointing Philly team?