Eagles have momentum entering Sunday
Cards, Eagles far from perfect but both have momentum entering Sunday
It’s easy to look at Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray and see a grumpy, moody person.
That’s especially true when the Cardinals are losing football games. Smiles were hard to come by during Arizona’s recent threegame losing streak, but a 26-7 victory over the New York Giants last weekend got the team back on track.
Now there’s more important December football to be played. The Cardinals (76) host the Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1) in a game with playoff implications for both teams. Murray’s scowl hasn’t completely disappeared, but the 23-year-old QB said intensity is just part of his game.
“You may see my face sometimes and it may not look like I’m having fun, but I want to win,” Murray said. “So once we win we can have fun, we can smile and stuff like that. I love playing football.”
Sunday’s game will be an intriguing matchup between two young quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts is supposed to make his second career start for the Eagles after taking over for struggling starter Carson Wentz. The rookie helped lead the Eagles to a 24-21 win over the New Orleans Saints last weekend, which kept the team’s playoff hopes alive in a murky NFC East.
Now Hurts has to contend with an Arizona defense that played very well in last week’s win over the Giants. The Cardinals had eight sacks, including five from linebacker Haason Reddick.
“For a young quarterback, it can be confusing,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said.
“Bodies are flashing in front of your eyes, and it makes you sort of drop your eyes and look at the rush a little bit more. We’ll work on it this week as much as we can, and hopefully we can stay out of harm’s way.”
RISING REDDICK » Reddick had one of the most productive games for an NFL defensive player all season and set a franchise record when he had five sacks against the Giants.
Reddick has 10 sacks this season and his production has been vital, especially since 2019 All-Pro Chandler Jones was lost for the season because of a biceps injury in October. The 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft struggled during his first three seasons in the league as different coaching staffs asked him to do play a variety of roles.