Hurts, Birds clipped by Cards
GLENDALE, ARIZ. » DeAndre Hopkins had a rare fumble early in Sunday’s game and immediately knew the problem. Arizona’s leading receiver usually wears gloves that are size 5 XL, but the ones he tried early in the game were only 4 XL.
Once that problem was rectified, the three-time AllPro was back to filling up the highlight reel. Hopkins and his huge hands had a season-high 169 yards receiving — including a spectacular 20-yard touchdown catch for the go-ahead score — and the Cardinals improved their playoff position by beating the Philadelphia Eagles 3326 on Sunday.
“I don’t even know why I tried to put them on,” Hopkins said, grinning about his 4 XL-glove experiment. “But I won’t wear those gloves anymore.”
Arizona (8-6) won its second straight game as it tries to make the postseason for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals are in third place in their division behind the Rams and Seahawks and would currently be the No. 7 and final seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Eagles (4-9-1) trailed 16-0 in the first quarter but rallied to tie at 26 in the third quarter after quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a 7-yard touchdown. With punter/holder Cameron Johnston sidelined, tight end Zach Ertz became the holder but a bad snap foiled the extra point that would have given Philadelphia a onepoint lead.
Arizona responded with its go-ahead touchdown drive capped by Kyler Murray’s touchdown pass to
Hopkins. Cornerback Michael Jacquet was playing tight defense on the play, but Hopkins wrestled the ball away and held on with one hand as he fell past the pylon into the end zone.
“The defenses were doing their thing but we just stuck it out,” Murray said. “We stuck it out, stayed down and kept fighting. We felt we made it a little closer than it had to be. It is great team over there. They’ve got great players.”
Murray threw for a career-high 406 yards and completed 27 of 36 passes, with three touchdowns and one interception. The Cardinals won despite losing three turnovers. The Eagles had none.
“I thought we played hard, played physical, played to win,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “But you have three turnovers in an NFL game, they don’t have any and you find a way to win: a heck of an accomplishment.”
Hurts, making his second career start, completed 24 of 44 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He had a lot of good moments, but couldn’t lead the Eagles to any points on their last two offensive drives.
Philadelphia made it to the Cardinals 31-yard line on the final drive, and Hurts threw two passes into the end zone on the final two plays, but they fell incomplete. Still, Eagles coach Doug Pederson was pleased with the rookie’s performance.
“I hate to lose more than I love to win,” Hurts said. “It’s not a great feeling but it’s a learning lesson.”
The Cardinals pushed to a 26-20 lead in an entertaining first half. Murray
threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, while Hurts responded with 177 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Arizona led 16-0 late in the first quarter after a 6-yard pass from Murray to Chase Edmonds. The Cardinals got great field position when Zeke Turner darted up the middle and blocked a Philadelphia punt. The ball deflected backward several yards and out of bounds, giving Arizona possession at the Eagles 6.
The Cardinals also missed a great opportunity when Hopkins fumbled at the Eagles 8 after catching a short pass from Murray. But the Eagles couldn’t move the ball on the ensuing drive
and Hurts panicked on third down, throwing the ball away while in the end zone. The quarterback was flagged for intentional grounding, which resulted in a safety.
Murray’s 8-yard touchdown run made it 9-0.
Greg Ward caught two of Philadelphia’s first-half touchdowns while Quez Watkins had the other when he caught a short pass and spun outside before running 32 yards to the end zone. The Eagles’ second touchdown was set up by Murray’s costly fumble at the Arizona 21-yard line.
Philadelphia was playing without three of its four starters in the secondary because of injuries.