PHILADELPHIA — The Arizona Cardinals came into Sunday hoping to accomplish two things before ringing in the New Year. First, they wanted to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season by beating one of the best teams in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Second, they wanted to get Head Coach Jonathan Gannon a win in his first game back in Philadelphia, where he spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator.
The Cardinals (4-12) were able to accomplish both as they overcame some early mistakes and beat the Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), 35-31.
As has been the case for the Cardinals in recent weeks, they started the game strong by forcing Philadelphia into a three-and-out.
The Cardinals then drove down the field to the Eagles' three-yard-line but were unable to punch the ball in for a touchdown, leading Arizona to grab a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater.
Philadelphia would respond with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, which was capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts to wide receiver Julio Jones to put the Eagles up 7-3.
Arizona's biggest mistake of the game came just more than a minute into the second quarter as there was an apparent miscommunication between Arizona Quarterback Kyler Murray and Wide Receiver Michael Wilson led to Murray throwing a lob pass directly to Philadelphia Safety Sydney Brown, who returned it 99 yards for an Eagles touchdown, which made the score 14-3.
Arizona followed the pick-six with their best drive of the first half, holding onto the ball for all but 1:50 of the second quarter. However, they were unable to get into the endzone once again and cut into Philadelphia's lead with a 34-yard field goal from Prater.
One minute and 50 seconds turned out to be just enough time for the Eagles to expand their lead as Hurts found Jones for their second touchdown connection of the first half with 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give Philadelphia a 21-6 lead at halftime.
The Cardinals' first touchdown of the afternoon came on their first drive of the third quarter when Murray found Running Back Michael Carter for a six-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Eagles' lead to just eight points — 21-13.
Arizona tied the game on their most spectacular play of the afternoon, as Murray avoided a sack and found Running Back James Conner, who made a one-handed grab for a touchdown with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter. Murray then found Wilson on the two-point conversion to tie the game at 21 heading into the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia grabbed the lead back with 9:55 remaining in the fourth quarter when Hurts showed just how dangerous he can be when extending plays by scrambling to the right and finding Tight End Dallas Goedert wide open in the endzone on a nine-yard touchdown pass. That made the score 28-21 Eagles.
The Cardinals tied the game back up at 28 with their third touchdown drive of the second half, this one ending with a five-yard touchdown pass from Murray to Wilson. This was Murray's first game with three touchdown passes since Oct. 30, 2022, when he threw three TDs against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Cardinals tried to be aggressive by attempting an onside kick after tying the game, but it was unsuccessful, giving Philadelphia great field position as they attempted to take the lead back. However, the Eagles' drive stalled leading to audible frustration from fans on the broadcast on FOX.
Eagles' kicker Jake Elliott gave Philadelphia the lead, 31-28, on a 43-yard field goal with 2:33 remaining, which gave the Cardinals an opportunity at a game-winning drive.
And Arizona took advantage, taking the lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Conner, to grab a 35-31 lead with 32 seconds remaining.
The Cardinals would hold on to grab their fourth, and arguably most important, win of the season.
Takeaways
It was always going to be tough for the Cardinals to come out of Philadelphia with a win. The Eagles, who ended a three-game losing streak by beating the New York Giants last week, are still one of the best teams in the NFC and will be in the playoffs.
But, the Cardinals showed once again that they will always play their hardest until the final whistle, and are coming back to the Valley with a win, as they showed they were the stronger team on Sunday, giving the team a huge confidence boost as they prepare for the final game of the season.
The Cardinals' rushing attack proved once again to be a major bright spot for the team as they rushed for 221 yards (189 from James Conner and Michael Carter). This is the third time the Cardinals have rushed for more than 200 yards this season and is the most rushing yards allowed by the Eagles this season.
Arizona's rush defense, which has been one of the worst in the NFL this season, also had a strong game, holding the Eagles to just 78 rushing yards.
Left tackle D.J. Humphries left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury and was replaced by Kelvin Beachum.
With Sunday's win over Philadelphia, the Cardinals now hold the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft, according to Tankathon. Currently, the Carolina Panthers have clinched the No. 1 overall pick (but their pick belongs to the Chicago Bears), the Washington Commanders are holding onto the No. 2 pick and the New England Patriots have the No. 3 pick. The last time the Cardinals had the No. 4 pick was in 1972, when the team played in St. Louis. The Cardinals selected Oregon Running Back Ahmad Rashad with that pick. The order of picks 1-18 will be finalized next week.
The Cardinals also have Houston's first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That is currently pick 17.
Up Next
The Cardinals wrap up their season next week when they host the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The kickoff time has not been announced.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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