3 key matchups that will give the Arizona Cardinals trouble in Week 17 against Eagles

The Arizona Cardinals are 3-12 and they are gearing up to face one of the best teams in the NFL, so there will be a struggle this week. And while there are weaknesses in this Philadelphia Eagles team, they didn’t jump out to an 11-4 start because of sheer luck. 

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, many of their weaknesses won’t counteract the Eagles strengths unless they take drastic action in circumventing them. Below, you will find three major disadvantages the Cards have in Week 17, and just for a hint, all of these disadvantages reside on the defensive side of the ball. 

So where can the Eagles take advantage of the Cardinals? In a couple of cases, the same spots the Chicago Bears did last week, but there is one variable the Cards must also account for. 

3 matchups that the Arizona Cardinals will struggle against on Sunday

1 - Rushing defense vs. Eagles running game

The Cardinals are currently locked in a three-way tie for the highest number of yards per carry allowed at 4.7. And while the Eagles running game has only averaged 4.2 yards per carry, which is 11th in the league, they are also ranked sixth in total rushing yards with 1,966. 

And if last week serves as an indicator of how poorly the late-season edition of the Arizona Cardinals defend the run, they will be in trouble. The upside is that the Eagles rushing offense statistically isn’t as effective as the Bears in yards and yards per attempt. 

The reality? It’s also not too far behind Chicago’s, foreshadowing perhaps another long afternoon trying to stop the run. Hopefully, the Cardinals learned their lesson from last week and will enjoy a quick turnaround, but it’s hard to see it happening against a potential Super Bowl contender.