Eagles analysis

Eagles vs. Cardinals predictions for Week 17 of NFL season

The Eagles (11-4) are hosting the Cardinals (3-12) on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Here are our predictions.

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The Eagles (11-4) are hosting the Cardinals (3-12) on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Let’s get to our predictions:

Reuben Frank (12-3)

The Eagles haven’t won a game by more than 14 points all year. They’re the first team in NFL history to get to 11-4 without winning any of those 11 games by more than 14 points. Which is a weird thing to be first in. The Eagles can’t put teams away. They can’t protect leads. They can’t play 60 minutes. Against anybody. And that’s a really scary way to go about your season. That’s why they blew an 11-point lead against the Jets and a 10-point lead against the Seahawks. They can’t finish. Which is the only reason this game is scary. Because with the 2023 Eagles, every game is scary. The good part of the equation is that they’ve won 11 games by 14 or fewer points, and only the 2003 Patriots and 2004 Steelers have won more. The bad part of the equation is that if you have a chance to lose every game you play, math guarantees that you're going to lose some of them, and it makes no difference who you’re playing. The Cards stink. I know that, you know that, they know that. They’ve earned every bit of that 3-12 record. They’re 26th in points and 29th in points allowed. But the Eagles keep making mistakes that keep inferior teams in games, and I don’t expect this to be any different. It will be close, it will be agonizing, it will be frustrating. But the Eagles will win. 

Eagles 31, Cardinals 29

Dave Zangaro (10-5)

The Cardinals might have the worst roster in the NFL. This wasn’t a good team to begin with but they’ve lost some players to injury and just don’t have that much talent. Sure, the big different between this game and last is that the Giants had more overall talent but a bad quarterback, while the Cardinals have a pretty good QB. Kyler Murray isn’t running as much since his return from ACL surgery but he’s obviously a bigger threat than Tommy DeVito or Tyrod Taylor. So there’s a little bit of a worry that Murray will be able to make some plays and he probably will be. But the Cardinals’ top receiving threat is tight end Trey McBride. And as long as the Eagles don’t let James Conner run all over them, they should be fine.

On offense, the Eagles should not struggled to put up points. They fizzled a bit in the red zone last week but were able to move the ball up and down the field on a defense that is better than the one they’ll face on Sunday. I just can’t see the Cardinals offering much resistance on that side of the ball. I know some folks aren’t going to believe this will be an easy game and based on the Eagles’ recent performances, I get it. But I think this will actually end up being a comfortable win and cover.

Eagles 35, Cardinals 17

Mike Mulhern (12-3)

It will surely be a weekend of scoreboard watching, but the Eagles can’t overlook the Cardinals. The doom and gloom of a Christmas Day win over the Giants has faded a bit, but the same sloppiness that has plagued the Eagles all season long persists. They’re -7 in turnover differential and have been done in by a boatload of pre-snap penalties. Those are the kinds of things they can’t do come playoff time. They might not even be able to get away with them against Kyler Murray. He’s officially listed as questionable with an illness, but his legs can make it frustrating for a pass rush that seems to be hitting a wall.

It’ll be on the offense to build a lead on old friend Jonathan Gannon and not look back. Jalen Hurts seemed to find a rhythm last week and it should continue against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Birds keep the possibility of a bye week alive in a big way.

Eagles 31, Cardinals 13

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