Cardinals' Three X-Factors vs. Eagles
The 2-2 Arizona Cardinals will be given a tough task in Week 5 as they're facing the 4-0 Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
Kyler Murray and the offense will have to keep pace with the Eagles, who have the No. 2 offense in the league, as they average 435.5 yards per game.
But it's not just the elusive Jalen Hurts whom the Cardinals have to be concerned with.
Philly's defense is first in sacks (16), tied for first in takeaways (10) as the additions of Haason Reddick and James Bradbery have paid immediate dividends. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham continue to be anchors in their 30s.
Murray and company will have to be near-perfect to stop the only undefeated in the league.
Still, these players can find themselves as x-factors heading into Week 3:
Three X-Factors for Cardinals-Eagles
Zach Ertz
With the Eagles pass-rush combined with Rodney Hudson unlikely to play Sunday, the Cardinals are going to have to win in the intermediate passing attack. That means Zach Ertz could be a threat to his former team.
The Eagles' weakest link in their defense is their linebacking corps. Ertz has 22 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns and is quietly on pace for a 93/769/9 season. He has 10 red-zone targets this season, the second-most in the NFL behind only Davante Adams.
According to Kliff Kingsbury, Rondale Moore (knee) is a game-time decision. Ertz has totaled 10 or more targets in two of the last three games and that trend shouldn't change in Week 5.
Marquise Brown
It would be obvious to mention Murray as a potential x-factor on Sunday. But a slightly less-obvious pick would be Marquise Brown. The Oklahoma product is off to a superb start this season with 30 catches for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Eagles have a great cornerback duo in Darius Slay and Bradberry. The question pertains to Slay, who missed most of Week 4 with a forearm injury and usually follows the top receiver. Slay is good to go for Sunday, but Brown could assert his target dominance. He's garnered 11 or more targets in the team's last three games.
Murray has shown to have a connection with Brown as both were college teammates and there's no reason to expect anything different against Philadelphia.
Zach Allen
The Cardinals rank last in the NFL in sacks (4) this season. Yet, Arizona's defense has improved since Week 2 and Zach Allen is one of the reasons why.
Allen has seven quarterback hits and one of the team's four sacks this season. It would be remiss to not mention that he's produced alongside J.J. Watt, who has two sacks.
Still, Allen is the team's second-highest graded defender at 77.9 while having a 76.0 run grade, according to Pro Football Focus. It'll be important for the fourth-year defender to stop the run knowing the ground attack of Hurts and Miles Sanders. It goes especially for Sanders, who had a 137 yards and two touchdowns.
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