Hungover in the desert; Eagles bumble past Cards, because they signed the better backup kicker | Bowen

GLENDALE, Az. — A lot of Eagles fans who made the trip out West might have been hungover Sunday, after an impressive showing Saturday night on the streets and bars of Scottsdale and surrounding environs, celebrating the Phillies’ victory in the Wild Card series over St. Louis.

The team they were rooting for Sunday seemed to have the same problem, in a 20-17 victory over the host Arizona Cardinals, achieved when Cards kicker Matt Ammendola missed a 43-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining.

The Eagles won the battle of the backup kickers (both the Eagles’ Jake Elliott and the Cards’ Matt Prater missed the game with injuries.)

The Eagles looked the part of the NFL’s last unbeaten team when they took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, which has been their go-to quarter this season. Jalen Hurts’ 1-yard QB sneak gave them a 92-14 second-quarter scoring edge this season.

Then the game took a U-turn. There were missed tackles, a fake punt the Eagles fell for, a rare dropped pass by DeVonta Smith, some really lax zone coverage that was designed to keep Arizona QB Kyler Murray from running wild, and instead turned the second half into a slog that smelled a lot like last year’s Eagles defense.

The home team tied it at 17 with nine minutes, 43 seconds remaining, at which point the Eagles had to mount their first fourth-quarter, game-winning drive of the season.

The visitors got the ball on their 25 after the tying touchdown, and they ran nearly eight minutes off the clock before sending out their brand-new kicker, Cameron Dicker, for a 23-yard field goal with 1:45 left.

The drive was 70 yards on 17 plays, and you kind of felt the Eagles could have done the same thing a few times earlier in the fourth quarter, had they not been dickering around.

The game wasn’t over, though. The Cards drove right back against the flaccid Eagles’ D, but Murray slid down a yard short of a first down, and then spiked the ball on third down, leaving fourth and 1. There might have been some confusion, given that the stadium scoreboard operator thought Murray had run for a first down. Indeed, Cards coach Kliff Kingsbury said afterward he was under the impression Murray had the first down, which led to calling for the spike.

It was a ragged win, impressive mainly in the resolve the Eagles’ offense showed on its final drive. Here are a few random observations:

1. Finally, an Eagles victory at State Farm Stadium, the big Jiffy Pop-looking dome in the desert. Eagles had been 0-4 in the regular season here, 0-1 in the playoffs.

2. The Eagles’ pass rush, so dominant the past two weeks, was considerably less so Sunday. In the second half it pretty much disappeared.

3. It was really good to see Jason Kelce emerge from the tunnel after halftime with his helmet buckled. The o-line was a mess in the second quarter with Sua Opeta replacing Landon Dickerson (leg) in the first quarter, and Jordan Mailata not active with a shoulder injury. Kelce went out in favor of Cam Jurgens in the second quarter. All that and some defensive laxity really helped turn the game around, from 14-0 Eagles to 14-10 at the half. Dickerson returned later in the third quarter, and left again toward the end of the Eagles’ final drive of the day.

4. A.J. Brown had three catches for 32 yards on the first Eagles drive. He never caught another pass.

5. The field goal attempt that would have produced overtime nicked the outside of the right upright and bounced away.

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Les Bowen is a freelance columnist who covers the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL for NJ Advance Media.

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