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Cardinals flying behind Palmer’s strengthening arm
TEMPE, Ariz. — As far as Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is concerned, the shoulder injury that caused him to miss three games is a thing of the past.
He’s back to practicing every day, and this week he was able to hit the weight room for the first time since suffering the nerve injury in week one.
“It’s just nice to practice and be able to study the night before and know what you’re putting in and then go out and test it in practice and kind of have some trial and error of different coverages, different plays. It’s nice to be psychologically prepared because you know you’ve done it in practice and you know you’ve repped those plays and had those looks. I just look forward to today’s practice, tomorrow and Friday, and to play Sunday.”
Palmer has played well in the two games since his return, completing 50 of 75 passes (66.6 percent) for 503 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
That interception was the first thrown by a Cardinals quarterback this season.
“Knock on wood, hopefully we don’t have to talk about that one anymore,” coach Bruce Arians said of Palmer’s injury.
With Palmer starting, the Cardinals have used every one of their offensive threats. In his three starts, he has completed passes to 11 different receivers, then eight and last week, nine.
Palmer has enjoyed excellent pass protection, and he has made smart decisions when he has been pressured. He will need to continue to do that on Sunday when he faces the Eagles, who use a variety of defensive fronts and blitzes.
“They create a lot of havoc,” Palmer said. “They’ve created a lot of sacks. They’re good on the back end, they’re good on the front end. They do a lot of different things. They do what they do well. It’s as good a challenge as we’ve had this year.”
MEDICAL WATCH: DE Calais Campbell could practice toward the end of the week after missing two games with a strained MCL. If Campbell is able to play against Philadelphia, the Cardinals will try to limit his snaps. … TE Troy Niklas could practice at the end of the week after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. He’s still unlikely to play this week against the Eagles. … RB Andre Ellington is missing some practice time this week as he tries to manage a foot injury that has troubled him all year. Ellington is expected to play against the Eagles, but he probably will have to take a day off every week for most of the rest of the year.
SERIES HISTORY: 115th regular-season meeting. The Cardinals lead the series, 55-54-5. The Eagles beat Arizona last year in Philadelphia, 24-21. The Cardinals played poorly in the first half, committing two turnovers. They trailed 24-7 early in the third quarter but scored two touchdowns to close the gap. They faltered later and were the victims of three questionable calls by the officials. The Eagles are 0-2 at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals beat them in the NFC Championship Game in the 2008 season and again in 2012.
GAMEPLAN: A year ago, the Eagles had success using two or three tight ends against the Cardinals. Brent Celek and Zach Ertz combined for nine catches and three touchdowns.
The Cardinals think they have shored up their defense against tights. Drafting safety Deone Bucannon in the first round has helped. Look for the Eagles to go back to their tights, however. They also will try to run, as usual, and hope that opens up something deep for receiver Jeremy Maclin.
Defensively, the Eagles will present a similar look as the Cardinals’ defense. They run a 3-4 and they will blitz to bring pressure. Quarterback Carson Palmer has enjoyed excellent pass protection of late, so he has made blitzing teams pay.
The Cardinals will continue to try to get running back Andre Ellington the ball whenever possible. He had 30 touches in last week’s victory over Oakland.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson vs. Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin – In most games, Peterson has stayed on the left side of the field but the Cardinals might decide to have him stick with Maclin all game. Maclin leads the Eagles in receiving and has four touchdowns. Peterson hasn’t played great this season, yielding four touchdowns and being penalized seven times. But the Cardinals like matching him up on athletic receivers.
Eagles C David Molk vs. Cardinals NT Dan Williams – The Cardinals will commit whatever resources necessary to stopping the run, but it starts with the front three. Williams is a powerful run stuffer and a key to the Cardinals’ run defense. Molk will be challenged mentally by the varied defensive fronts the Cardinals use.
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