PHILADELPHIA — LeSean McCoy is coming off his most productive game of the season – a 149-yard rushing performance in a 27-0 win over the New York Giants in Week 6.

If he can come close to duplicating that performance Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in the desert, there’s a pretty good chance the Philadelphia Eagles will improve their record to 6-1.

But it won’t be easy. The Cardinals own the NFL’s best run defense, holding opponents to an average of 72.5 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry.

“We just want to go in there and win the game,” said McCoy, who rushed for a league-best 1,607 yards last season, but was averaging just 2.9 yards per carry this season before the Giants game.

“I’m sure they’ll key out and try to take the run away. But we just have to go play ball. They’re a good defense. They play well together. They lost a lot of guys who were very good. For other guys to step in and make plays just shows you a lot about that defense.”

The Eagles still are missing two of their best offensive linemen – All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis and invaluable center Jason Kelce. That’s a big reason McCoy has struggled running the ball.

But coach Chip Kelly did two things against the Giants that kick-started the ground game. He inserted a counter play into the game plan. And he had his quarterback, Nick Foles, line up more under center and less in shotgun.

“(The counter) was something to get me to the open edge,” McCoy said. “To give me some one-on-one opportunities. A lot of teams have been bringing a safety down (in the box). This was something coach came up with to get me some space to work.”

“We’ve had (the counter plays) for a few weeks,” center David Molk said. “But it’s the first time we really used it. It’s really to take the pressure off the front side of our zone. Because if they’re going to heavily weigh (their defense to one side), you go the other way, right? Common sense.”

In their first five games, the Eagles never ran more than seven plays with Foles under center. Against the Giants, he was under center for 22 of 71 offensive plays.

Thirteen of those 22 plays were McCoy runs. He gained 75 yards on those runs.

McCoy said he prefers having Foles under center rather than in shotgun.

“That really helped out,” he said. “Just because, sometimes, (when the quarterback is under center), you can see it better. You can see the cuts better, the lanes better. If there is some pressure, you can adjust to it and kind of move the way you want to move.

“Whereas in the gun, you’re already kind of going sideways. And if there is a little pressure, it knocks you back off your course. Under center, you can get back to it.

“I like under center. I like ’em both. But I would take under center more.”

Molk said the main reason the Eagles decided to run more plays under center was because “we didn’t want them to know where we were going. If we were in the gun, they had a key on which way we were going to run the ball and how we were going to run the ball. With Nick under center, there’s a little more indecision (by the defense). Which is good for us.”

–The Eagles are hopeful of getting linebacker Mychal Kendricks back for Sunday’s road game in Arizona. Kendricks, who has missed four games with a calf injury, is their best defensive player.

“If you get a starter back and a starter with his athleticism, it will help,” defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. “Especially in the dime packages, the nickel packages. (The Cardinals) go to four- and five-wide receiver sets more than most teams we faced. So it will be a game that we’ve got a matchup on five wide receivers sometimes.”

–RB Darren Sproles, who suffered an MCL knee sprain against the Giants in Week 6, practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. He is hopeful he’ll be able to play Sunday against the Cardinals. If he does play, it’s uncertain whether he would return punts.

–C Jason Kelce, who has missed the last three games after having surgery to repair a sports hernia, practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, but he will not play this week against the Cardinals and probably not next week against Houston. He is shooting for a Week 10 return against Carolina.

–RB/KR Chris Polk practiced fully Wednesday and appears to be a go for Sunday’s game against Arizona. Polk, who had a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown earlier this season, has been hampered by a hamstring injury since the beginning of training camp.

–G Evan Mathis returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis. Mathis is recovering from an MCL knee sprain. He is on injured reserve-designated for return. Wednesday was the first day he could resume practicing. He can be activated in Week 10 and likely will be.

SERIES HISTORY: 115th meeting. The Cardinals lead the series, 57-55-2. The Eagles have won just two of the past six meetings. One of them was the most recent meeting – last December in Philadelphia. The Eagles won that game, 24-21. It helped them make the playoffs and ended up killing the Cardinals’ postseason hopes.

GAMEPLAN: The Eagles’ rushing attack has been inconsistent this season, mainly because of injuries to their offensive line. But they rushed for 203 yards in their 27-0 Week 6 win over the Giants, and will come out and try to establish the run early Sunday against an Arizona defense that is No. 1 against the run. On defense, the Eagles will try to get pressure on quarterback Carson Palmer and force him into some mistakes.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

–Eagles nickel CB Brandon Boykin vs. Cardinals slot WR Larry Fitzgerald. Boykin is one of the league’s top inside corners. Fitzgerald has 10 touchdown catches in six career games against the Eagles.

–Eagles RB LeSean McCoy vs. Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Stopping McCoy will be Bowles’ No. 1 priority. His defense is ranked first in the league against the run.

–Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin vs. Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson. Maclin is on pace for his first 1,000-yard receiving season. Peterson is one of the league’s best corners.