Game Preview
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
thursday, november 27, 2008 - 8:15 pm
*McNabb back at quarterback for Eagles*
Arizona (7-4) at Philadelphia (5-5-1), 8:15 pm EST
PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and coach Andy Reid likely will be carved up by the home fans on Thanskgiving night when they host the Arizona Cardinals.
While the Cardinals have been a perennial laughingstock, the Eagles are the ones who enter as the ones being ridiculed throughout football.
Two weeks ago in a 13-13 tie at Cincinnati, McNabb revealed that he was unaware regular-season games ended in ties.
Things reached a new low last Sunday, when McNabb was benched at halftime with the Eagles trailing 10-7 in what eventually turned into a 36-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
After the debacle in Baltimore in which McNabb threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, many thought Reid had turned the page on the McNabb era when he went with Kevin Kolb in the second half against the Ravens.
Kolb fared no better than McNabb, failing to lead a scoring drive while throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned by Ed Reed a record 108 yards for a touchdown.
Reid, who has come under fire from the team's rabid fan base, made the decision to go back to McNabb, who has committed seven turnovers in his last two games as the club's starting quarterback.
"As I sit here right now, he's my starting quarterback," Reid said Monday. "I need to coach better. Donovan needs to play better and the guys around Donovan need to play better."
Overall, McNabb has completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 2,770 yards, 14 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 81.1 this season.
"I think I know Donovan McNabb better than anybody in this room," Reid said. "I know (seven) turnovers, that's not him. That's no part of his game.
"You back up an inch and you evaluate it and you should be able to step forward a mile after that."
In addition to his decision at quarterback, Reid continues to be questioned on what has become laughable playcalling.
Running back Brian Westbrook, who has been nursing an array of injuries, has rushed for 125 yards in the last three games.
The Eagles may be a train wreck and have faint playoff hopes, but the Cardinals enter with a chance to win their first division title since 1975.
Arizona can claim the NFC West with a win or with losses by each of the other three teams in the division.
It's been a rebirth for two-time league MVP Kurt Warner, who has thrown for 3,506 yards and 21 touchdowns. He could be on his way to joining Brett Favre as the NFL's only three-time MVP.
Warner does have two of the game's best wideouts in Larry Fitzgerald (72 catches, 1,010 yards, six touchdowns) and Anquan Boldin (73 catches, 879 yards, 11 touchdowns).
Last Sunday, Warner threw for 351 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals had a three-game winning streak stopped with a 37-29 loss to the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
With a short week, Warner and the Arizona offense should be challenged by the exotic blitz schemes of Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.
This marks the first appearance on Thanksgiving for the Eagles since they posted a 27-0 win at Dallas in 1989. The Cardinals have not played on Thanskgiving since a 35-17 loss to Dallas in 1985 when they were based in St. Louis.