The Philadelphia Eagles had a hard enough challenge while facing the high-powered Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night before their cornerback depth took a hit when Eric Rowe suffered a concussion. Then they watched the New York Giants fall far behind, rally to tie, and still come up painfully short in their bid to knock Carolina from its perch as the NFL’s only unbeaten team.
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Now for the good news: The Eagles remain very much alive in the NFC East, although the momentum they gained from consecutive wins over New England and Buffalo is as gone, as most of the fans were at the Linc by the end of the night. It is also the first time the Cardinals have won eight straight since 1948. Given how well the Cardinals have played, that’s easier said than done. Bradford lost the ball on a sack by Markus Golden at Arizona’s 44 and Ryan Mathews turned it over at midfield.
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With the 63-year-old journeyman head coach and soon-to-be 36-year-old at quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals clinched their first division championship since 2009 on the back of a rookie. DeMarco Murray is 14 for 14 on third and fourth downs of 2 yards or less, but he didn’t get a carry until the third quarter. Mathews started the drive with a 20-yard run on the first play and Bradford connected with Zach Ertz over the middle for a 22-yard TD pass. Palmer threw two other would-be TDs that Brown dropped. They were able to punch it in the end zone three more times in the second half, one on linebacker Deone Bucannon’s first career interception.
