Ranking Philadelphia Eagles potential 1st-round playoff opponents

How different are the current Cardinals from the team the Philadelphia Eagles met in 2020?

In Week 15 of the 2020 NFL season, a Philadelphia Eagles team starting Jalen Hurts for only the second time walked into State Farm Stadium versus what was supposed to be a slightly-superior Arizona Cardinals squad. The Birds battled Kyler Murray and company with all that they had until the final gun. The result was a hard-fought 33-26 loss.

How much of a contrast is there between the current version of the Cardinals and the one the Eagles met over 365 days ago? Some would state that, based on record alone, 2021’s version is better.

Others would lend themselves to the theory that despite the additions of young talents like Rondale Moore and proven veterans like A.J. Green, Malcolm Butler, James Conner, and JJ Watt, this is still a team that gets off to hot starts, peaks early, and cools off late. Injuries have a lot to do with that. You’ve probably noticed that they don’t have the aforementioned Watt or DeAndre Hopkins on the field, but don’t let the SportsCenter highlights or Twitter posts fool you.

Yes, the Cards are good. In Week 17, they proved that even when firing on fewer cylinders than they’re accustomed to, that they can win in big games late in the season. For that reason (and others), they’re ahead of Dallas on this list.

Both teams are limited, but it stands to reason that a fully-loaded Cards team could also beat Dallas in the postseason. The Birds would have a shot against either squad though. Again, there’s nothing that fully states that the Eagles can’t beat Dallas, but when you analyze things, an upset over Arizona is also believable as long as the Birds don’t get off to a slow start.