Eagles Focused On Cardinals
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles could be out of a first-place tie by Thanksgiving night. The players are only worried about Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles continue to prepare for their game against the Cardinals on Sunday. The Eagles remained tied with the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East. Dallas plays Oakland on Thanksgiving and has a chance to pull ahead of the Eagles, but players such as DeMeco Ryans says the focus is on Arizona, not Dallas.
"We can't be focused on what the Cowboys are doing," said Ryans. "We have to handle our business, and that's how we approach it. We'd like to be in a better situation, but we have to keep focused on our game, go out against the Arizona Cardinals, and try to win against those guys."
Other players such as LeSean McCoy admit they'll keep an eye on Thursday's game in Dallas. The Eagles and Cowboys will meet in the final week of the season, but McCoy says there is plenty of football to be played before the two teams battle in Dallas on December 29th.
"The only thing we can control is us winning," McCoy said. "Later down the line when we see them in Dallas, then we'll take care of it. Right now, it's about the Arizona Cardinals."
The Eagles are wise to keep their focus on this weekend's opponent. Arizona comes to town with a record of 7-4 thanks to a four-game winning streak. The Eagles offense will face a serious test against a team ranked eighth in the league in defense. Center Jason Kelce says the Cardinals present one of the toughest challenges of the season.
"They have really good players and a great scheme," said Kelce. "They do a good job of trying to confuse different offenses. They are a very well-coached team with good players. they play well together.
Arizona has also been impressive on the offensive end, thanks largely to the re-emergence of veteran quarterback Carson Palmer. The Cardinals also feature one of the best receivers in the game in Larry Fitzgerald, and Cornerback Cary Williams says the Cardinals offense can attack defenses with a host of weapons.
"They're getting their running game together," Williams said. "You've got guys that are contributing on offense in every area. It's just one of those things where you just have to go out there and play the game and let the game come to you."
Safety Earl Wolff was the only Eagle to miss practice on Wednesday.
