NFC Championship Game: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals NFL Betting Odds & Spread

Written January 15, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Cardinals Eagles Football

With just a few weeks left in the regular season there weren’t many that thought the Philadelphia Eagles would be taking on the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game, but thats exactly what is going to take place this weekend. The Eagles looked out of it after suffering a tie and two losses with just 5 weeks to go, but this team got a little help and did its part to finish 9-6-1 and grab the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. The Cardinals were a near lock to win the NFC West almost half way through the season, but their 2-4 finish to the season had many thinking that this team was going to be one and done when it came to the postseason. The Eagles were first able to get by the Vikings, while the Cardinals shocked the Falcons at home in the first round, and last week the Eagles controlled the Giants in a 23-11 win, while the Cardinals stunned everyone beating up on the Panthers on the road 33-13. For those of you looking to do a little NFL betting on the game this weekend, the oddsmakers have Eagles 4 point favorites on the road over the Cardinals at Bookmaker.com.

The Eagles offense struggled early, but put together 3 solid drivers in the 3rd and 4th quarters that resulted in 13 points. The numbers for this team weren’t pretty as Donovan McNabb threw for just 217 yards and touchdown with 2 interceptions, but did have a big play on the ground, as he ran it in for a score from 1 yard out in the 1st quarter. Almost everyone including myself thought that Brian Westbrook had to have a huge game for the Eagles to win, but Westbrook had just 46 yards of total offense, and was pretty much a complete non-factor in this game. The Eagles hosted the Cardinals back in week 13, and they put on an offense show, as McNabb threw for 260 yards and 4 scores, while Westbrook ran it for 110 yards and had 2 touchdowns receiving and rushing. Once again I believe that Westbrook will be the key in this one, and you have to think he will have a much better day against Cardinals defense.

The Eagles defense was outstanding against the Giants last week, as they really made life difficult for Eli Manning, who had just 169 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Eagles did struggle a little against the run, as Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward combined to run for 138 yards on 31 carries. Against the Cardinals last time around the Eagles made life miserable for Kurt Warner who did throw for 235 yards and 3 scores, but had 3 big interceptions as well. The Eagles also shutdown the Cardinals rushing attack, as they had just 25 yards on the ground, but the Cardinals have really picked up the running game over the last few weeks. Getting pressure on Warner is a must for this defense, cause if he gets time he is going to make the plays. Bet Philadelphia Eagles -4 at Bookmaker.com.

The Arizona Cardinals have shocked everyone on their run to the NFC Championship game, and who would have thought that Kurt Warner would be just one game away from playing in the Super Bowl again. Last week against the Panthers the Cardinals exploded for 27 first half points, and took at 20 point lead into halftime. Kurt Warner wound up throwing for 220 yards and 2 scores with an interception, and did all this without one of the teams star receivers, as Anquan Boldin had to sit out the entire game with a hamstring injury. The running game continues to impress, as last week Edgrrin James and Tim Hightower combined for 133 yards, with James scoring on the ground and Hightower taking one in through the air. The running game will definitely be a big factor if they can get it going this weekend, and it looks like Boldin will be back in action, which is huge for this team.

Normally it’s the offense that does all the work for the Cardinals, but the defense has really stole the show in the first two rounds, as they have forced 9 turnovers. Last week they pushed their postseason interception total to 7, as they picked off 5 of Jake Delhomme’s passes. With the Cardinals jumping out to an early lead it really kept the Panthers from running the football, and that was huge for this defense, as DeAngelo Williams came in as the hottest running back in the NFL over the last 8 games of the regular season. This defense has to play better against the Eagles this time around, as 6 touchdowns is just to much to overcome, even with their high powered offense. Bet Arizona Cardinals +4 at Bookmaker.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Cardinals +4
I really like the way this team is playing, and I really think the way the defense has stepped up and the way the offense has brought the running game to life is going to be enough to carry this team into the Super Bowl. Last week I picked the Cardinals to cover, but had them losing to the Panthers, but this week I am going Arizona all the way.

Predicted Score: Cardinals 31 Eagles 27

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One Response to “NFC Championship Game: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals NFL Betting Odds & Spread”

Steve on January 16th, 2009 2:42 pm

I dunno…I’ve been looking at the Eagles vs Cardinals line and I’m going with the Eagles. If McNabb stays consistent, then the Eagles defense will run right over the Cards. Not saying that it won’t be an interesting game either way, but hey.

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