Eagles-Cardinals scouting report

Recent history: The Eagles defeated Arizona, 48-20, on Thanksgiving at the Linc. The series is tied, 54-54-5.

Eagles: 350.5 yards per game (9th)

Cardinals: 365.8 yards per game (4th)

Eagles: Donovan McNabb is playing with a lot of confidence. He's extending plays with his legs, making good decisions and has been as accurate as he's been all season. In the Eagles' last seven games, he's completed 63.3 percent of his pass attempts and has thrown 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Cardinals: Kurt Warner had one of his poorer performances of the season vs. the Eagles in Week 13. He threw three picks, including two in his first five attempts. He has a bad habit of fumbling. He's fumbled 11 times this season, losing seven. He's averaging an impressive 7.7 yards per attempt in the playoffs.

PICK: EAGLES

Eagles: Brian Westbrook, who has played with a sore knee much of the season, is averaging just 2.8 yards per carry since his back-to-back, 100-yard rushing performances vs. Arizona and the Giants in Weeks 13-14. Take out his 71-yard TD catch-and-run vs. Vikings and he's averaging just 3.6 yards per touch in the last five games.

Cardinals: The Cardinals averaged just 21.2 rushing attempts per game in the regular season, which was the fewest in the league. But they brought Edgerrin James out of mothballs late in the season and have been more balanced offensively. But James is 30 and isn't the runner he was 5 years ago.

PICK: EAGLES

Eagles: Sure-handed Jason Avant has developed into a dependable slot target for Donovan McNabb. He's got nine catches in the Eagles' two playoff wins, six for first downs, including that huge, 21-yard, third-and-20 reception vs. Giants. But Avant and the rest of the wideouts need to become a bigger factor in the red zone.

Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver in the league. He's big, fast, with great hands and body control. In the last four games, he's got 22 catches for 498 yards and five TDs. Anquan Boldin, who has missed three of the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to play.

PICK: CARDINALS

Eagles: Eagles finished 5th in the league in sacks per pass play this season. They gave up just one sack in their Week 13 win over the Cardinals, and have allowed only 10 in the last seven games. Their run-blocking, though, has been hit and miss. Their 3.97 yard-per-carry rushing average was second lowest of the Andy Reid era.

Cardinals: Cardinals finished 7th in the league in sacks per pass play. They've given up more than two sacks just four times in 18 games, though Kurt Warner deserves some of the credit. They have done an effective job of run-blocking out of the spread formations in their two playoff wins.

PICK: EAGLES

Eagles: 274.3 yards per game (3rd)

Cardinals: 331.5 yards per game (19th)

Eagles: Jim Johnson's preference for rotating eight players up front is paying big dividends because this unit is much fresher now than most front fours after 18 games. The ability of DTs Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson to occupy blockers has been invaluable to MLB Stewart Bradley, who has been free to make plays.

Cardinals: Cardinals use both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts on first and second down. This isn't a very big unit and doesn't have anyone who regularly requires double-teams, which allows opposing offensive linemen to get to the second level. While it has good overall quickness and comes off the ball well, Arizona had just 31 sacks.

PICK: EAGLES

Eagles: A unit that entered the season with a lot of question marks quickly has gelled into one of the best LB corps in the league. They all are big, fast and smart and play with the kind of physicality and aggressiveness that is perfectly suited for Jim Johnson's attacking style of defense.

Cardinals: WLB Karlos Dansby is the stud of this unit. He's a tall (6-4), rangy Pro Bowl-caliber playmaker who led the team in tackles and had four sacks. His ability to shed blocks and cover ground makes it next to impossible to run screens to his side of the field.

PICK: EAGLES

Eagles: Eagles likely will have five or six DBs on the field much of the game because of the Cardinals' preference for three- and four-wide receiver sets. The Cardinals like to move Larry Fitzgerald around the formation, so no one particular CB will be covering him. Eagles have a good-tackling secondary, which will help.

Cardinals: Cardinals, who had just 13 interceptions in the regular season, have seven in two playoff games. The light seemed to go on for talented CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie late in the season. Former Eagles CB Rod Hood, who didn't play in the first meeting, will start.

PICK: EAGLES

Eagles: Until they gave up a game-opening, 65-yard KR to Ahmad Bradshaw last week, Eagles' coverage units had been playing very well. P Sav Rocca has averaged 48.2 yards per attempt indoors in his short career. PK David Akers is 7-for-7 in the two playoff wins.

Cardinals: Both of their coverage units, which finished 30th in the league, are liabilities and will be hard-pressed to shut down DeSean Jackson and Quintin Demps. PK Neil Rackers missed just three field-goal attempts this season. One of them was a 68-yarder and another was blocked.

PICK: EAGLES

HOT:

Eagles: SS Quintin Mikell. Has a team-high 24 tackles in the two playoff wins.

Cardinals: WR Larry Fitzgerald. Has five TD catches and is averaging 22.6 yards per catch in the last five games.

NOT:

Eagles: DE Trent Cole. Zero sacks in the last three games. Just one QB hurry in the playoffs.

Cardinals: WR Jerheme Urban. Has just four receptions for 12 yards in two playoff wins.

1. Eagles CBs Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown vs. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald: Eagles haven't given up a TD pass in five games. Fitzgerald has five in the last four games. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

2. Eagles LDEs Juqua Parker and Chris Clemons vs. Cardinals RT Levi Brown: Parker and Clemons have combined for seven QB hurries in the two playoff wins. ADVANTAGE: EAGLES

3. Eagles RB Brian Westbrook vs. Cardinals WLB Karlos Dansby: Westbrook is playing on a very sore knee, but had 130 yards from scrimmage and four TDs in first meeting. ADVANTAGE: EAGLES

Eagles 27, Cardinals 21