PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles delivered their most commanding defensive effort of the season on Sunday, overwhelming Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals in a 41–22 victory that sent a clear message to the rest of the conference: if you want to make a run in the NFC, you’ll have to go through Philly. From the opening drive to the final whistle, the Eagles dictated the tone — physical, disciplined and relentless.
Jordan Davis, the anchor of Philadelphia’s interior defense, summed it up after the game: “All week we said the same thing — be physical, play our style, and make them adjust to us. If they want to advance, they’ve got to come through Philly. Tonight, we showed them what that means.” Davis backed up every word with a monstrous outing, including multiple batted passes that disrupted Murray’s rhythm and stalled several promising drives.
It wasn’t just Davis making life miserable for the Cardinals quarterback. The Eagles identified on film that Murray often releases the ball from a low, angled slot, making him vulnerable to deflections. So the defensive front installed a drill in practice specifically focused on timing and placement for swatting passes — a tactic that paid off immediately. Jalen Carter and Davis both notched key deflections, one of which directly resulted in an interception and shifted the early momentum fully toward Philadelphia.
By halftime, Murray looked rattled. Pressured on nearly every dropback, he completed well under half his attempts and repeatedly found himself scrambling to avoid hits. He finished the game 0-for-10 under duress, one of the worst pressured performances by any quarterback this season. “Little things like batted passes get in a QB’s head,” Davis said. “It changes how they throw, how they read, everything. And we made it really hard on him tonight.”
The Eagles’ pressure wasn’t only about collapsing the pocket — it was about showing up in critical moments. Arizona went 0-for-4 on fourth-down attempts, each failure energizing the Philadelphia crowd and further cementing the defense’s dominance. Newest addition Jaelan Phillips once again shined with six pressures and a sack, continuing a breakout stretch since arriving from Miami at the trade deadline. “He fit in instantly,” linebacker Nakobe Dean said. “He plays with our mentality — fast, physical, and fearless.”
On the offensive side, the Eagles still showed some inconsistency, just as they have throughout the season, but Jalen Hurts and company capitalized on short fields and key turnovers. Philadelphia’s offense hasn’t been explosive lately, scoring fewer points over its last two wins than any Eagles team since 1997. Yet the formula continues to work: the defense suffocates, the offense scores just enough, and the Eagles keep stacking victories.
Head coach Nick Sirianni emphasized that the ability to close out games is a skill in itself. “I watched a lot of football today, and I saw teams waiting to lose,” Sirianni said. “This team waits to win. They know how. There’s real value in that.” According to ESPN Analytics, the Eagles’ win now gives them a 47% chance to secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed — a leap that would have plummeted to just 17% had they lost.
For a team with championship aspirations, Sunday night felt like more than just another win. It looked — and sounded — like a declaration. The Eagles are finding their identity again, and it starts with a defense that seems determined to dominate anyone in its path.
