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Last week the Eagles’ challenge was playing one of the league's best teams. I don't think the Cardinals fit anywhere close to that category, but they are 2-0 and finished last year very hot. Simply put, they find a way to win. It rarely is pretty, but all you have to you have to do is think back to last year when the Cards came to Philly and beat the Eagles in a slopfest of a game.

The challenge for the Eagles this week is to stay focused on the Cardinals and not to get caught up in other things. The Eagles’ 2-0 start is great, but the players can't think about that. They need to think about beating the Cardinals and not worry about the fact that would mean starting 3-0. Leave facts like that to people like me. The players also need to avoid looking ahead to next week's game with the Giants. Deal with them starting on Monday. For now, this is all about the 2-0 Arizona Cardinals.

Old friend Kevin Kolb is the Cardinals quarterback now. He started the season on the bench, but an injury to John Skelton put Kolb back in the starting lineup. He led the Cardinals to a comeback win in the opener and then to a crazy upset last week at New England. The book on Kolb is simple. Give him time and a clean pocket and he will pick you apart. Think back to the 2009 game against the Chiefs or the 2010 game against the Falcons. He lit those teams up and delivered big numbers for the Eagles.

The problem for Kolb in Arizona is that he has a bad offensive line. That makes him uncomfortable in the pocket and brings out the worst in him. Kolb starts to feel pressure even when it isn't there. He will check down to outlet receivers more than he should. Other times he will get desperate and force throws into coverage. Kolb does have the athletic ability to go on the move and make things happen. He had a couple of key runs in the win over the Patriots last week.

The Eagles defensive line must come up big this week. They are better than the Cardinals offensive line and must take advantage of that. I think Trent Cole could have a huge game against left tackle D'Anthony Batiste. I think Cole will use a power rush move and drive him straight back in the pocket. Last year Derek Landri and Cullen Jenkins both had good games against the Cardinals. Expect more of the same from them. Fletcher Cox has been the team’s best defensive tackle so far this year, which I sure didn't see coming. I thought it would take him at least half a year to adjust to the league. Nope. He's the real deal already. Cox needs to help control the middle of the line on Sunday.

The Arizona offense is 30th in the league in yards. They average 2.8 yards per carry. The quarterbacks have combined for 355 passing yards. To put that in perspective, Michael Vick threw for 371 against the Ravens. The line is struggling so the skill players just don't have the opportunities to shine. Running backs need holes to hit. Quarterbacks need a clean pocket. Receivers need time to get open. Right now Larry Fitzgerald has just five catches for 67 yards. Jason Avant has six catches for 60 yards. That should give you an idea of just how much the Cardinals passing game is struggling.

Tommy Lawlor, goeagles99 on the Discussion Boards, is an amateur football scout and devoted Eagles fan. He is the Editor of IgglesBlitz.com and was a contributor to the Eagles Almanac.

Arizona is 2-0 in large part because of their defense. They are 5th in the NFL in fewest points allowed. Tom Brady and the Patriots only put 18 points on the board. The Cardinals base is a 3-4 look, but they love to use a 2-4-5 look quite a bit as well. That's what they ran for most of the Patriots game. The reason they go with such a strange look is that it plays to the strength of their personnel. They aren't loaded with defensive linemen, but they do have two studs in Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett. Those guys line up as defensive tackles. They are both quick enough to get upfield and be disruptive. They also hold their ground well in run defense. Campbell is tall at 6-8 and is quite effective at deflecting passes. Vick will have to be very aware of that when throwing near Campbell.

Linebacker is a deep area for the Cardinals. Sam Acho is the best pass rusher. He had seven sacks last year, despite starting only 10 games. The other player to focus on is Daryl Washington. He is a great cover linebacker. He shut down Rob Gronkowski at times last week. Washington is a very good athlete and has good cover skills. He's more than just a cover 'backer. Washington led the team in tackles last year and is doing that this year as well. I think he'll be used to shut down Brent Celek. I'm very interested to see how that matchup goes.

The secondary features two unique players. Adrian Wilson is a 230-pound safety. He plays in the box quite a lot. Wilson loves to stuff the run. He had eight tackles-for-loss in 2011. Wilson used to be a great blitzer, but hasn't been doing that as much in recent years. He's not ideal in coverage, but is a smart veteran. The Cardinals coverage star is corner Patrick Peterson. He's not an elite corner yet, but sure looks to be on the way to getting to that level. He is 220 pounds and has explosive speed. I think seeing him and DeSean Jackson going against each other will be a lot of fun.

While the Cardinals do have a good defense, there were some big openings last week. The problem for the Patriots is that they didn't have the speed to exploit those holes. They also didn't have a running back like LeSean McCoy to affect the defense and deliver some key runs.

The Eagles will be without Jeremy Maclin. That definitely hurts, but at least the team had time to get ready. I'm sure the coaches planned on him not being there. That will mean Damaris Johnson is going to get the most snaps of his young career. I'm excited to see how he handles the opportunity. Johnson is a quick, elusive receiver. He has good hands. I've been impressed by his speed. He runs good routes. I don't expect Johnson to have a huge game, but he might surprise some people.

Jason Avant will need to do his part in the passing game. He's always a threat over the middle. Vick might be looking for him more this week. Celek has been huge this year, but I think he'll be having a tough week with going up against a great cover guy like Washington. Maybe that means Clay Harbor becomes more important as a receiver. He's got key catches in each game so far. Will this be the week when he gets a bunch of passes thrown to him?

The passing game requires protection and that starts with Demetress Bell, making his first start at left tackle as an Eagle. He looked good last Sunday so that was a great sign. The Cardinals will attack him with linebackers off the edge and that will be a tough test for Bell. Dallas Reynolds will be making his first ever start in the NFL. He looked fine last week when he replaced Jason Kelce. The two players with the most pressure are guards Evan Mathis and Danny Watkins. They have to control Campbell and Dockett. Reynolds will be double-teaming and helping them out.

Special teams could also play a critical role this week. The Cardinals used a blocked punt to set up a short-touchdown drive last week. They almost blocked another one. They got good pressure on field goals and they believe that is what caused the kicker to miss so badly late in the game. Campbell uses his height to block a lot of kicks as well. The return game is very dangerous. Peterson is an amazing punt returner. He had four touchdown returns in 2011. LaRod Stephens-Howling is a good kickoff returner. I'm very interested to see how the Eagles deal with Peterson. Do you kick the ball short and keep him from catching it? Do you use directional punting and try to pin him on the sideline? This would be a great week for Colt Anderson to show that he's all the way back. He was great last year against the Cardinals.

The Eagles are the superior team. The key is to avoid turnovers and not to get burned on special teams. Make the Cardinals offense go the long field. I don't think they can do that on this Eagles defense. The Eagles should score some points if they hold onto the football and don't have critical mistakes. Keeping Vick healthy would also help quite a bit. He has started and finished the first two games, a good sign. If the Eagles are focused and play smart football, they should win this game.