THE SKINNY: Arizona (7-4) heads into the game with the NFL's No. 2 offense (390.7 yards/game) and the No. 3 scoring offense (28.9 points). A win will give the Cards their first division title since 1975, when they were in the NFC East. The Cards had a season-high three-game winning streak snapped with a home loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Giants last week. They are 6-14-2 in all-time Thanksgiving Day games, but haven't played on that day since 1985. They are 0-3 on trips to the East Coast this season (lost to the Redskins, Jets and Panthers). QB Kurt Warner has passed for an NFL-record five consecutive 300-yard games and has 48 in his career.
QUOTABLE: "His confidence, you can see it growing it seems by the week ? When J.J. is doing some of those things, you really see a difference. He's made some really big plays for us in the last couple of weeks ? His element of speed and shiftiness that we're seeing more prevalent now will really help us."
Second-year Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt on kick returner and running back J.J. Arrington, who has touchdowns rushing, receiving and on kick returns.
KEY MATCHUP: QB Kurt Warner vs. the Jim Johnson blitz package. Warner's reputation as a statue in the pocket may hinder his chances to make it on "Dancing With the Stars" after he retires, but it's tailor-made for Johnson's variety of blitzes if the Eagles can get the Cards in second- or third-and-long. Warner has been sacked 19 times. The Cardinals are ranked second in passing offense (309.6/game) while the Eagles are No. 6 in pass defense and have sacked the QB an NFL-best 39 times. The Eagles are also third-best defensively in opponents' third-down conversions (allowed 32.7 percent).
Gary R. Blockus
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