Eagles-Cardinals: What we learned

The Eagles put a good ol' country whooping on the Cardinals with a 34-7 win Sunday and moved to an impressive 4-1 start. Here's what we learned:

2. Carson Wentz is a third-down converting machine. The distance hasn't mattered – 1 yard, 3 yards, 6 yards, 11 yards, 19 (!) yards. Wentz and the offense seem to always have a shot at converting third down this young season. Paul Domowitch wrote a good story on the Eagles' third-down success. But Wentz has been the difference more times than not. He completed 11 of 12 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns on third down against the Cardinals. The Eagles didn't convert each time he completed a pass – they were successful on 9 of 14 overall – but Wentz's accuracy shows just how dialed in he is on third down. He has a 137.8 passer rating on third down this season. That includes a 71.1 completion percent and 11.0 yards per attempt. Six of his 10 touchdown passes have come on third down, including 59- and 72-yard bombs to Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor on Sunday. I wrote a more complete column on Wentz's stellar outing and on his advanced development through only 21 games. But his poise on third down might be the best example of his progress in Year 2.

3. Wentz is a play-caller on the field. I've focused on Wentz's ability to bring the playbook to the line of scrimmage before, but it warrants repeating because it has become a staple of the offense. Wentz doesn't exactly have the freedom to call any play. But he does have a pared-down list with almost each call that Pederson relays to his quarterback. Wentz will often have a run or pass option or a directional shift on a run play to check to in case he wants to counter a defensive look. This is often how you move the ball in today's NFL and what Chip Kelly failed to grasp during his time in Philly. His reliance on tempo didn't allow his quarterbacks to get out of a bad play, and that's why the Eagles increasingly took bad losses. Changing speeds can be an effective tool, but getting to the line quickly also allows time for the quarterback to hard-count and get a defense to "show." He can then change the call if he sees a potential blitz or man vs. zone coverage. Wentz has already displayed a proficiency in the discipline.

4. The off-season Nelson Agholor hype is real. It's too early to project Agholor or any player's statistics for an entire season, but the receiver's stats through five games alone vs. his previous two seasons show improvement. Agholor has 16 catches for 266 yards (16.6 average) and three touchdowns. Last season, he caught 36 passes for 365 yards (10.1 avg.) and two touchdowns. He could eclipse those numbers by this season's midpoint. And it's not as if he's benefiting from more playing time. In fact, his snap counts are down compared to his first two years. Agholor is playing with more confidence, certainly, but the work is also finally paying off. He gives the Eagles a field-stretcher out of the slot, something they haven't had in years. Does he have some deficiencies? Sure. He's not the zone beater or the safety valve that Jordan Matthews was when he was here. But he's more of a threat down the field.

5. The Eagles' versatility in the secondary is covering up some personnel flaws. Jim Schwartz has been incorporating multiple secondary packages into his defense since the spring. Versatility is key in the NFL, and having defensive backs who can switch roles based on matchups can only strengthen a unit. Injuries to cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Jaylen Watkins and safeties Rodney McLeod and Corey Graham forced Schwartz to dip deep into his reserve, and there were times when the replacements simply weren't consistent enough. But for the most part, the Eagles held firm. But with the group mostly healthy – Darby is still out – Schwartz matched the Cardinals based on personnel. Having Graham back allowed Malcolm Jenkins to cover receiver Larry Fitzgerald (only one catch for 15 yards in the first half) in the slot. Having the versatile Patrick Robinson allowed him to bump the corner outside from the slot to match up against Arizona's speedy receivers (John Brown, J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown had just a combined four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown before the break). Jalen Mills had some struggles throughout the day. And Rasul Douglas' long speed issues limited his number of snaps. But Schwartz devised a plan that catered to his crew's strengths and kept quarterback Carson Palmer unsettled with the Eagles pass rush applying consistent pressure.

6. The d-line can excel without Fletcher Cox. The Eagles don't want to get too comfortable without Cox. If they weren't facing a suspect and battered Cardinals offensive line, I'm not sure if the d-line would have been as dominant. Arizona was down to two backups. But Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Tim Jernigan and company did their jobs. Graham once again set the tone with an early tackle for loss. Curry, who has been excellent against the run all season, did the same. And they both eventually added sacks. Jernigan has made at least one "plus" play in each game this season. The defensive tackle hasn't exactly applied consistent pass pressure, but he has been stout against the run. Beau Allen held his own against double teams. And I thought Chris Long had his best game as an Eagle even though he was credited with just one tackle and one quarterback hit. Cox's status for Thursday is still up in the air. But if the Pro Bowl defensive tackle is out for another game, the Eagles should feel a little less anxious than they did a week ago after the Chargers were able to stifle the d-line.

7. The Eagles can win without a dominant run game. After averaging more than 200 yards on the ground in the previous two weeks, the Eagles ran into a defense dedicated to stopping the rush. The Cardinals often had an extra defender in the box and were willing to give up more on the back end by sometimes keeping their base personnel on the field versus three wideouts. They limited Eagles running backs to 4.4 yards a carry in the first half, but Wentz and the offense countered by torching the secondary through the air. The Eagles took advantage of man coverage and Wentz kept deciphering which matchups favored his receivers. Trey Burton beat linebacker Deone Bucannon for a 15-yard touchdown. Tight end Zach Ertz beat safety Tyvon Branch for an 11-yard touchdown. Smith toasted cornerback Justin Bethel for his 59-yard touchdown. And Agohlor blew by safety Budda Baker for his 72-yard score. Sure, LeGarrette Blount had only two carries in the first half – the run-pass ratio was 10-23 — but how could anyone complain based off how well the offense performed? Pederson and Wentz were taking what the Cardinals gave. In the second half, as the Eagles pulled ahead, Blount received more touches and the Eagles became more balanced – 16 rushes to 14 passes — as they closed out the game. That's often how you win in the NFL – pass early to get ahead and run to finish.

8. The Eagles' special teams are special. The Eagles have lost two pivotal players on special teams – kicker Caleb Sturgis and punt returner Darren Sproles – and they have hardly missed a beat. Jake Elliott was solid once again. He made both field-goal attempts, each extra point, and effectively pooched his kickoffs so the cover unit could trap the Cardinals inside the 20. Kenjon Barner had a great game and not just as a punt returner. But his 76-yard return set up the Eagles' second touchdown. The blocking was good, too. Overall, he averaged 36.7 yards on three returns. Coordinator Dave Fipp isn't a flashy guy, but his units year-in and year-out are among the best in the NFL.

9. Nigel Bradham can still ball. The Eagles linebacker handed in his best performance of the season just when he started to lose some playing time to Mychal Kendricks. Bradham typically plays every down, but he logged only 45 of 60 snaps (75 percent) against the Cardinals and Kendricks played 28 (or 45 percent). It should be noted that Jordan Hicks played only 45 snaps, too. But despite the fewer plays, Bradham led the Eagles with eight tackles and made multiple run stops near the line and from sideline to sideline. I don't know if Schwartz plans to keep the rotation at linebacker. It might have been game specific. But having three quality linebackers capable of playing all three downs is a good problem to have.

10. And some leftovers: Alshon Jeffery had a quiet three catches for 31 yards, but he was targeted only four times. … Corey Clement was held to 17 yards on seven carries, but he picked up 22 yards on a screen. The Eagles' screen game is still severely lacking. … Stefen Wisniewski had 42 snaps to Chance Warmack's 25 at left guard. … Halapoulivaati Vaitai played all 34 snaps at right tackle after Lane Johnson left with a concussion. He didn't allow a sack.