By Matt Ryan, Sports Talk Philly Contributor 
The 4-8-1 Eagles visit the 7-6 Cardinals in a battle of the birds. The Eagles started off slow, trailing at one point 16-0, but they were able to come back and only trail 20-26 at the half. Here’s what we saw in the first 30 minutes of action:
QB Jalen Hurts
Hurts had a great first half, throwing for three touchdowns and 177 yards, and rushed for 21 yards. If Hurts can keep this level of play up, the Eagles have a real shot at coming back in this game and keeping their playoff hopes alive.
CB Michael Jacquet
Jacquet made a huge play for the birds, forcing a fumble in the red zone. Jacquet also wrapped up Cardinals Quarterback Kyler Murray and Eagles CB, Nickell Robey-Coleman punched the ball free, forcing a turnover. Jacquet was involved in two turnovers in the first 30 minutes of the game and finished the half with three tackles and half of a sack.
The Eagles Pass Defense
The Eagles pass defense did not have a good first half, giving up 256 passing yards. If the Eagles want to come away from this game with the win, the birds pass defense needs to be better in the second half.
WR Deandre Hopkins
Hopkins had a solid first half, catching four passes for 71 yards. With the Eagles secondary banged up, they will need to watch out for one of the league best receivers in the second half.
