Here are some thoughts as the Cardinals will battle the Eagles later today ...

1. I expect LeSean McCoy to have a big day against the Cardinals. They have some issues with their run defense. McCoy has the burst and moves to get into open space and then up the field. Safety Adrian Wilson is like an extra linebacker at times. If McCoy gets by him, there could be some big gains.

2. Since Wilson does like to play down in the box, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will see some single coverage and have a chance to get open deep. They must make the Cards pay when this situation comes up. Quarterback Michael Vick must see them and put the ball on target. The Eagles offense has been lacking big pass plays this year. The players and coaches know that. They are going to do anything they can to jump start the deep passing attack.

3. I'm sure Vick is happy that he won't be dealing with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs this week. Those guys covered well and had the speed to chase him around the field. The Cardinals don't have any players quite like that, but two guys who can bother Vick are the safety Wilson and linebacker Daryl Washington. Oddly, Wilson is the more physical player while Washington is the better cover guy. Each player could be used as a spy on Vick, if that is what Arizona wants to do.

4. How will Juan Castillo defend Larry Fitzgerald, one of the best receivers in the NFL? Heck, Fitzgerald is one of the best players, period. You aren't likely to shut him down, but you do need to control him. I would love to see Nnamdi Asomugha shadow him all over the field. Asomugha did some of that when he was in Oakland and they played the Cards. If Castillo did decide to try and do that, it would affect the other defensive backs. Asante Samuel would follow the other receiver around the field. The safeties might have to shift where they line up. Is it better to have your best corner on Fitzgerald or to have your players stick to a more normal style of defense? There are arguments to be made both ways. If we do get to see Asomugha on Fitzgerald, that will be a great sub-plot within the game.

Tommy Lawlor, goeagles99 on the Discussion Boards, is an amateur football scout and devoted Eagles fan. He was a finalist for Philadelphia's Most Influential Blogger Award and is the Editor of IgglesBlitz.com

5. John Skelton will start at quarterback for the Cardinals. That should give the Eagles an advantage. Think about the quarterbacks who have beaten the Eagles this year - Matt Ryan, Alex Smith, Eli Manning, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jay Cutler. Four of those guys were first-round picks. Three of them were top-three overall picks. Fitzpatrick is the one overachiever type. He's proven to be a good starter over the last couple of years. Skelton has potential, but is a long way from the other quarterbacks.

The Eagles must pressure Skelton. Cutler had entirely too much time last week. The Bears line has been on a roll recently so it wasn't a complete surprise that they won the battle up front. The Cardinals line is not on a hot streak. If they control the line of scrimmage, that will be a major surprise.

6. Defensive end Brandon Graham shook off some rust on Monday. He had three tackles and did some good things. It will be interesting to see if he builds on that performance or if his knee is "tired" and he struggles a bit. All ACL recoveries are different. The younger the player, the better the recovery, so that should help Graham, who is just 23 years old. The Bears mixed in a lot of cut blocking and I'm sure that was tough on Graham mentally. You never want blockers diving at your legs, but even more so when coming off a knee injury. The Cardinals don't do a lot of cut blocking so Graham may be a lot more comfortable this week.

7. Jaiquawn Jarrett is set to make his first NFL start. I can't wait to see him fly up near the line and get a shot at Beanie Wells. Jarrett is a physical hitter and tackler. Wells is a big running back. This is the kind of matchup Jarrett is made for. I thought he handled himself well last week. Now he'll have a full week of practice with the starting unit and that should help him to play even better.

8. One group that must improve from Monday night is the offensive line. Those guys lost way too many battles, which meant that Vick and McCoy were dodging defenders in the backfield. The line was terrific against Dallas and must get back to playing at that level. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of a good offensive line.

9. King Dunlap will get the start at left guard.  That will be interesting.  Dunlap hasn't started at guard in the NFL and I don't recall him playing there at Auburn.  Clearly, Dunlap has earned the trust of the coaches with the way he's played as a spot starter the last couple of years.  The one matchup that would give me concern is Darnell Dockett against Dunlap.  Dockett is very quick off the ball and generally plays with good leverage.  He could get under Dunlap's pads and drive him back or at least hold his ground on a run play.

10. One X-factor in the game could be Colt Anderson.  The special teams coverage units were terrific on Monday night.  The Cardinals have a rookie named Patrick Peterson who has explosive speed.  Anderson needs to get downfield and tackle well.  Anderson has been great all year.  The Cards have multiple return threats so in some ways this could be the biggest challenge of the season.

11. I don't care how it happens...win.

For more dead-on analysis from Tommy Lawlor, check out the Fan-Demonium archive.