The big birds
Cardinals crush Eagles to clinch NFC West
PHILADELPHIA — The Cardinals are NFC West champions. Now, they have more to accomplish.
David Johnson ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns, Carson Palmer threw a TD pass and the Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 4017 on Sunday night to clinch their first division title since 2009.
The Cardinals (122) will earn a firstround bye with a victory over Green Bay next week. They still have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed if they win out and Carolina (140) loses its last two games.
Afterward, coach Bruce Arians wore a hat that said: “NFC West Champions”
“I have a closet full of them, but this is a good one,” he said. “Still, I want one with a lot more written on it.”
The Eagles (68) would win the NFC East title if they beat Washington (77) at home on Saturday and the Giants (68) on the road on Jan. 3.
But they’re not even close to Arizona’s level. The Cardinals outclassed Philadelphia in every way on their way to their eighth straight victory.
“If we don’t take care of business on Saturday, there’s no need to talk about the second game,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said.
Johnson, a rookie filling in for injured backs Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington, had a pair of 1yard TD runs and a 47yarder.
“I’m just trying to learn, get better and help the team win,” Johnson said.
Palmer gave Cardinals fans a brief scare when he came out for one play after injuring his right index finger on a throw. But he returned to toss a 16yard TD pass to John Brown and finished 20 of 32 for 274 yards.
“It’s very gratifying to come into this environment against a team that’s hot,” Palmer said. “It’s a blast to be part of this group. We’re coached hard and we play hard.”
Deone Bucannon returned Sam Bradford’s interception 39 yards for a touchdown to give Arizona a 3710 lead early in the fourth quarter, sending fans to the exits.
Bradford threw for 361 yards and two TDs, including a 78yard score to Jordan Matthews.
“Everybody is frustrated,” Bradford said. “Good news is we have to have a short memory. The next two games are important.”
Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Bradford’s pass late in the fourth quarter and limped off the field. There was no immediate word on his injury.
The Eagles had fumbles end consecutive drives in the third quarter. Bradford lost the ball on a sack by Markus Golden at Arizona’s 44 and Ryan Mathews turned it over at midfield.
Johnson broke several tackles on his long run to give the Cardinals a 1710 lead in the second quarter. He appeared stopped for a short gain, but came out of a pile and sprinted down the right sideline while fighting off defenders.
The Eagles were driving for the tying score, but went for fourthand1 at the Cardinals 8 and Mathews was stopped for no gain. DeMarco Murray is 14 for 14 on third and fourth downs of 2 yards or less, but he didn’t get a carry until the third quarter.