The Cardinals are en route to Philly right now, the fifth trip there since 2008, and the previous four have had some memorable moments. The 2008 game was the ugly Thanksgiving night beatdown, with the Cardinals losing by four touchdowns yet coming out of it not afraid at all of the Eagles (which showed a couple months later when they beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship.) The 2011 game was an improbable 21-17 win with John Skelton throwing a pair of perfect passes on the game-winning drive, one on a wheel route to the Hyphen, LaRod Stephens-Howling, and then a bomb to Fitz. In 2013, Bruce Arians' first year, the Cards lost 24-21 when a late pick by Patrick Peterson was wiped out by a flag on Tyrann Mathieu, a penalty the Cards weren't thrilled was called.

But it was the last trip that encapsulated so much with the Cardinals, especially in relation to where they are now. It was a 40-17 domination by the Cardinals on "Sunday Night Football." The Cardinals clinched the NFC West title that night, an accomplishment that seems so much longer ago than 22 months. It was David Johnson's coming-out party, with his Beastmode-like run and his career-best 187 yards rushing. And it was Mathieu's devastating second ACL tear, that took all the wind from the excitement of the night and might've cost the Cardinals a chance at the Super Bowl.

The Cards have been a .500 team since then. Mathieu is still trying to find his groove. Johnson is hurt and cannot help. Chasing a division title is still a goal, but there is much to be fixed for that to be a topic.

-- The Cardinals not only will have the early start Sunday — 10 a.m. Arizona time — but there might be a little rain. Bruce Arians doesn't care. "They are all excuses," the coach said in his opening statement Friday. It'll be the first game the Cards will have played outside this season.

-- After two rough games, right tackle Jared Veldheer was the highest-graded offensive lineman from the San Francisco game and offensive line coach Harold Goodwin said he was "proud" of Veldheer. "The biggest thing for him is gaining confidence but I was pleased," Goodwin said.

-- Arians, who was hired as Temple's head coach at age 30 and left the job in part because it literally was making him physically sick, was asked if in-his-30s Arians would have imagined himself still coaching now (Arians turned 65 earlier this week).

"I would hope so, if I wasn't dead," Arians said. "That job down there killed me."

-- Another Philly guy is Earl Watford, who just signed this week and now could be in the starting lineup at guard Sunday. It looked like Watford's days as a Cardinal were over, having played out his contract and with both sides ready to start fresh. But here we are.

"A lot of people would think that, but it's just another opportunity," Watford said. "I'm glad to be back here. To be familiar with people, playbook, coaches, I'm excited to be here."

-- Linebacker Haason Reddick now finds himself in the outside linebackers meeting room, trying to cram for a new role after the loss of Markus Golden. I'm very curious to see the snap spilt between he and Kareem Martin.

-- Reddick, who is technically from New Jersey but lived just five miles from Philly and went to school there at Temple, said his call for the best cheesesteak comes from Max's and he's going to try and get some teammates to join him there.

As for the best way to eat a cheesesteak, it's American cheese for Reddick. "I don't do Cheese Whiz."

"Cheese Whiz is a tourist attraction," Reddick said. "Anyone who is really from Philly, I've never seen them put Cheese Whiz on their cheesesteak. I think that's a little bizarre."

(To be fair, it looks like an ongoing debate.)

-- Carson Palmer has taken a lot of hits — 43, officially, in four games. "Hey, I don't want to see him get hit," Goodwin said. "Mr. Bidwill is paying that guy a lot of money."

Part of that is the Cards' lack of run game. Palmer is passing so much he's inevitably going to be hit more, just like he's on pace to obliterate his personal highs in attempts, completions and yards. But that doesn't absolve the pass protection — or the struggles therein. Goodwin said he woke up early last week and the protection issues popped into his mind so quickly he just got up and came to the office. It was 4:30 a.m.

"That's my job," Goodwin said. "I embrace the pressure though. It'll never break me."

-- Finally, there's the case of Fitz the Philly killer. He had a nondescript three catches for 43 yards in that 2015 blowout of the Eagles — and even with that game averaged in, he's still averaged (including the NFC Championship game) more than six catches, 104 yards and more than a touchdown per game against the Eagles all-time.

"He's the same guy all the time," Eagles cornerback Malcolm Jenkins told ESPN.

The Cards wouldn't mind some of that same ol' Fitz Sunday.