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Eric Metz, the long-time agent of Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt as well as assistant coach Russ Grimm went on XTRA Sports 910 and spoke a little about Peyton Manning and shared his thoughts on the veteran quarterback and future hall of famer potentially making his way to the Cardinals.

Metz started by saying that he thinks the team has a “tremendous shot” at signing Manning and he’d be “surprised if they didn’t pull it off.” He went on to say that he believes Manning would have the best chance to succeed immediately in Arizona.

“He is going to win quicker in Arizona and they know how to do it, and that whole staff has been there before, so they know how to get right back there, and so does Peyton,” Metz said.

Metz went through all the possibilities and eliminated some teams like the Seahawks (because of where they play) and the Chiefs (because of the fit) and said that the two main teams will be the Dolphins and the Cardinals and that the demand by a few teams for Manning will speed up the process and likely have the veteran signal caller signing with a team within a week.

Of the two front runners, Metz thinks the Cardinals will win out.

“Only he is going to know for sure,” Metz said, “but I would think it comes down to Miami and Arizona, and I think Arizona wins out.”

For more on the Cardinals, head to Revenge of the Birds, and for more Peyton Manning rumors, follow SB Nation Arizona’s StoryStream.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – What a fitting way for the Arizona Cardinals to finish their season.

They win, in overtime of course, with Larry Fitzgerald’s spectacular plays making the difference.

Fitzgerald had two such catches in the game-winning drive, leading to a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely that gave the Cardinals a 23-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Arizona’s fourth overtime victory — all at home — in the last nine weeks of the season. The four overtime wins in a season are an NFL record.

“I wish we could play more games in overtime,” Fitzgerald said. “If we play 16 games in overtime next year, we might go 16-0.”

Fitzgerald made a leaping grab against two defenders early in the drive for a 26-yard gain, but he saved the best for last, a diving, one-handed catch for eight yards that got the team within field goal range and eventually set up the winning score.

“I actually thought it was too far,” quarterback John Skelton said of his throw. “I just saw his arm stick out, stick it, and stick the landing. We come to expect that from Larry. It’s almost like it’s not even a shocker anymore because he does it so often.”

Skelton didn’t mention it, but he fainted in the locker-room before the game after getting fluid drained from a knee.

“Pre-game he scared us all. He fell out and he had a little fainting issue in the locker-room,” Fitzgerald said. “We were all nervous about him being able to play today and he fought through that and was able to go out there and perform and get our team a win. That shows the kind of toughness he has.”

Arizona (8-8) finished the season 7-2 after a six-game losing streak left it 1-6.

“We’re 1-0 in 2012,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said, hoping that the strong second half of the season will propel the team into a successful 2012 campaign.

Seattle (7-9) had rallied to tie the game after trailing 20-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 149 yards after one reception for two yards in the first half. It was his 32nd career 100-yard receiving game, sixth this season.

“The performance of Larry Fitzgerald, he is an incredible football player,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He is as good as you can get in this game and he showed it. I just marvel at the things he does. He has done it before and he did it again and it proves who he is.”

Fitzgerald joined Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison as the only players to top 1,400 yards receiving in four seasons.

Skelton completed 22 of 40 for 271 yards and a touchdown with one interception for Arizona. Tarvaris Jackson was 21 of 35 for 222 yards and a touchdown with one pick for the Seahawks.

The Cardinals earlier had overtime victories over St. Louis, Dallas and Cleveland. The Seahawks finished with the same record as a year ago, when 7-9 was good enough to win the NFC West.

“We know we have a better team this year,” Seattle safety Earl Thomas said. “We are young but the experience that we got this year and all the plays we made we can build on that next year.”

Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, who made the Pro Bowl on special teams as a rookie, returned a punt 42 yards to set up a field goal, then blocked Steven Hauschka’s 24-yard field goal attempt. It was the NFL-leading fifth blocked field goal for the Cardinals, two of them by Peterson.

Seattle won the toss heading into overtime, and Leon Washington’s 47-yard kickoff return gave the Seahawks the ball at their own 40, but they failed to move it and had to punt.

Arizona’s game-winning drive started at the 19. On third-and-3 at the 26, Skelton threw over the middle to Fitzgerald, who caught it between two defenders for a 26-yard gain to the Seahawks 48. Skelton’s quarterback sneak on fourth and less than a yard gave Arizona a first down at the Seattle 37.

Arizona had it second-and-9 at the 36 when Skelton threw toward but not particularly close to Fitzgerald, who somehow gathered in the ball with one hand and cradled it as he fell to the ground. A review confirmed that it was a catch. LaRod Stephens-Howling, filling in for the injured Beanie Wells, rushed three times to the Seattle nine, and Feely’s third field goal of the game gave the Cardinals the win.

Down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, Seattle tied with a pair of big plays by two rookies, Richard Sherman and Lockette. First, Sherman stepped in front of intended receiver Andre Roberts for an interception that set up a chip shot field goal by Hauschka, then Jackson lofted the long pass to Lockette, who beat cornerback Marshay Green, and it was 20-20 with 7:47 remaining. Green had just been activated from the practice squad on Saturday.

After Washington’s 48-yard touchdown run tied it at 10-10 with 10:56 to go in the third quarter, the Cardinals went 80 yards in eight plays. Skelton was 6 for 6 for 70 yards, capped by a 13-yard TD toss to Todd Heap, the tight end’s first score in an injury-plagued first season with Arizona, putting the Cardinals up 17-10.

Skelton’s 42-yard pass to Fitzgerald led to Feely’s 43-yard field goal that boosted the lead to 20-10 12:18 to play.

Seattle responded, driving from its 20 to the Arizona 6. But the offence stalled, and Peterson rushed untouched from the end to block the short field goal try.

Peterson, who had been slowed in practice all week by a strained Achilles tendon, nearly broke free for what would have been an NFL record fifth punt return for a touchdown. Instead, punter Jon Ryan tripped him up at the Seattle 31. Still, the 42-yard return set up Feely’s 41-yard field goal that put Arizona up 10-3 with 3:28 left in the first half.

Wells was a surprise inactive. He had been listed as questionable but had played through the pain in his left knee through the season.

Skelton finished 5-2 as a starter, 6-2 if you count the San Francisco game.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb missed the final three games of his frustrating first season with Arizona because of a concussion, the result of a knee to the head on the Cardinals’ third play of the game against San Francisco on Dec. 11. He missed four games earlier in the season with a right turf toe injury.

Notes: Marshawn Lynch’s string of 11 straight games with a touchdown came to an end. … Peterson set an NFL rookie record for punt return yards (699), the second-most of any player in league history. … Seattle’s Doug Baldwin became the first undrafted rookie free agent to lead his team in receptions and yards receiving since Bill Groman of did it for the Houston Oilers in 1960. … The University of Phoenix Stadium roof was closed even though it was sunny and 28 C outside. … The stadium already had extra seats installed for Monday night’s Fiesta Bowl matchup between Oklahoma State and Stanford.

About the only thing that separates the Cardinals from the Seahawks these days is that one of them practiced in sunny, 70-degree weather to prepare for Sunday’s season finale.

Both are not only 7-8, they took similar paths to get there. Both teams were 2-6 at the halfway point of the season. Both pulled themselves up to ground level and took a peek at the playoffs before losing last week.

Both have defenses featuring young, dynamic players and offenses that are works in progress, often minus the progress part.

“We both have done things that we are excited about,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We have won some games against good opponents. We’ve done a good job at home. They’ve done a good job at home. There is a little bit of a difference as far as they’ve had success running the ball lately. We’ve had a little bit more success throwing the football lately, especially in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a good matchup of two teams in a division that have played good football over the back half of the season.”

Both teams have a chance to finish .500 Sunday. The one that does will claim second place in the NFC West, a small consolation for teams out of the playoffs. But you find motivation wherever you can.

“It’s really important,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of finishing .500. “That’s what we have to play for at this time. That’s not anywhere near where we wanted to be, but it’s what we have available, and we’re going for it. I know that those guys feel the same way.”

The Seahawks have won three consecutive games over Arizona, including 13-10 in Week 3 in Seattle. The Cardinals scored just 38 points in those three losses, which all came after Carroll became coach in 2010.

Turnovers have been the biggest problem for the Cardinals in those games. They committed nine to Seattle’s three.

In the loss earlier this year, Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb had two passes intercepted deep in Seattle territory, and kicker Jay Feely missed field-goal attempts of 51 and 49 yards.

The Seahawks were no offensive juggernaut, gaining 261 yards and scoring one touchdown, but they were far more efficient than the Cardinals.

Seattle’s offensive attack has changed since that game, while the Cardinals are much different defensively.

The Seahawks gradually came to rely more upon a physical running game, spearheaded by Marshawn Lynch, who has gained at least 100 yards in six of the past eight games. In Week 3, it was a mystery why Lynch (19 carries, 73 yards) didn’t get the ball more.

“I think we have improved in big areas, particularly after we made it through the first half and just struggled growing with the young guys up front,” Carroll said. “We started getting better and we just improved to where we can win some football games finally.”

The Cardinals had won six of seven games before last week’s loss in Cincinnati. They did it with a defense that played consistently well throughout games, and an offense that came alive in the second half, especially the fourth quarter.

Both teams will begin their off-season on Monday with questions at quarterback. Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson has displayed toughness in playing through a pectoral injury, but it’s questionable whether he will remain the Seahawks starter beyond Sunday.

“We will go into the off-season with Tarvaris as our quarterback, and we will see what the off-season brings,” Carroll said. “He was absolutely hurt and found a way to play and gave us everything he had. He gave us a chance to turn this thing around. I’ll always be proud of him for that.”

For the Cardinals, Kolb is expected to miss his third game because of concussion and his seventh overall due to injuries. The trade that brought him from Philadelphia to Arizona has not yet paid dividends.

His backup, John Skelton, has shown the ability to bring the Cardinals from behind in the fourth quarter. The problem is, his poor play early in games is a big reason they have been behind in the fourth quarter.

“I’m sure, like anything, with experience and time it will come,” Skelton said of playing better in the first half. “At the same time, there are mistakes that even a rookie shouldn’t be making that I’m making out there sometimes.”

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll needs to test receiver Deon Butler on Sunday (Jan. 1). Butler is healthy again after suffering a broken leg in a game against the San Francisco 49ers last December. He has played a little bit in the last four games, but hasn’t really been tested by quarterback Tarvaris Jackson or the Seahawks . Now is the perfect opportunity to line him up against the first-string defense of the Arizona Cardinals and see what he can do.

Butler was a third-round draft choice in the 2009 N FL Draft coming out of Penn State University. He played in all 16 games during his rookie year, catching 15 passes for 175 yards. Before he got hurt in 2010, he had played in 13 games, catching 36 passes for 385 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had shown flashes of talent on deep routes , including a very nice 63-yard touchdown reception on one game. When he broke his leg though, his progression was de-railed for a bit.

Butler may have just 5 catches for 40 yards this season, but he still shows that same passion for the game in practices. Only Butler truly knows what he could provide for the Seahawks at receiver though, and I would like the coaching staff to really give him the chance to have a breakout game. There is no harm in letting him become a primary target for Jackson on Sunday (Jan .1) and what if they end up being a perfect tandem on the field? That can only benefit the team for the 2012 season.

The receiver positions have been a void of injuries this year, and heading into Week 17 both Doug Baldwin and Ben Obomanu are recovering from injuries. With Mike Williams and Sidney Rice also residing on injured-reserves, it’s time to let Baldwin get in on the action. I think he could become a really good complimentary receiver for the Seahawks again, and that could really come in handy in multiple-receiver spreads on third down plays. Now it’s time to see what his speed can do in a game situation and the Seahawks have nothing to lose by doing so against Arizona on Sunday (Jan. 1).

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*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a lifelong fan of the Seattle Seahawks that continues to hold out hope that the team is heading in the right direction with a new coach, a weak NFC West, and some great young players on defense.

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The Cardinals’ 2012 schedule looks like this:

Home: Bears, Lions, Bills, Dolphins, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks and an NFC East team. The NFC East team will be determined by final division standings. The Cardinals will finish second or third, depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game against Seattle.

The possible NFC East teams are the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles.

Away: Packers, Vikings, Patriots, Jets, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks and an NFC South team. That team would be the Falcons if the Cardinals win on Sunday and the Panthers if they lose.

According to current standings, the Cardinals would have the 12th overall draft pick.

Sunday | 2:15 p.m. | University of Phoenix Stadium

TV: Channel 10 (Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington); Radio: 92.3 KTAR-FM (Dave Pasch, Ron Wolfley), 710 KBMB-AM (Gabriel Trujillo, Rolando Cantu).

Noteworthy: The Cardinals and Seahawks meet for the 26th
time, with Arizona holding a 13-12 advantage in the all-time series. … Arizona enters this week’s contest looking to end a three-game losing streak to their division foe. … The Cardinals hold a 7-4 record at home against the Seahawks all-time, having won four of the past five games at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Arizona Republic

The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals will square off in the desert January 1 in what will be the last game of the season for both teams, as neither will be playing in the playoffs. The game will serve as a reminder to players and fans of both teams of how far they came in their seasons, and where they need to improve.

The cliche thing is to say they are only playing for pride, but of course there should be more to it than that. They are very highly paid professionals, and are getting paid to play their best ball. The emotions involved need to be put aside and the task at hand taken care of. That’s not always how sports plays out, though, is it? The emotions of the moment are always part of the equation.

Fighting for .500

The battle between the two 7-8 teams means one will end at .500 and be second place in the division, and if it’s the Seahawks, they will have beaten the Cardinals in both meetings on the year. That’s important when it comes to bragging rights in the NFC West, but will have little practical impact.

More than finishing out the year at .500 will be establishing a base to build on for next season. The Seahawks’ offensive line took a beating and still managed to turn into a cohesive and effective unit. A great performance in the last game of the season will only work to cement that even more.

The ones that got away

A side effect of a big win for the Seahawks in their last game could be feelings of remorse over games that got away over the course of the season. While there’s nothing to be done about it now, that won’t stop us from lamenting the close games. The late comeback against the Falcons, the embarrassing outing by Charlie Whitehurst versus the Cleveland Browns, and giving up the lead over the Redskins come to mind.

Ending on a positive note

I think the Seahawks will beat the Cardinals and end their season on an up note. While the players get some time off, management needs to begin preparations for obtaining a franchise quarterback and working out a way to keep Marshawn Lynch in a Seattle uniform. With the way the team has been playing on defense and the offense stepping up, with just a few tweaks 2012 will see a Seahawks team going deep into the playoffs. The bittersweet ending of this season can lead to a sweet 2012.

Jeff Musall has been a fan of the Seahawks since he was a kid living in a small Idaho town, watching Jim Zorn lead the team down the field.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Just one more game is between the Seattle Seahawks and a long offseason. The past few months of the regular season brought a lot of excitement, hope and heartbreak for a team that just didn’t have enough talent to make it back into the NFC Playoffs. Excuses can get made about the injury situation, the youth of the team or the terrible officiating that typically goes against Seattle, but at the end of the day the Seahawks just couldn’t get it done in 2011.

On Sunday (Jan. 1) the Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals as their Week 17 opponent. Both teams are at 7-8 this year, so this is a battle to decide which team claims second place in the NFC West. The winner gets to claim a .500 record while the loser gets a better first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. It’s debatable about which of those prizes is more valuable, especially when both teams have a lot of pride but also need to fill some gaping holes for the next campaign.

There are now 11 teams with worse records than the Seahawks in the NFL, and three of those teams have 6-9 records. Five teams are also tied with Seattle at 7-8 records, meaning the Week 17 games will shift the draft order by a lot. The losing teams are going to get better draft position and the winning teams are only going to gain some respect for a fleeting moment on Sunday (Jan. 1). How this weekend plays out will also likely decide which teams have the best shot at grabbing the top three quarterbacks coming out college (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Landry Jones).

The Seahawks already beat Arizona back in Week 3 (13-10), so there is no reason that can’t just happen again. Arizona gives up 354 yards per game, with 120.5 yards coming on the ground every week (on average). That is good news for a Seahawks offense that needs Marshawn Lynch to have a great game if they are going to win the game. The biggest task could end up being how well the Seattle special-teams can control Patrick Peterson on punt returns. He is as dangerous as Leon Washington and could become the difference in this game.

Playing in Arizona probably gives the Cardinals an edge in this game, but both teams are coming off a disappointing result in Week 16 and it’s hard to predict which one actually cares the most about winning this game.

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*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a lifelong fan of the Seattle Seahawks that continues to hold out hope that the team is heading in the right direction with a new coach, a weak NFC West, and some great young players on defense.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Arizona Cardinals lost three consecutive games by a total of eight points earlier this season. They have now won four in a row by a combined 14 points, with two of the most lopsided outcomes stemming from 19-13 and 20-17 victories in overtime.

The search for meaning behind the Cardinals rise to a 7-7 record following a 1-6 start could lead to a basic conclusion. Yes, the defense has improved and quarterback John Skelton has shown a knack for stepping up his game in fourth quarters and overtime, but perhaps things are simply evening out.

Whatever the case, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says coach Ken Whisenhunt and the team in general are much better off getting hot now than, say, falling to 7-7 after a 6-1 start. Whisenhunt: “It builds equity. When you go through the pain of losing those games with all these young guys, and they understand now what they have to do in order to get out of it, that makes you stronger as a team. You have this group of young players who understand, ‘This is what we have to do. This is the standard that we have to set in practice and in meetings and what we have to do in games.’ Now, when you have a group of free agents come in here, you have a group of guys who won’t accept anything but this standard.”

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic checks in with Cardinals guard Daryn Colledge on several subjects. Colledge on the team’s turnaround: “We were 1-6, and we weren’t doing what we wanted to do, but we knew we still had the guys in the room to get it done. We told everybody to stick with us, that we were losing close games but we would find a way to get it going, and we have. We stuck to our guns, we didn’t break apart, we got stronger, and no matter what happens at the end of the season — whether we make the playoffs or not — I believe this team takes this momentum and uses it through the off-season and we become a real threat next year.”

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com runs through basic parameters for the Cardinals to earn a playoff berth.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com says the team again needs the versatile Ben Obomanu to fill in for injured wide receivers. Starters Sidney Rice and Mike Williams are out for the season. Farnsworth: “Obomanu and Golden Tate showed what they can combine to do on the opening drive of the second half against the Bears, as Tarvaris Jackson went to Tate for a 33-yard pass play on third-and-9 and then found Obomanu for a 43-yard gain on a drive that ended with Marshawn Lynch scoring on a 3-yard run. Because Obomanu already has started at split end (three games for Williams) and flanker (two games for Rice), his flexibility and experience will help the passing game compensate for its latest loss.”

Also from Farnsworth: a look at the Seahawks’ young safeties, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas.

Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks are looking forward to getting another shot at the 49ers. O’Neil: “The 49ers held Seattle to 39 yards of offense in the first half of the season opener. The Seahawks trailed by 16 at halftime, cut the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter and then allowed Ted Ginn to score twice, first on a kickoff return and then a punt return. There are plenty of ways to measure how far the Seahawks have come since that loss. You can count up the 1,390 rushing yards in their past 13 games, including five 100-yard rushing performances by Marshawn Lynch. Or you can point to the five wins Seattle has in its past six games. Or better yet, you can line the Seahawks up against that same 49ers team they faced more than three months ago and see how the second meeting turns out.”

Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune sees the Seahawks-49ers rivalry only getting better. Boling: “Don’t let anybody kid you, this has turned into a rivalry between two young teams on the rise, coached by a pair of very competitive men. This is not just another game.”

Brian Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams are set at quarterback and shouldn’t hope to finish with the No. 1 overall draft choice for the purposes of selecting Andrew Luck. Burwell: “It’s a bad idea to write off Bradford based on the impossible circumstances of this wretched season. One of the smartest football wise guys I know, legendary former Dallas Cowboys personnel guru Gil Brandt, is a huge Bradford fan. We have talked a lot about Bradford over the past few years, and he was one of the first people who convinced me before the 2010 draft that the Rams had to go with Bradford over defensive tackle Ndamakong Suh. He was right then, and he’s right now when he says to keep believing in Bradford.”

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides historical context for the Rams’ weak offense. Thomas: “The Rams have scored only 15 TDs this season, and if that number doesn’t change against Pittsburgh and San Francisco, it will be the second-lowest total in franchise history — trailing only the 10 TDs scored by the Cleveland Rams in 1937. And if the Rams don’t score at least 34 points over their final two games, they will become just the 15th team in the NFL since the advent of the 16-game schedule in 1978 to score fewer than 200 points.”

Jeff Bennett, Gregg Found and Jason Starrett of ESPN Stats & Information take a closer look at the 49ers’ run defense, offering this: “The 49ers have been able to keep opposing runners out of the end zone by limiting goal line opportunities and stuffing the run unlike any other team inside the five-yard line. All season, only seven times have opponents tried to run the ball within the 49ers’ 5-yard line. And those rushing attempts are getting stuffed every time. Opponents actually are averaging negative yardage on those attempts. In seven tries, they’ve combined for negative-two yards. … Since 2001, only two teams have allowed negative opponents’ yards per rush inside the five over the course of an entire season. That claim belongs to the 2007 Packers (-0.7 yards per rush) and the 2005 Jaguars (-0.2).”

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says performance, not injury, was the reason behind Braylon Edwards being named inactive Monday night. Noted: Alex Smith’s yards per attempt lag when targeting Edwards.

Also from Maiocco: Aldon Smith strikes opposing quarterbacks quickly.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh answered in the affirmative when asked whether he saw Alex Smith as the team’s quarterback of the future. Noted: That is a tough question for a head coach to answer candidly during any season, let alone such a successful one. Saying no wasn’t a viable option.

Lowell Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat challenges Harbaugh’s claim that Smith is worthy of the Pro Bowl. Cohn: “We all can admire Harbaugh for defending his guy — for putting his player forward. This may help Smith’s confidence, and Harbaugh loves to see himself (and his alter ego, Smith) as an underdog no one respects. So, this is a perfect fight for Harbaugh to start. It plays into exactly who Harbaugh is and needs to be. But he is way ahead of himself claiming Pro Bowl status for this quarterback with such limited accomplishments and, if you’ll forgive me, such limited athletic gifts.”

The NFC West rivalry between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers hasn’t been much of a rivalry lately.

The Cardinals last defeated the 49ers on Nov. 10, 2008. That was 1,124 days ago.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says the Cardinals’ frustration has mounted during a five-game losing streak in the series. Larry Fitzgerald: “Eventually, you have to stand up and fight. Five in a row, enough has to be enough at some point. For it to be a rivalry, you have to beat them sometimes, and sometimes they’re going to beat you. We have to reclaim homefield. They’ve beaten us here the last two years and that’s not supposed to happen.” Noted: The last time Arizona won in the series, Kurt Warner passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. That game was notorious for other reasons.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals played into the 49ers’ hands when the teams last played. Arizona controlled the ball for less than 16 minutes, registering its lowest time of possession for a game since at least 1981. Somers: “That presents offensive coaches with a difficult decision: Do they concentrate on being conservative and call safer plays that minimize the risk of turnovers and brief possessions? Or do they elect to take shots downfield, reasoning that not doing so plays into the 49ers’ style?”

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says the 49ers’ contract extension with backup tackle Alex Boone comes as the team tries to re-sign several role players. Maiocco: “Among the players to whom the 49ers are believed to have offered new deals are outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, guard Adam Snyder, linebacker Larry Grant and special-teamer C.J. Spillman.”

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says the 49ers have new names for their linebackers, according to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Barrows: “When Mike Nolan implemented a 3-4 defense in San Francisco several years ago, he called the strong-side inside linebacker — the one who played on the tight end’s side of the field — ‘Ted’ and the weak-side inside linebacker ‘Mike.’ The positions continued to be called that under Mike Singletary. Last year, for example, Patrick Willis was the ‘Mike’ linebacker and Takeo Spikes was ‘Ted.’ This year the names are different. The strong-side linebacker is called ‘Mike’ and the position is played by NaVorro Bowman. The weak-side inside linebacker is called ‘Jack’ and is played by Willis and now Grant.” Noted: The game would improve, in my view, if coaches ever settled on one terminology. Players could learn one language at the youth level and continually perfect it over their careers.

Also from Barrows: 49ers great Joe Perry suffered from brain trauma likely related to his playing career.

Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News says the 49ers are getting more from their wideouts.

Also from Inman: a music review on a song based around a mantra from 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com checks in with offensive line coach Tom Cable, who has this to say about the recently injured Russell Okung: “Really good. Big time. He was playing like you’d expect a guy you draft that high to play. Particularly the last five or six weeks, I don’t think anybody was playing at his level at that spot. It was just dominant, protecting the quarterback and you can run to him you can run away from him.”

Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times says the NFL did not consider Okung’s injury in determining how much to fine Philadelphia’s Trent Cole for throwing Okung to the ground. Coach Pete Carroll: “They can’t deal with a violation in terms of kind of the impact it has on the other player. That’s not a factor for them.”

Bob Stelton and Dave Wyman of 710ESPN Seattle say the Seahawks’ Zach Miller is making significant contributions as a blocker.

Brock Huard of 710ESPN Seattle thinks the Seahawks are on track despite their 5-7 record this season and 12-16 record under Carroll.

Kathleen Nelson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers thoughts as to why the Seattle Seahawks have fared better than the St. Louis Rams despite suffering through similar injury losses. Nelson: “Part of the difference between the two teams is that the Seahawks have sustained their recommitment to the ground game, led by Marshawn Lynch. He has reached 100 yards in four of the last five games, has 591 rushing yards since Week 9 and 854 yards on the ground this season. Seattle has strung together five consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing as a team, its longest streak since 2005.” Noted: Personnel differences are a big part of the disparity. The Seahawks have generally had better replacements.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch checks in with injured Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, who says he hasn’t thought about finishing the season on injured reserve. Thomas: “For the second day in a row, Tom Brandstater took all the reps in practice with the starters. Kellen Clemens, claimed on waivers Wednesday from Houston, wasn’t at practice. He had travel complications and was still en route while the Rams practiced Thursday. So that leaves Clemens with only two practice days — today and Saturday — to get ready to play Seattle.”

Tony Softli of 101ESPN St. Louis thinks the Rams should protect Bradford by placing him on injured reserve.

D’Marco Farr of 101ESPN St. Louis has this to say about Chris Long’s 12-sack season through 12 games: “Long joins the discussion as one of the best left defensive ends the Rams have lined up in St. Louis. Right now, it’s a three-man race between Kevin Carter, Leonard Little and Long. Heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, Long leads the team with 12 sacks and 18 quarterback hurries. He hasn’t missed a game and hardly a series. I smell a big new contract in his future. He’s playing like the beast we’re all hoping that he turns into, being a consistent threat much like DeMarcus Ware or Jared Allen.”

A thrilling victory over the St. Louis Rams at the start of
November looked as if it was going to get the Arizona Cardinals’ season on a
positive track.

Just two weeks later, the Cards don’t look any better off than they were before
the win.

Things haven’t been much better for the Rams, and they’ll try to find some rare
success against their division rivals this Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Cardinals were in the midst of a six-game losing streak when they hosted
the Rams on Nov. 6. Consecutive safeties on backup quarterback John Skelton in
the third quarter had put Arizona in a seven-point hole, but Skelton rebounded
to hit Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 left in
regulation.

Defensive end Calais Campbell then blocked a 42-yard field attempt by St.
Louis kicker Josh Brown on the final play of the fourth quarter, forcing
overtime and leading to an electric 99-yard punt return for a score by rookie
Patrick Peterson that gave the Cardinals a 19-13 win. It was the second-longest
punt return for a touchdown in NFL history and kick-started a two-game winning
streak for Arizona that included a 21-17 victory in Philadelphia the following
weekend.

However, Arizona lost all of its momentum this past Sunday, when it was routed
by NFC West-leading San Francisco, 23-7. In his third straight start for the
injured Kevin Kolb, Skelton threw three interceptions and was replaced late in
the game by Richard Bartel.

Bartel prevented the shutout when he threw his first career touchdown pass, a
23-yard score to Fitzgerald with 8:38 to play in the fourth quarter.

“I’m not trying to put it all on John,” said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt.
“It was a tough day for a lot of us out there [last week] and we didn’t get the
job done.”

Arizona will play the finale of a three-game road trip and is just 1-5 as the
guest this season. The Cardinals have lost 12 of their last 13 on the road
since a win at St. Louis on Sept. 12 of last season.

St. Louis will need to be cautious of Arizona’s special teams. Peterson leads
the NFL with 463 punt return yards and three touchdowns, while his 17.1 average
per runback is second in the league. Also, Campbell has blocked three field
goals this season after getting his hand on another one a week ago.

Peterson also blocked a field goal try against the 49ers, marking the first
time the Cardinals had two in the same game since Sept. 17, 1972.

St. Louis has lost two of three since snapping a season-opening six-game slide
with a win over New Orleans on Oct. 30. The Rams rebounded from their loss to
the Cardinals to win at Cleveland by a 13-12 count on Nov. 13, but were run
over by Seattle in a 24-7 setback this past Sunday.

The Rams, who are last in the division, scored the game’s first touchdown on a
30-yard pass by quarterback Sam Bradford to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, and
trailed the Seahawks by only three points at the half. However, they yielded a
pair of rushing touchdowns in the second half while their offense stalled.

“It’s hard to play defense when you’re behind, it’s hard to win games when you
only score seven points,” said Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Running back Steven Jackson found little room to run versus the Seahawks and
had a string of three straight 100-yard rushing games come to an end. That
streak included a 130-yard effort versus the Cardinals in Week 9.

St. Louis fell to 1-4 at home this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Arizona took a 32-31-2 lead in this long-played series, which dates back
to 1937, with its above-mentioned overtime triumph three weeks back and has
defeated the Rams in nine of the last 10 bouts between the teams. The
Cardinals have also emerged victorious in each of their last six visits to the
Edward Jones Dome, including a 17-13 decision in the 2010 season opener, with
the Rams’ most recent home win over Arizona taking place in 2004. The Rams did
halt a string of eight consecutive losses to the Cards with a 19-6 ousting at
University of Phoenix Stadium last December.

Of course, the Cardinals were based in St. Louis between 1960-87, and the
franchise still resided in the Gateway City during its lone lifetime
postseason clash with the Rams. That took place during the 1975 campaign, when
the then-Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 35-23 home win in an NFC Divisional
Playoff.

Whisenhunt owns an 8-1 record against the Rams since taking over as the
Cardinals’ head coach in 2007, while Spagnuolo is 1-4 against both Arizona and
Whisenhunt for his career.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Despite his struggles last weekend, Whisenhunt said he will stick with Skelton
(636 passing yards, 4 TD, 5 INT) for this game if Kolb (1706 passing yards, 8
TD, 8 INT) isn’t ready to return from his turf toe injury. Skelton completed
only six of his 19 pass attempts versus the 49ers for 99 yards, while Arizona
and its 25th-ranked offense (309.9 ypg) racked up just 229 yards and turned the
ball over five times in the loss. In addition to Skelton’s three picks, both
running back Beanie Wells (621 rushing yards, 7 TD) and return man Peterson
lost a fumble. Wells continues to battle through a knee injury and rushed just
eight times against San Francisco for 33 yards. He hasn’t topped 62 yards on
the ground in three straight games while not scoring over that span as well.
Wells is still one touchdown shy of the career-best seven he ran for as a
rookie in 2009. Fitzgerald (48 receptions, 6 TD) continues to make plays no
matter who is under center, and his 41 yards on three catches last week made
him the second-youngest player in league history to surpass 9,000 in a career.
He has 13 touchdown catches in 15 career games versus the Rams. Wideout Early
Doucet (42 receptions, 4 TD) continued his career season with six catches and
50 yards versus the 49ers, while Andre Roberts (25 receptions) added three for
51 yards. Tight end Todd Heap (13 receptions) sat out for the fifth time in six
games due to injury, with Jeff King (18 receptions, 2 TD) starting in his
place.

The Rams rank ninth in the NFL in defending the pass, giving up 215.0 yards
per game, and have tallied 26 sacks on the season. They added to that total
with four versus the Seahawks, but also saw their 32nd-ranked run defense
(148.1 ypg) get touched for 126 yards on the day. Middle linebacker James
Laurinaitis (84 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) led St. Louis with 13 tackles, but
came out of the game with a sore foot. St. Louis will need its leading tackler
if it hopes to contain Arizona’s run game and could also use contributions
from defensive tackles Fred Robbins (19 tackles, 1 sack) and Justin Bannan (17
tackles). Pressuring the quarterback shouldn’t be a problem for defensive end
Chris Long (21 tackles), who notched a career-high ninth sack of the season a
week ago. Fellow end James Hall (31 tackles, 4 sacks) also got to the
quarterback, as did rookie end Robert Quinn (14 tackles, 4 sacks) and safety
Darian Stewart (54 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT). Stewart ended with eight tackles,
while linebacker Chris Chamberlain (41 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and safety
Quintin Mikell (56 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) grabbed interceptions. Corners
Justin King (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Josh Gordy (23 tackles, 1 INT) draw
the unwanted task of slowing down Fitzgerald.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

While St. Louis’ defense put up a solid effort last week, the offense could
not match and logged a mere 185 yards against the Seahawks. On the season, the
Rams rank 30th in total offense at 297.9 yards per game and are the league’s
lowest scoring team at 12.0 points per contest. Bradford (1768 passing yards, 5
TD, 5 INT) completed half of his 40 passes for 181 yards, getting picked off
once and sacked five times. Issues at left tackle led to Bradford facing heavy
pressure, as starter Rodger Saffold suffered a torn pectoral muscle two days
prior to the game that ended his season and backup Mark LeVoir sustained a
right shoulder injury in the first quarter. That forced Kevin Hughes into
extensive action after he was just elevated from the practice squad. Bradford
was still able to continue his recent chemistry with Lloyd (26 receptions, 3
TD), who was targeted 14 times and made five catches for 67 yards. Wide
receivers Brandon Gibson (28 receptions, 1 TD) and Mark Clayton added four and
three receptions, respectively. Jackson (749 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 5
total TD) was held to only 42 yards on 15 carries, but still has 459 yards over
his last four games. He also has 429 yards and a pair of scores in his last two
appearances against the Cardinals and is 124 all-purpose yards shy of matching
Henry Ellard for third-most in team history.

Arizona is giving up 383.8 yards per game to rank 28th in the NFL, with 256.6
of those coming through the air. The 49ers posted 431 yards of offense versus
the Cardinals last weekend, including 164 on the ground. Arizona also got
little pressure on the quarterback and failed to record a sack, though
linebacker Daryl Washington (60 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) did notch an
interception in the end zone. Former Rams linebacker Paris Lenon (62 tackles,
2 sacks) led the way with nine tackles last week and safety Rashad Johnson (33
tackles) had eight as he continues to fill in for the injured Kerry Rhodes.
Defensive tackle Dan Williams (20 tackles) made six stops before sustaining a
broken left arm that ended his season. The Rams will have to account for
Campbell (50 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 INT), who has at least one sack in four
straight games in this series. He logged a pair of sacks and two tackles for a
loss in the first meeting. Safety Adrian Wilson (39 tackles, 1 INT) has 7 1/2
sacks in his career versus St. Louis and has logged an interception in four of
his past five games against the club. As a whole, the Cardinals have notched
eight sacks and four interceptions in three meetings with Bradford. Campbell
had two of the four sacks in the first meeting and cornerback Richard Marshall
(44 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT) also had one.

KEYS TO THE GAME

The Cardinals can take a lot of pressure of Skelton by getting the running
game going, and back Chester Taylor could see added carries if Wells’ knee
continues to be an issue. Taylor was Arizona’s leading rusher last weekend
after ripping off 34 yards on his only attempt.

Though Peterson fielding a punt at the one-yard line was ill-advised, it
worked out for the rookie and he should be in the collective heads of the Rams’
punting unit. Look for St. Louis punter Donnie Jones, who averages 44.5 yards
and has pinned 20 kicks inside the 20, to avoid the playmaker.

Bradford’s blind-side was under attack last weekend, and it could be another
long day for the quarterback if Hughes is the man again at left tackle.
Arizona already has a history of pressuring Bradford, so the Rams will need
to find ways to take the pressure off. Screens and play-action could help, as
would not falling behind early.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Fans of offense may want to avoid this meaningless matchup between NFC West
afterthoughts. The Rams are the more disappointing of the two, as they were
expected to contend for the division title but instead are brining up the
rear after taking positive steps a season ago. Things are starting to get a
little hot for Spagnuolo and he could really use a victory over the Cardinals
this Sunday. Unfortunately, this series has been slanted towards Arizona as of
late, making it tough to pick against the Cardinals in this toss-up.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cardinals 13, Rams 9

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals were once seen as likely NFC West favorites this season, largely because their quarterback situations appeared to be improving.

The subject came up when I ran across Trent Dilfer at 49ers training camp. He made the point then that Sam Bradford, though apparently headed for a bright future, might be only the second- or third-best quarterback in the division for now. And he said the 49ers could win with Alex Smith because they would not ask too much from him.

Three months later, Smith is executing his duties better than the other quarterbacks in the division. The 49ers do not need him to carry the team.

Keith Goldner of Drive-By Football, writing for Advanced NFL Stats, offers evidence putting Smith in the same category Dilfer inhabited when Dilfer was part of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com has this to say about Smith during his player-by-player review of the 49ers’ offense against Arizona: “While Smith was not always on target with his throws, his receivers got their hands on seven of his first eight incomplete throws. … Missed wide-open receiver Michael Crabtree in second quarter for what would’ve been a 16-yard touchdown in second quarter. … He got away from pressure on first play of fourth quarter but threw his second career interception in the red zone as linebacker Daryl Washington picked him off.”

Also from Maiocco: player-by-player review for the defense. On Patrick Willis: “Started at middle linebacker and recorded a team-high seven tackles. He also had an interception, three passes defensed and one forced fumble. … His forced fumble of Beanie Wells was initially ruled down by contact, but Willis urged coach Jim Harbaugh to throw the challenge flag. … Called for unnecessary roughness on a fourth-down play when he hit Bartel as he was sliding.”

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is quite familiar with the Ravens’ defense, given that he helped coach it in Baltimore several years back.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com says the team is very happy with Leroy Hill’s contributions at linebacker. Coach Pete Carroll: “He’s one of the toughest guys on the team and if you’re going to pick one guy to go fight for you, a lot of guys would pick him. It was attractive when you talk about linebackers.”

Also from Farnsworth: The Seahawks’ last two opponents made little effort to run the ball.

Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times says Carroll defended Kam Chancellor’s recent hits drawing penalties.

Also from O’Neil: a look at where the Seahawks stand after nearly two seasons under Carroll.

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says the Seahawks currently stand 12th in the draft order for 2012. He discusses options with analyst Rob Rang.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic profiles Cardinals quarterback Rich Bartel. Somers: “It’s fitting that the ball Cardinals quarterback Rich Bartel threw for his first NFL touchdown pass took a circuitous route to Sunday’s game in San Francisco. A ‘K Ball,’ for use by kickers only, somehow was included in the Cardinals’ ball bag and found its way into the game in the fourth quarter. A few seconds after receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught the deflected ball for a 23-yard touchdown, he handed it to Bartel, who had waited almost five seasons to get it.”

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says the team placed nose tackle Dan Williams on injured reserve, filling his roster spot by signing Ronald Talley from the practice squad. Urban: “The Cardinals actually made multiple moves on the practice squad. Filling Talley’s spot, the Cards brought back nose tackle Ricky Lumpkin. The Cardinals also released tight end Steve Skelton from the practice squad and replaced him with linebacker Brandon Williams, who was drafted by Dallas in 2009 before tearing his ACL in preseason of that year.”

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says protecting Sam Bradford should be the Rams’ top priority. Miklasz: “Having Bradford rocked and slammed to the ground would be OK if the Rams actually had something to show for his bruises. Kurt Warner took more hits than any QB during the ‘Greatest Show’ glory days, but the trade-off resulted in one of the greatest performances in NFL history. … Sam and the Rams are getting nothing in return for this steady QB abuse. They’re last in the NFL in points per game (12), they’re last in touchdowns from scrimmage (10), they have the league’s worst third-down conversion rate (29.9 pct.) they rank 30th of 32 teams in yards per passing attempt (5.81), they are 27th in average yards at the point of the catch (5.5) and are tied with Jacksonville for the fewest number of TD passes (6).”

D’Marco Farr of 101ESPN St. Louis has this to say about the Rams: “Large investments in the offensive line haven’t paid off and now are going to be reshuffled again due to injuries. The cornerback position is a mess. Franchise quarterback Sam Bradford is taking a beating to the point where you hope it doesn’t ruin his future. If someone asked me to identify the Rams offense, I don’t think I could. I’m not positive the skill players tell me enough information so I can make that type of determination. The team is last in the league in scoring, and there are a few names inherently attached to that. But there’s still six weeks left. Six weeks to prove that this team is close to breaking through.” Noted: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wasn’t seeking “identity” in the traditional sense on offense. He wanted to mix up game plans from week to week and play to play, based on what gave the Rams their best chance. When I think of identity for this offense, I’m wondering what it does well. So far, the team has occasionally gotten the ground game going with inside handoffs from shotgun formations. Not much to go on.

Howard Balzer of 101ESPN St. Louis says the Rams put another cornerback, Marquis Johnson, on injured reserve.

Of all the Cardinals’ faults, and there are many, their most
egregious has to be their frequent unwatchability.

Sunday was case in point, as the Cardinals challenged the notion
that watching football on television is a pleasurable activity. At
3-7, it’s not like they thrive in pristine conditions either, but
boy-if any team is not built to play in the type of rain that came
down during the first half in San Francisco last weekend, it’s your
Arizona Cardinals.

A below-average offense turned anemic. They converted two first
downs in the first half. Two. That is what a nonexistent
running game and inaccurate passing will get you. Their lone score
in the game was sheer luck.

The NFC West catches a lot of grief, even though the 49ers are
among football’s best and the Seahawks are surging. But I will say
that this division is at its worst when its teams face each other,
and not because of some drag-‘em-out, rivalry sort of thing. Minus
the seconds-long excitement of the game-ending score against the
Rams, all of the Cardinals divisional games have been unwatchable.
The 49ers were in control of the game from the get-go on Sunday,
but I don’t think anyone walked away convinced they’re the team to
beat in the NFC. The Cardinals have a way of making their opponent
look bad even as they — the Cardinals — are getting
dominated.

With a bevy of games for the football fan to choose from every
week, and points being scored like crazy in this new and exciting
pass-happy NFL, the Arizona Cardinals are offensive in their
aesthetic. Of course, if they were winning with a bruising,
plodding running game or opportunistic defense-like, say, the
49ers-all would be forgiven. But they are most certainly not. It’s
probably harder to stomach this current team considering only three
years ago the Cardinals personified excitement, win or lose,
although it was mostly the former. That may not be fair to say, but
equally unfair is two first downs in the first half.

On Sunday the Cardinals face the Rams for the distinguished
honor of being the second-worst team in a maligned division. I hope
you like punts. My pick: Cardinals, 17, RAMS
20.

Read More: week 10 nfl scores, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

Week ten is in the books and the weekend of action brought a first in recent NFL history. The San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks all managed to grab victories on Sunday. This was significant because it marked the first time since the NFL realigned to its current eight division structure in 2002 that all four NFC West teams won the same week. That’s a pretty crazy stat to consider.

The NFC West has had a bad rep in recent years due to significant struggles. It peaked (or valleyed, if you will) last season when the Seahawks took home the division title with a 7-9 record. They did knock off the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs, but that did not stop people fro criticizing a playoff structure that allows a 7-9 team to host a playoff game against an 11-5 team.

A year later, the Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams have all been quite awful this season while the 49ers have gotten back on track. This weekend was a big weekend for the division to gain some measure of respect. The Arizona Cardinals flew east to Philadelphia and shocked the Eagles 21-17 on a late Early Doucet touchdown. The Rams went into Cleveland won an ugly one over the Cleveland Browns. And the Seahawks jumped on top of the Baltimore Ravens early and held on for a 22-17 victory.

Reports out of Las Vegas were saying that if you had bet $100 on a four-team parlay featuring the four NFC West teams, you would have won $8,400. I’d be stunned if anybody placed that wager.

It will be impossible for all four teams to win this week as the division features 49ers-Cardinals and Rams-Seahawks. Given how the NFC West has gone at times this season, a pair of ties would not be the most stunning bit of news to come out of week 11. Unlikely, but really not particularly surprising.