Kurt Warner sat this one out for the Arizona Cardinals (7-4) and it probably cost them the game against the Tennessee Titans (5-6) who won in the final seconds of the game.  The quarterback duties fell to Matt Leinart, which limited the usually explosive Cardinal passing game.  Leinart did not throw any picks, but he also failed to find the endzone, finishing with 220 yards on 21/31 passes.  The Cardinals were only able to get 13 points on offense, as LaRod Stephens-Howling had a 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown late in the 3rd quarter.  Tim Hightower got the lone touchdown for the Cardinals’ offense, running it in from 6 yards to put the Cards up 17-13 early in the fourth quarter.  Hightower rushed for 55 yards on 11 carries.

The Cardinals defense gave up way too many yards in the passing game.  Titans’ quarterback Vince Young is known for his legs, not his arm, but that didn’t stop him from throwing for 387 yards and a touchdown on 27/43 passes.  They also had a very hard time stopping Chris Johnson on the ground, giving up 154 yards and a touchdown on only 18 carries.  Young’s lone touchdown pass was the final play of the game, as it won it for the Titans.  The Cards’ defense let Young and the Titans march 99-yards down-field to win it in the final seconds.  It was a heartbreaking loss, but the Cardinals defense can only blame themselves on that final drive.

The Arizona Cardinals (7-3) are facing a revitalized Tennessee Titans (4-6) football team, who has won four straight games after starting out 0-6.  The Cardinals have not been doing a very good job lately of protecting Kurt Warner, who left last week’s game with a concussion.  Warner is expected to play, and if he weren’t I would be picking the Titans for sure in this match-up.  Warner is the leader of this team and has been having some very impressive games throughout the season.  He still throws too many interceptions though, so he needs to make sure the Cardinals control the ball a little more as the Titans eat up the clock with their running game.

Titans’ quarterback Vince Young has been one of the main reasons the Titans have turned their season around.  Young has not lost a game this season as the starter, and he and Chris Johnson have been running all over defenses the past four games.  The Cardinals need to try and force Young into a pocket passer, which is a lot easier said than done with the athletic Young.  They should use some of their linebackers to shadow Young, which will help prevent him from scrambling for big gains and first downs.  I think this will be a very close game and a tough one for the Cardinals.  I really like the running attack that Young and the Titans bring so I am taking them in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Arizona Cardinals 21, Tennessee Titans 24

When Kurt Warner left the game with a “headache” last week the offense went into a shell against the Rams.  The Cards were lucky that Warner helped them build a big lead before he left the football game.  Warner is not acting his age this season as he has completed 251 of 372 passes (67.5%) for 2,718 yards with 20 TD passes and 11 INTs (94.4 QB Rating).  His drive and will to win is what really makes the offense of the Cardinals roll.  With Matt Leinart in the game the Cardinals are not a playoff team.  He has completed 17 of 25 passes (68%) for 119 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT (61.9 QB Rating).  So in summation the Cardinals can’t afford to lose Warner if they want to win the Super Bowl this season, period!

The Arizona Cardinals will be without 23-year old linebacker Will Davis for the next 4-6 weeks due to surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.  Davis has played in 10 games for the Cardinals this season and he has 13 tackles and 2 sacks.  He was a sixth round pick out of Illinois last April and the Cardinals are very pleased with his play so far this year. 

This game started out great for the Cardinals as they built up a 21-3 half time lead.  But Kurt Warner got injured (head) in this game and he had to leave it.  He completed 15 of 19 passes for 203 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs before he left the game.  Matt Leinart finished up pretty much being a game manager as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 74 yards.  Tim Hightower was electric today with 14 carries for 110 yards (7.9 ypc).  Beanie Wells pitched in with 14 carries for 74 yards (5.3 ypc) with a TD run.  Anquan Boldin led the way for the Cardinals today with 8 grabs for 103 yards (12.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Larry Fitzgerald pitched in with 8 catches for 87 yards (10.9 avg) with a TD grab.  The Cardinals finished up this game with 444 total yards on offense (183 rushing, 261 passing) today.

LB Karlos Dansby (9 tackles) and safety Adrian Wilson (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT) led the way on D for the Cardinals today.  The Rams finished up with 314 total yards on offense (123 rushing, 191 passing) in this game.  The Cardinals are now 7-3 on the season.

The Cardinals can’t overlook the Rams who are playing much better than they were early in the year.  They almost beat the Saints last week and they won the game before it against the Lions.  The offense is starting to really click for the Cardinals now and they will be attacking the Rams through the air the minute they get off the team bus.  The Rams are allowing 236.2 yards passing per game and the Cards are averaging 271.0 yards passing per game so Kurt Warner will be throwing the ball early and often in this game.  The Rams don’t really have the corners to deal with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston so it could be a long day for the Rams if they can’t put any pressure on Warner.  Don’t be surprised if Beanie Wells has a huge game against a Rams’ D that is allowing 142.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.

The Rams are going to do what they always do on offense and that’s get the ball to Steven Jackson.  Jackson is a absolute beast even if you stack the box against him.  The Cardinals are allowing 101.0 yards rushing per game and 4.2 ypc so Jackson will likely get his yards.  The Cardinals will no doubt be cheating up against the run so it will be up to QB Marc Bulger to make them pay for it.  The Cardinals are allowing 253.4 yards passing per game so Bulger could have a good game against them.  That will depend on young receivers Donnie Avery and Brandon Gibson who must get separation at the line of scrimmage.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 35, RAMS 14

The Arizona Cardinals are starting to lean towards making Beanie Wells the featured back in the offense.  In his last 4 games Wells has carried the ball 51 times for 271 yards (5.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he has also caught 5 passes for 32 yards.  The Cardinals probably wouldn’t be able to name Wells as the full time back because he’s not a good receiver.  He has now played in 9 games for the Cardinals this season and he has carried the ball 86 times for 395 yards (4.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he has also caught 6 passes for 49 yards (8.2 avg).  It’s likely that Wells is about to have all of the duties except being the third down back for the Cardinals very soon.  Tim Hightower would likely still be the back for the Cardinals on passing downs as he is a much better receiver than Wells is.  He has carried the ball 88 times for 320 yards (3.6 ypc) with 5 TD runs so far this season and he has also caught 45 passes for 328 yards (7.3 avg). 

26-year old Matt Leinart has seemed to regress over the years to the point where the Cardinals have to ask themselves if he is the QB of the future.  Leinart has played in 4 games for the Cardinals so far this season completing 7 of 11 passes (63.6%) for 45 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (34.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 4 times for -2 yards (-0.5 ypc) but most of those were kneel  downs.  Leinart has now played in 25 games in four years for the Cardinals and he has completed 296 of 529 passes (56%) for 3,503 yards with 14 TD passes and 18 INTs (70.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 41 times for 94 yards (2.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Leinart just doesn’t look like a starting QB in the NFL so maybe the Cardinals will look into drafting another QB in next April’s NFL Draft to challenge him.

 The Arizona Cardinals (6-3) got off to a slow start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks (3-6), but they played great in the second half and got the win.  The Cardinals defense let the Cardinals build a 14-0 lead early in the game and they finished the first half with 17 points.  They did not do a good job in that first half, but they made some good adjustments at halftime and held them to 3 second half points.  The defense gave up way too many yards in this one.  Seahawks’ running back Justin Forsett put them on the board early and finished the game with 123 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.  Seahawks’ quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards and a touchdown on 26/52 attempts.  They let receiver T.J. The Cardinals defense did a much better job on Hasselbeck late in the game, as they intercepted him twice to help seal the victory.  Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson were the Cardinals players who got the interceptions.

The Cardinals offense did not play very well in the first half, but they outscored the Seahawks 21-3 in the second.  Kurt Warner led the way for the Cardinals once again.  Everyone talks about Brett Favre and how great he is playing for a 40-year old.  Well Warner is 38 and has been playing great for the Cardinals.  He had two touchdowns and no interceptions, while throwing 340 yards on 29/38 pass attempts.  He got a lot of help from the running game too, as Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower combined for 122 yards on 26 carries.  Wells ran it in for two touchdowns while also adding two catches for 32 yards.  It was a very good game for the rookie.  Warner and Larry Fitzgerald pretty much sealed the win when they connected on 18-yard touchdown pass with 6:11, but the defense has to be credited too for shutting down Hasselbeck and Hawks’ offense in the second half.

The Arizona Cardinals (5-3) are coming off a blowout win over the Bears and will be hosting the Seattle Seahawks (3-5) on Sunday.  The Cardinals have not really had much of a home-field advantage this year, with all three of their losses coming at home this season.  They are a much better team the Seahawks though, so they should be able to improve to 2-3 at home this year.  The Seahawks are coming off a win over the Lions, where their quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had a huge day and broke a franchise record for completions (39).  The Cardinals are giving up too many yards through the air (247), so they need to contain Hasselbeck as he is their best player.

The Cardinals offense should not have too much of a problem in this one.  Warner and Fitzgerald could have big games once again and it could be another blowout.  Warner needs to make sure he doesn’t turn the ball over though, as he has had some bad turnover games this season.  Maybe they can get their running game going a little more too as the Seahawks give up 102 rushing yards per game.  I think the Cardinals will win this one with conviction as they need to start having more success at home.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Arizona Cardinals 34, Seattle Seahawks 20