The Cardinals were ecstatic to see linebacker Daryl Washington slide to them in the 2nd round.  They nabbed him with the idea of starting him right away.  He has played in 10 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has 52 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for a loss.  While Washington in fifth on the Cardinals in tackles they need him to start making more big plays.  That being said he appears to have a bright future with the team going forward.

27-year old QB Derek Anderson is likely running out of time as the starting  QB for the Cardinals.  Anderson has played in 11 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 162 of 307 passes (52.8%) for 1,972 yards with 7 TD passes and 9 INTs (68.2 QB Rating).  Anderson has also carried the ball 5 times for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) so far this year.  The Cardinals are likely to make a change at QB once they are eliminated from playoff contention unless Anderson gets really hot.  That means they will take a look at their rookie QBs.  Max Hall has played in 5 games for the Cardinals already this year and he has completed 38 of 75 passes (50.7%) for 360 yards with 1 TD pass and 5 INTs (41.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 1 time for -5 yards.  Hall has looked overmatched pretty badly so far so maybe the Cardinals would give rookie John Skelton a look late this year.

The Cardinals never had a chance last night as the Niners took it to them.  Derek Anderson completed 16 of 35 passes for 196 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also lost a fumble as he was truly awful.  Beanie Wells only rushed for 13 yards on 5 carries (2.6 ypc) but he also did catch 1 pass for 43 yards.  WRs Early Doucet (5 rec, 60 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (4 rec, 37 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals last night.  The Cardinals finished up with 13 yards rushing on 11 carries (1.2 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 35 passes for 190 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 20:59.

LB Paris Lenon (10 tackles, 1 QB hit), CB Michael Adams (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and safety Adrian Wilson (9 tackles) led the way for the Cards on D.  The 49ers carried the ball 47 times for 261 yards (5.6 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 23 passes for 125 yards last night.  The Cardinals are now 3-8 on the season.

These two teams are awful but believe it or not this is a big game.  The winner could only be one game behind the Seahawks in the NFC West if the Chiefs can beat the Seahawks.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals would be smart to mix in some runs this Monday Night with Tim Hightower or Beanie Wells toting the ball.  That’s because Cardinals’ QBs have been sacked 35 times already this year and Derek Anderson tends to make big mistakes when pressure is in his face.  The Cardinals hope to hit some quick hitting passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston so that they can make some big plays after the catch.

When the Niners have the ball:  With Troy Smith playing QB again this week the Cardinals will need to stop Frank Gore and force Smith to pass the ball.  The Cardinals have Adrian Wilson & Kerry Rhodes at safety to deal with Smith’s favorite targets which are TEs Delanie Walker & Vernon Davis. 

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 16, 49ERS 13

The Cardinals have placed 24-year old linebacker Will Davis on the Injured Reserve List with a fractured fibula, ending his season.  Davis played in 10 games for he Cardinals last season and he had 14 tackles, 1 sack and 1 tackle for a loss.  Davis has now played in 21 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 33 tackles and 3 sacks.  This might hurt the Cardinals’ on special teams a bit, but Davis wasn’t playing much on D.

The Cardinals just couldn’t get anything going against the Chiefs despite getting a lot of yards on offense.  Derek Anderson completed 25 of 46 passes for 295 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs yesterday.  Tim Hightower was effective in this game with 12 carries for 62 yards (5.2 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 24 yards (8.0 avg).  Beanie Wells pitched in with 39 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.9 ypc) in this game.  WRs Steve Breaston (5 rec, 92 yards), Larry Fitzgerald (6 rec, 90 yards, TD) and Andre Roberts (6 rec, 52 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 101 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 46 passes for 281 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:22 in this game.

Safety Adrian Wilson (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and LB Gerald Hayes (6 tackles) led the way for the Cardinals’ “D” in this game.  The Chiefs finished up with 159 yards rushing on 29 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 24 passes for 193 yards.  The Cardinals are now 3-7 on the season.

The Cardinals have lost four games in a row after somehow starting the year 3-2.  The Chiefs have lost two division games on the road as they were outscored 72-49.  The Cardinals are awful on the road this year where they are 1-4 and they have been outscored 144-68 away from home.  The Chiefs are awesome at Arrowhead Stadium so far this year where they are 4-0 and have outscored the opposition 107-54.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals will probably come out throwing the ball in a attempt to get a quick lead in this game.  If Derek Anderson has time to throw the ball (Cardinals’ QBs have been sacked 33 times this year!) he could have some success against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 240.2 yards passing per game.  Tim Hightower will also likely find some running room against the Chiefs who are allowing 104.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to come out running the ball with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 132.4 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Cardinals are allowing 269.3 yards passing per game this year so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chiefs throw a little more than usual with Dwyane Bowe (39 rec, 606 yards, 9 TDs) being Matt Cassel’s top target.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 27, CARDINALS 13

48-year old head coach Ken Whisenhunt deserves a lot of the blame for this season.  The Cardinals are sitting at 3-6 on the season and they could just as easily be 0-9.  They seem to get outplayed almost every single week and it’s do to the crappy QB play of Derek Anderson and Max Hall.  Hindsight is always 20/20 but the Cardinals shouldn’t have cut Matt Leinart as you can’t tell me with a straight face that he wouldn’t be outplaying the clowns the Cardinals have under center.  The poor QB play has also hurt the defense as they have to defend a lot of short fields.  Whisenhunt has a 30-27 record (52.6%) during his four years with the Cardinals. 

The Cardinals need to start running the football more.  The QBs suck on the Cardinals and so does the defense so the Cardinals would be smart to run the ball and try to control the clock.  24-year old Tim Hightower got into Ken Whisenhunt’s Dog House early this season due to fumbling (he has lost 3 so far this year).  But Hightower is a much better running back than Beanie Wells so the Cardinals need to get the ball into his hands a lot more.  Hightower has played in 9 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 79 times for 376 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 11 passes for 87 yards (7.9 avg) so far this year. 

The Cardinals have placed starting RT Brandon Keith on Injured Reserve with a knee and hamstring injury ending his year.  The 25-year old Keith played in 9 games for the Cardinals this year (all starts).  He has played in 3 years for the Cardinals appearing in 13 games (9 starts).  30-year old Jeremy Bridges will replace Keith in the starting lineup at RT.  Bridges is more than capable of filling in for Keith.  He has played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this year and he has played in 25 games (4 starts) in two years with the team.