When your defense stinks it gives you kickoff returner a lot of shots with the ball.  23-year old RB LaRod Stephens-Howling has made the most of them so far this year for the Cardinals.  He has returned 57 kickoffs for 1,548 yards (27.2 avg) with 2 TD returns already this year as he often gives the pathetic Cardinals’ offense good starting position.  He also has 4 tackles and a fumble recovery this year as he has really been an asset to the Cardinals on special teams this year.  Most think that Stephens-Howling to too small at 5’7″, 180 pounds to have much of a role on the offense but when given the chance he has responded well.  He has carried the ball 23 times for 113 yards (4.9 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 16 passes for 111 yards (6.9 avg).  Stephens-Howling now has 1,772 all purpose yards this year on 96 touches (18.5 avg. per touch) with is good for 136.3 all-purpose yards per game!

The Cardinals blew a big lead in this game as the Cowboys took a 26-24 lead with 1:41 left in the game.  That is when rookie QB John Skelton worked some magic setting up kicker Jay Feely with a 48-yard field goal attempt which he made with only 5 seconds left in the game to seal the win.  Skelton completed 11 of 25 passes for 183 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs last night.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 21 yards (7.0 ypc) last evening.  Beanie Wells (11 carries for 47 yards) and Tim Hightower (6 carries for 23 yards) led the way for the Cardinals on the ground in this game.  Rookie WRs Andre Roberts (5 rec, 110 yards, TD) and Max Komar (3 rec, 31 yards) led the way for the Cardinals in the air.  The Cardinals finished up with 93 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 25 passes for 178 yards despite only having the ball for 21:55 in this game!

CBs Greg Toler (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 66 yards for a TD) and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (3 tackles, 3 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 32 yards for a TD) led the way for the Cardinals’ D in this game.  LB Daryl Washington (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit), LB Paris Lenon (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Kerry Rhodes (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in for the Cards today on D.  The Cowboys finished up with 183 yards rushing on 34 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 37 passes for 199 yards.  The Cardinals are now 5-10 on the year.

The Cardinals have placed 25-year old WR Early Doucet on the Injured Reserve List with a hip injury.  Doucet played in 10 games for the Cardinals this year and he caught 26 passes for 291 yards (11.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 5 yards (2.5 ypc) this year.  Doucet has now played in 26 games in his first three years with the Cardinals and he has caught 57 passes for 595 yards (10.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Cardinals won’t miss Doucet a whole lot the rest of the way.

The Cardinals just suck right now, plain and simple.  Losing to the Panthers last week means the Cardinals have hit rock bottom.  The Cowboys are 4-2 under new coach Jason Garrett and they are going to look to keep on rolling in Arizona this Saturday Night.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  If the Cardinals were smart…..which they ain’t…….they would come out running the ball this weekend.  The Cowboys are giving up 108.3 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so Tim Hightower will have running room.  The Cardinals are going to have a hard time stopping the Cowboys’ offense so I think it would be smart of them to try to control the clock.  The Cowboys are giving up 256.6 yards passing per game so if the Cardinals had a legit NFL QB on the roster, they could take advantage of that. 

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to have to deal with both the running game and passing game of the Cowboys this Saturday Night.  The Cowboys have been running the ball a lot more since Jason Garrett took over as the head coach so the Cardinals’ front seven is going to have to deal with Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and Marion Barber.  The Cowboys are also averaging 266.4 yards passing per game so the Cardinals’ secondary is going to have their hands full.  But, if the Cardinals can get to Kitna with a pass rush he will make some mistakes.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 31, CARDINALS 17

22-year old RB Beanie Wells has been awful this year for the Cardinals.  He has played in 11 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 100 times for 334 yards (3.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Wells has also caught 4 passes for 68 yards (17.0 avg) so far this year.  Wells has now played in 27 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 276 times for 1,127 yards (4.1 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  He has also caught 16 passes for 211 yards (13.2 avg) so far in his NFL career.  Wells has fallen behind Tim Hightower on the depth chart but he will have to step up or he’s in danger of being a career backup.

The Cardinals were down 19-3 heading into the 4th quarter before they finally showed some life in this game but it was too little, too late.  This was truly an embarrassing loss for the Cardinals!  John Skelton didn’t look too good in this game as he completed 17 of 33 passes for 196 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Tim Hightower led the way for the Cardinals on the ground yesterday with 16 yards rushing on 6 carries (2.7 ypc)  and he also caught 3 passes for 12 yards (4.0 avg).  Larry Fitzgerald led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals last Sunday with 9 grabs for 125 yards (13.9 avg).  Steve Breaston pitched in with 2 grabs for 42 yards and he also recovered a Tim Hightower fumble in the end zone for a TD.  The Cardinals finished up with 43 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 33 passes for 175 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 23:04.

DE Calais Campbell was excellent in this game with 11 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  LB Paris Lenon (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 sack) and CB Greg Toler (8 tackles) also had solid games for the Cardinals last Sunday.  DT Darnell Dockett pitched in too with a fumble recovery.  The Panthers finished up with 177 yards rushing on 45 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 19 passes for 126 yards.  The Cardinals are now 4-10 on the season.

The Cardinals broke a 7-game losing streak last weekend by pounding the Broncos 43-13.  They amazingly can still win the NFC West if they can win out, but they would still need some help.  The Panthers have lost 7 games in a row with only one loss (Cleveland) being by less than 10 points.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals should give the ball to Tim Hightower as many times as his body can handle tomorrow against the Panthers who are allowing 132.6 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry.  That is because John Skelton will be playing QB and the Cardinals will likely be conservative in the play calling.  The Panthers don’t have much of a pass rush so Skelton should have time to throw the ball.  He will try to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston but he will have to be careful as the Panthers have 16 interceptions this year.

When the Panthers have the ball:  This could wind up being one of the fastest played games in NFL history because the Panthers are definitely going to come out running the ball.  Jonathan Stewart & Mike Goodson should be very effective against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 143.3 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Cardinals are also giving up 235.9 yards passing per game but Jimmy Clausen just isn’t capable enough to move the ball in the air.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 17, PANTHERS 10

The Cardinals took out all of their frustrations on the Broncos yesterday!  Rookie QB John Skelton was not too impressive in his first NFL start but at least he was only throwing the ball to players in his own uniform.  Skelton completed 15 of 37 passes for 146 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) in this game.  Tim Hightower led the way on the ground in this game with 148 yards rushing on 18 carries (8.2 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  Beanie Wells only rushed for 16 yards on 6 carries (2.7 ypc) in this game as he’s going to continue losing P.T. to Hightower.  Larry Fitzgerald led the way through the air for the Cardinals in this game with 6 grabs for 72 yards (12.0 avg).  The Cardinals finished up with 211 yards rushing on 34 carries (6.2 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 38 passes for 146 yards.

Kicker Jay Feely’s effort also deserves recognition for the Cardinals as he scored 25 points.  He ran for a 5-yard TD on a fake field goal and he also made 5 of 6 field goals and all four of his extra points.  He was a force in this game for the Cardinals who beat the the Broncos in all three phases of the game.

Safety Adian Wilson (11 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits), LB Paris Lenon (9 tackles) and LB Daryl Washington (8 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Cardinals on D in this game.  Safety Kerry Rhodes (fumble recovery), CB Greg Toler (fumble recovery), DE Calais Campbell (fumble recovery), CB Michael Adams (interception) and DT Darnell Dockett (fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD) also made some HUGE plays in this game for the Cardinals on D.  The Broncos finished up with 132 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 41 passes for 156 yards.  The Cardinals are now 4-8 on the season which has them 2 games behind the Seahawks & Rams in the NFC West.

The Arizona Cardinals have lost seven games in a row and they will be turning to their third starting QB of the season, rookie 5th round pick John Skelton out of Fordham.  The Broncos have lost 3 games in a row and 7 of their last 8 games.  The losing cost Josh McDaniels his job as the Broncos’ head coach.  He was replaced by Eric Studesville who will be making his head coaching debut tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  Maybe this will be the week that Ken Whisenhunt finally takes my advice and runs the football.  It’s not like he doesn’t have a good RB as Tim Hightower is a beast.  The Broncos are giving up 145.3 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so far this year so Hightower could have a huge game if the coach lets him.  Rookie QB John Skelton “isn’t ready” according to head coach Ken Whisenhunt then he shouldn’t have him flinging the ball around the field.

When the Broncos have the ball:  New head coach Eric Studesville was the RB coach of the Broncos so look for Knowshon Moreno to get a lot of work.  The Cardinals are allowing 144.3 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year so Moreno will likely have some success.  But, the Broncos are still going to throw the ball a lot as that is where the strength of the offense is.  Kyle Orton (if he has time) should be able to make plays down the field to Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal.

PREDICTION:  BRONCOS 27, CARDINALS 23

27-year old WR Larry Fitzgerald is having a down year, mostly due to the QB play of the Cardinals which has been pathetic.  The Cardinals have thrown 133 passes to Fitzgerald so far this year and he has caught 63 of them (47.4%).  Seeing how he catches most passes that hit his hands, I have to put 98% of the blame on the QBs.  After all, in Fitzgerald’s previous three seasons he played in 47 games in which he caught 293 passes for 3,932 yards (13.4 avg) with 35 TD grabs.  I look for him to rebound with a huge 2011 season if the Cardinals get a legit NFL QB to play under center.