The Cardinals had a 24-6 lead at the half and they gave it all back and more in the second half of the game.  Ravens’ kicker Billy Cundiff hit a 25-yard FG as time expired to put the Cardinals on the losing end yesterday.  Kevin Kolb didn’t play too well as he completed 10 of 21 passes for 153 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Beanie Wells led the way for the Cardinals on the ground in this game with 22 carries for 83 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD carry.  WR Larry Fitzgerald (3 rec, 98 yards), TE Jeff King (3 rec, 29 yards) and WR Early Doucet (2 rec, 20 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 109 yards on 30 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 21 passes (47.6%) for 98 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 30:18.

The defense allowed the Ravens to get back into this game in the second half.  Safety Rashad Johnson (7 tackles), LB Daryl Washington (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), CB Michael Adams (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and CB Richard Marshall (6 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Cards on D yesterday.  DT Darnell Dockett pitched in with 3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 fumble recovery in this game.  Rookie CB Patrick Peterson didn’t do much defensively yesterday but he did return 4 punts for 112 yards (28.0 avg) including an 82-yard TD return.  The Ravens finished up with 107 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 51 passes (60.8%) for 298 yards.  The Cardinals are now 1-6 on the year.

The Arizona Cardinals have lost five games in a row and they have not looked good on the road so far this year.  The Ravens are going to be in a foul mood after losing at Jacksonville last week.  The Ravens are 3-0 at home and they have outscored their opponents 98-38 so far this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  With Chris Wells likely out for this weekend’s game with the Ravens, Alfonso Smith will move into the starting lineup.  Smith will likely have a tough day as the Ravens are only giving up 85.8 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.  Kevin Kolb might not have a lot of time to throw the ball but he’s going to also have to be careful.  I have a feeling the safety Ed Reed will be giving whichever corner is on Larry Fitzgerald help over the top.  Kolb will need to throw to other receivers to make the Ravens pay for overplaying Fitzgerald.  That means that Early Doucet and Rob Housler are going to need to step up this Sunday.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are likely going to go out of the way to run the ball this weekend with Ray Rice and Ricky Williams.  They didn’t use those guys enough last week, which is a big reason for their tough loss against the Jaguars.  The Cardinals are giving up 114.2 yards rushing per game this year, but only 3.8 yards per carry, so the defense might be up to the challenge.  If the Cardinals can get a good pass rush on Joe Flacco, he will make mistakes with the football.  Torrey Smith is the only WR with the speed to get deep for the Ravens, so whoever is guarding him will likely have safety help.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, CARDINALS 10

The Cardinals really need someone to step up and take the pressure off of Larry Fitzgerald.  Fitzgerald has been facing double coverage all year, but he has still been producing.  He has caught 31 passes for 505 yards (16.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  Starting on the other side at WR is Early Doucet and he has been taking advantage of single coverage as he has already caught 26 passes for 339 yards (13.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  The rest of the WRs have been sub par for the Cardinals so far this year.  The Cardinals have had high hopes for Andre Roberts, but to this point he has been a huge disappointment.  He has caught 13 passes for 133 yards (10.2 avg) so far this year for the Cardinals.  WRs DeMarco Sampson (2 rec, 27 yards) and Chansi Stuckey (2 rec, 24 yards (12.0 avg) have done next to nothing for the Cardinals so far thi year.

The Cardinals will likely be without starting RB Beanie Wells for 1-2 weeks due to a bone bruise in his right knee.  Wells has played in five games so far this year for the Cardinals and he has carried the ball 91 times for 423 yards (4.6 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also has caught 4 passes for 12 yards (3.0 avg) in this game.  The Cardinals hope that Alfonso Smith steps up while Wells is out of action.  Smith has played in 5 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 25 times for 89 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD carry.  He has also caught 3 passes for 21 yards (7.0 avg) in 2011.  The Cardinals hope that Wells’ returns soon.

The Cardinals’ offense just couldn’t keep up with the Steelers yesterday.  Kevin Kolb completed 18 of 34 passes for 272 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 14 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game.  Kolb did cost the Cardinals a safety when he intentionally grounded the ball in the end zone.  Beanie Wells led the way on the ground for the Cardinals yesterday with 12 carries for 42 yards (3.5 ypc).  Alfonso Smith pitched in with 5 carries for 17 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  WR Larry Fitzgerald (4 rec, 78 yards), RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (2 rec, 76 yards, TD) and WR Early Doucet (5 rec, 30 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 73 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 34 passes (52.9%) for 257 yards as they had possession of the ball for 24:13.

The defense just couldn’t stop the passing game yesterday, plain and simple.  LB Paris Lenon (7 tackles, 1 QB hit), CB Richard Marshall (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Daryl Washington (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Patrick Peterson (7 tackles) led the way for the Cardinals’ D yesterday.  LB Clark Haggans pitched in with 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit in this game.  The Steelers finished up with 91 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 39 passes (66.7%) for 354 yards.  The Cardinals are now 1-5 on the season.

The Arizona Cardinals are in for a tough game this weekend against the visiting Steelers.  The Cardinals have lost four games in a row.  But, the Steelers are only 1-2 on the road, so you never know.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals need to give the ball to Beanie Wells 25-30 times tomorrow if they want to beat the Steelers.  The Steelers are giving up 112.8 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year, so they can be run on.  The Cardinals are going to need to run first to set up the passing game.  If the Steelers don’t respect the running game of the Cardinals, they will blitz every single down and Kevin Kolb won’t be able to handle that.  The Steelers are going to likely double Larry Fitzgerald and dare Kolb to beat them throwing to someone else.  Early Doucet and Andre Roberts need to step up tomorrow.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers have been running the ball well lately, so the front seven is going to have to deal with Rashard Mendenhall early and often tomorrow.  The Cardinals must stop the run on the way to the QB, because if Ben Roethlisberger has time to throw the ball, he’s likely going to have a really solid game.  WRs Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown provide the speed for the longball while TE Heath Miller and WR Hines Ward do the dirty work.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 30, CARDINALS 13

The Cardinals think that they are a passing team, but the results have not been too good so far this year.  They should run the ball more, which would help them control the clock better and keep their own D (it’s not so good) on the sideline.  23-year old Beanie Wells is more than capable of being a workhorse, if he can just stay healthy.  Wells has played in 4 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 79 times for 381 yards (4.8 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He has also caught the ball 4 times for 12 yards (3.0 avg) so far this year.  The Cardinals need someone to step up and give Wells a breather once in a while.  Alfonso Smith will likely get the most chances for right now.  He has played in 4 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 20 times for 72 yards (3.6 ypc) and he has also caught 3 passes for 21 yards (7.0 avg).  Veteran back Chester Taylor has only played in 2 games so far this year for the Cardinals and he has carried the ball 9 times for 20 yards (2.2 ypc).  He has also caught 1 pass for 12 yards.  He could and should get more involved in the offense as the season goes on.  LaRod Stephens-Howling gets most of his P.T. on special teams.  He has played in 3 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 5 times for 16 yards (3.2 ypc).  He has also caught 2 passes for 11 yards (5.5 avg) so far this year.  The Cardinals are only averaging 103.0 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry as a team so far this year.  That means that they are having success when the run the ball, which they need to do more going forward.

The Cardinals have signed 28-year old safety Sean Considine.  Considine played in 4 games for the Panthers earlier this year but he didn’t make any tackles.  He did recover a fumble though.  Considine has now played in 75 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 242 tackles, 15 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries and 7 tackles for a loss.  This was a good signing for the Cardinals as Considine gives them another option at safety until Kerry Rhodes (he is out a month) returns to action.

The Cardinals have released 37-year old punter Ben Graham.  Graham played in 1 game for the Cardinals and he punted the ball 5 times for 212 yards (42.4 avg).  He pinned the opposition inside their 20-yard line 2 times (40%) and he didn’t have any touchbacks.  Starting punter Dave Zastudil is ready to return to action and that’s why Graham was let go.

The Cardinals thought they solved their QB problems when they dealt for 27-year old Kevin Kolb shortly after the lockout was lifted.  He has played in 5 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 101 of 172 passes (58.7%) for 1,281 yards with 5 TD passes and 6 INTs (77.2 QB Rating).  Kolb has also carried the ball 11 times for 26 yards (2.4 ypc) so far this year.  Kolb has been really terrible the last three weeks (all losses) as he has only thrown 1 TD pass against 5  INTs in those games.  The Cardinals have no plans of replacing Kolb any time soon.  28-year old Richard Bartel got into last week’s loss against the Vikings late in the game.  He completed only 2 of 6 passes (33.3%) for 22 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (5.6 QB Rating) in his first game of the year.  The Cardinals need Kolb to get his act back together during the bye week, because they can’t win without good play out of the QBs.