The Cardinals have waived 27-year old fullback Reagan Maui’a.  He played in 3 games for the Cardinals this year and he caught 1 pass for 12 yards.  Maui’a has now played in 34 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 4 times for 5 yards (1.3 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 37 yards (7.4 avg) in his career so far.  This isn’t a big loss for the Cardinals going forward.

23-year old RB Beanie Wells is having a solid season for the Cardinals.  He has played in 10 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 181 times for 849 yards (4.7 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  Wells has also caught 6 passes for 25 yards (4.2 avg) so  far this season.  Wells already has career highs in rushing yards and TDs this year,  but he has been a tad inconsistent as he has only two games with 100+ yards rushing so far this year.  One of those games was his incredible effort last Sunday in the Cardinals 23-20 win over the Rams in St. Louis.  He carried the ball 27 times for 228 yards (8.4 ypc) with 1 TD run last week.  The Cardinals need Wells to stay healthy the rest of the season so they can have a somewhat balanced offense.

The Cardinals played defense and ran the ball today and those are the biggest reasons for the win today.  John Skelton had another horrible game for the Cardinals today as he completed 12 of 23 passes for 114 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Beanie Wells was awesome today for the Cardinals as he rushed for 228 yards on 27 carries (8.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  WR Larry Fitzgerald led the way in the air for the Cardinals today with 3 grabs for 55 yards.  The Cardinals finished up with 268 yards rushing on 38 carries (7.1 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 23 passes (52.2%) for 106 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:59.

The defense was outstanding for the Cardinals today.  LB Paris Lenon (6 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) and CB Patrick Peterson (5 tackles and a 80-yard punt return for a TD) led the way for the Cardinals today.  LB Sam Acho also had a big game for the Cardinals in this game with 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 fumble recovery.  The Cardinals did have a bad blip on special teams in this game as Nick Miller of the Rams returned a punt 88 yards for a TD.  The Rams finished up with 86 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 186 yards.  The Cardinals are now 4-7 on the season.

The first meeting between these two teams came just three weeks ago in Arizona, where the Cardinals won 19-13 in O.T. on a Patrick Peterson punt return for a TD.  The Cardinals and Rams both had a rough time last weekend, as the Cardinals lost 23-7 to the Niners and the Rams lost 24-7 to the Seahawks.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are likely to be more balanced than usual this weekend.  The Cardinals want to get Beanie Wells going against a Rams’ D that is allowing 148.1 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  If the Cardinals’ O-Line can keep QB John Skelton clean this Sunday, he will have a shot for a good day throwing the ball as the Rams are giving up 215.0 yards passing per game so far this year.  WR Larry Fitzgerald is a huge mis-match no matter who the Rams have covering him.  Early Doucet and Andre Roberts are starting to step up, so Skelton will be looking there way to in his game.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to have to go all out to stop RB Steven Jackson (749 yards rushing), but that won’t be easy as he’s one of the hardest runners in the NFL.  Rams’ QBs have been sacked 37 times this year, so look for the Cardinals to blitz more than usual this weekend.  The Cardinals will likely double cover Brandon Lloyd and dare Sam Bradford to beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 20, RAMS 13

QB has turned into a Black Hole once again for the Cardinals in 2011.  The Cardinals traded for 27-year old Kevin Kolb after the lockout was lifted and he has not been the answer so far this year.  Kolb has played in 7 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 129 of 227 passes (56.8%) for 1,706 yards with 8 TD passes and 8 INTs (77.8 QB Rating).  Kolb has also carried the ball 14 times for 45 yards (3.2 ypc) so far this year.  Kolb has been injured lately, which opened the door for 23-year old QB John Skelton.  The Cardinals are 2-1 with Skelton as the starting QB.  He has played in 3 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 47 of 94 passes (50%) for 636 yards with 4 TD passes and 5 INTs (64.0 QB Rating).  Skelton has also carried the ball 8 times for 53 yards (6.6 ypc) so far this year.  For now, Skelton will remain the starting QB…but he was awful yesterday.  28-year old Richard Bartel is now #2 in line for the Cardinals, at least until Kolb returns to action.  Bartel has played in 2 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 10 of 22 passes (45.5%) for 86 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (52.5 QB Rating).  Bartel has also carried the ball 1 time for 9 yards so far this year.  Whether it’s Kolb, Skelton or Bartel…….the Cardinals need someone to step up at QB!

The Cardinals have lost 24-year old NT Dan Williams for the rest of the season due to a fractured left arm.  Williams played in 10 games for the Cardinals this year and he had 20 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  He has now played in 25 games in his first two years with the Cardinals and he has 58 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 2 tackles for a loss.  The Cardinals’ run defense is going to miss Williams.

The Cardinals were so awful offensively that they only had possession of the ball for 15:44 in this game!  John Skelton was absolutely pathetic in this game as he completed only 6 of 19 passes for 99 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  Richard Bartel replaced him and he looked much better in completing 8 of 16 passes for 64 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 9 yards.  Chester Taylor led the way for the Cardinals on the ground in this game with 34 yards rushing on 1 carry.  Beanie Wells pitched in with 33 yards rushing on 8 carries (4.1 ypc) in this game.  WRs Andre Roberts (3 rec, 51 yards), Early Doucet (6 rec, 50 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (3 rec, 41 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 80 yards rushing on 11 carries (7.3 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 35 passes (40%) for 149 yards in this game.

The defense was awful for the Cardinals yesterday.  LB Paris Lenon (9 tackles), safety Rashad Johnson (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and LB Daryl Washington (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Cardinals on D in this game.  The 49ers  finished up with 164 yards rushing on 49 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 38 passes (52.6%) for 267 yards.  The Cardinals are now 3-7 on the year.

The Arizona Cardinals are suddenly hot as they have won their last two games by a combined score of 40-30.  The San Francisco 49ers have won 7 games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  Beanie Wells is a little banged up and that doesn’t bode well for the Cardinals’ running game tomorrow as the Niners are only giving up 73.2 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry so far this year.  If the Cardinals give QB John Skelton time to throw the ball, he might have a chance for success against the Niners who are giving up 260.3 yards passing per game this year.  Skelton isn’t scared to throw the ball to Larry Fitzgerald no matter how many guys are covering him, so he could be in line for a big game.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners are a run first team.  That means that Frank Gore and rookie Kendall Hunter are going to get a lot of work tomorrow against a Cardinals’ D that is giving up 123.1 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  Alex Smith has been more than just a game manager for the Niners as he has played really well this year.  The Cardinals need to get into the backfield and make Smith rush some throws this Sunday.  If Smith has time to throw the ball, he will be spreading it around to Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, CARDINALS 17

25-year old DE Calais Campbell is playing the best football of his NFL career this season for the Cardinals.  He has played in 9 games so far this year for the Cardinals and he has 46 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 4 passes defensed and 5 tackles for a loss.  Campbell is leading the Cardinals in sacks as he is turning into the player they thought he would be when they drafted him and they need him to keep up the good work.  Campbell has now played in 56 games in his first 4 years with the Cardinals and he has 182 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, 18 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 12 passes defensed.

John Skelton led the Cardinals to victory yesterday as he threw two TD passes in the 4th quarter, hitting Early Doucet with a 5-yard TD pass with only 1:53 left in the game!  Skelton completed 21 of 40 passes for 315 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 15 yards (3.8 ypc) in this game.  Beanie Wells pitched in with 62 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.7 ypc) for the Cardinals in this game.  WR Larry Fitzgerald led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals yesterday with 7 grabs for 146 yards (20.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Andre Roberts had one of his better games for the Cardinals yesterday with 4 grabs for 55 yards (13.8 avg) and 1 carry for 12 yards.  TE Jeff King (4 rec, 26 yards) and WR Early Doucet (2 rec, 24 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Cardinals in the passing game yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 88 yards rushing on 29 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 40 passes (52.5%) for 282 yards as they have had possession of the ball for 31:42.

The defense was outstanding for the Cardinals yesterday, especially against the pass.  LB Daryl Washington led the way for the Cardinals yesterday with 9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  CBs Richard Marshall (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and CB Michael Adams (5 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) also had solid games for the Cardinals yesterday.  CB A.J. Jefferson and DE Calais Campbell each pitched in with an interception apiece in this game.  The Eagles finished up with 166 yards rushing on 24 carries (6.9 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 34 passes (47.1%) for 123 yards.  The Cardinals are now 3-6 on the year.