21-year old CB Patrick Peterson has been a true impact player for the Cardinals on both defense and special teams.  Peterson has played in 13 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has 57 tackles, 2 interceptions, 11 passes defensed and 1 sack.  He continues to improve on defense after having a rough start to the season.  But, on special teams…..Peterson has been a beast.  He has returned 37 punts for 603 yards (16.3 avg) with 4 TD returns so far this year!  The scary thing for the rest of the NFL is that Peterson is only 21 years old, so he’s likely going to get a lot better in the very near future.

The Arizona Cardinals are rolling right now as they have won three games in a row and five of their last six.  The Browns on the other hand, have lost 3 games in a row and six of their last seven games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are likely going to come out running the ball tomorrow against a Cleveland Browns’ D that is allowing 150.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.  It looks as if John Skelton is going to start at QB for the Cardinals tomorrow.  The Browns don’t have a good pass rush, but the Cardinals have given up 43 sacks so far this year.  Skelton can afford to be sloppy with the ball tomorrow.  He will still likely force the ball down the field to Larry Fitzgerald, even with CB Joe Haden and a safety likely to be on him.  This situation could set things up for Early Doucet to have a good game.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns aren’t really good at anything on offense.  Still, they could be a little more unpredictable with Seneca Wallace starting at QB instead of a injured Colt McCoy.  The Browns will likely come out running the ball tomorrow with Peyton Hillis and Chris Ogbonnaya, but they won’t be able to resist taking on the Cardinals’ secondary in the passing game.  If Wallace has time to throw the ball, he’s going to likely make some plays down the field.  The Browns have no one worth double teaming on the entire roster.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 23, BROWNS 20

27-year old QB Kevin Kolb has passed all of his concussion tests and he has returned to practice.  He should be good to go this weekend against the Browns.  Kolb has played in 9 games so far this year and he has completed 146 of 253 passes (57.7%) for 1,955 yards with 9 TD passes and 8 INTs (81.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 17 times for 65 yards (3.8 ypc) so far this year.  23-year old John Skelton should make sure that he’s ready to go, just in case.  He has played in 5 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 78 of 145 passes (53.8%) for 1,032 yards with 7 TD passes and 9 INTs (66.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 17 times for 96 yards (5.6 ypc) so far this year.

The Cardinals played a complete game in beating the 49ers yesterday.  Kevin Kolb completed his only pass and it was good for 2 yards before leaving the game with a head injury.  John Skelton replaced him at QB and he played very well.  Skelton completed 19 of 28 passes for 282 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 25 yards (4.2 ypc) in this game.  Beanie Wells had a rough time with only 27 yards rushing on 15 carries (1.8 ypc).  Larry Fitzgerald led the way for the Cardinals yesterday with 7 grabs for 149 yards (21.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WRs Early Doucet (3 rec, 73 yards, TD) and Andre Roberts (2 rec, 8 yards, TD) also had solid games for the Cardinals yesterday.  The Cardinals finished up with 55 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 270 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:04.

The Cardinals played excellent defense yesterday as they sacked Niners’ QB Alex Smith 5 times.  CBs Richard Marshall (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and Patrick Peterson (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Cardinals on D in this game.  The 49ers finished up with 90 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 37 passes (48.6%) for 143 yards in this game.  The Cardinals are now 6-7 on the season.

The Cardinals lost 23-7 in San Francisco just three weeks ago, but, they have won four of their last five games.  The Cardinals will be starting Kevin Kolb at QB instead of John Skelton this time around against the Niners, so I expect a much different football game.  The 49ers dumped the hapless Rams in San Francisco last weekend, 26-0.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  Beanie Wells is a little gimpy right now and the 49ers are only giving up 71.8 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year, so look for the Cardinals to be very pass heavy this weekend.  The Niners will likely attempt to double cover Larry Fitzgerald, but that isn’t going to stop QB Kevin Kolb from throwing the ball to him.  WRs Andre Roberts and Early Doucet are also going to be used a lot in this game for the Cardinals.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners are going to try to run the ball a lot in this game.  In the first game between these two teams, the Niners ran the ball 42 times.  The Cardinals are going to have to focus on stopping RBs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter in an attempt to make the Niners one dimensional on offense.  Alex Smith is having a solid year, so the Cardinals are going to try to get after him and try to force him into making some big mistakes.  The Niners will likely continue throwing the ball down the field to WRs Kyle Williams, Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn.  The Cardinals will also have to worry about TEs Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, CARDINALS 20

23-year old WR Andre Roberts looked like he was sleepwalking early this year, but he has come on big time lately.  In his last five games, Roberts has caught 20 passes for 286 yards (14.3 avg).  The Cardinals are incidentally 4-1 in their last five games, so Roberts is helping them out quite a bit lately.  Roberts has now played in 12 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has caught 33 passes for 419 yards (12.7 avg).  Roberts has now played in 27 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has caught 57 passes for 726 yards (12.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Cardinals hope Roberts keeps playing well as they have needed a #3 WR for quite some time now and it looks like he’s trying to embrace the job.

27-year old QB Kevin Kolb was all banged up, which cost him to miss P.T.  After watching John Skelton play at QB for the last few weeks, the coaching staff had to be jumping for joy to have Kolb back.  He completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 247 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (109.9 QB Rating) in the Cardinals’ 19-13 win in O.T. against the Cowboys yesterday.  Kolb has now played in 8 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has completed 145 of 252 passes (57.5%) for 1,953 yards with 9 TD passes and 8 INTs (81.0 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 17 times for 65 yards (3.8 ypc) so far this year.  The Cardinals need the offensive line to keep Kolb in one piece the rest of this year.

The Cardinals monitor 24-year old RB LaRod Stephens-Howling’s playing time due to the fact that he only stands 5’7″, 185 pounds.  He has played in 10 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he has carried the ball 17 times for 65 yards (3.8 ypc).  Stephens-Howling has also caught 8 passes for 192 yards (24.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he has returned 32 kickoffs for 759 yards (23.7 avg).  He has touched the ball 57 times for the Cardinals so far this year and he has 1,016 all-purpose yards.  Stephens-Howling is averaging 101.6 all purpose yards per game and 17.8 yards per touch this year.  The Cardinals need to get LaRod Stephens-Howling the ball a little more as he just makes big plays.

The Cardinals played a solid game yesterday and got another nice home win.  Kevin Kolb got the start at QB and he looked solid in completing 16 of 25 passes for 247 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 20 yards (6.7 ypc) in this game.  Beanie Wells led the way on the ground for the Cardinals in this game with 67 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  LaRod Stephens-Howling pitched in with 2 carries for 16 yards (8.0 ypc) and 1 catch for a 52-yard game winning TD in O.T.  WRs Andre Roberts (6 rec, 111 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (4 rec, 55 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cardinals.  The Cardinals finished up with 103 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 224 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:35.

The defense was pretty solid, especially against the run, yesterday for the Cardinals.  LB Daryl Washington led the way for the Cardinals in this game with 9 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  Safety Patrick Peterson (5 tackles, 3 passes defensed), safety Adrian Wilson (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss), CB A.J. Jefferson (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed), CB Richard Marshall (5 tackles) and LB Paris Lenon (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) also played solid football for the Cards yesterday.  The Cowboys finished up with 75 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 42 passes (66.7%) for 261 yards.  The Cardinals are now 5-7 on the season.

The Arizona Cardinals are suddenly hot all of a sudden, winning three of their last four games (2 against the Rams).  The Cowboys have won four games in a row now (none against good teams).  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to come out running the ball with Beanie Wells.  He will try to have another huge game against a Cowboys’ D that is allowing 100.3 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  Kevin Kolb will be getting the start at QB and he could have a good game tomorrow as long as the O-Line keeps OLB DeMarcus Ware out of the Cardinals’ backfield.  WR Larry Fitzgerald will likely be constantly double teamed in the game tomorrow, but he’s so good that he won’t be stopped.  The Cardinals also need Early Doucet to step up in this game, as the Cardinals are going to need a lot of points to win this game.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The first order of business for the Cardinals will likely be trying to stop rookie RB DeMarco Murray.  That won’t be easy as he has been outstanding for the Cowboys since moving into the starting lineup.  The Cardinals are going to have to get after Tony Romo, because they are in trouble if he has time to survey the field.  TE Jason Witten and WRs Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson are going to be hard for the Cardinals’ secondary to deal with.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, CARDINALS 24