The Cardinals have won six of their last eight games as they have been red hot.  The Seahawks are also hot as they have won 5 of their last 7 games.  The winner will finish .500 on the season, so these teams have a little bit to play for.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to look to be balanced on offense tomorrow.  Beanie Wells will likely get 20-25 carries tomorrow against a Seahawks’ D that is giving up 111.1 yards rushing per game, but only 3.8 yards per carry…so he will have to fight for every yard he gets.  The Cardinals are starting John Skelton at QB again this weekend, but they need him to protect the football.  The Seahawks have a pretty decent secondary, so Skelton is going to have to be careful throwing the ball this weekend.  If the Seahawks gang up on Larry Fitzgerald, Skelton would be smart to throw the ball to Early Doucet, Andre Roberts and Todd Heap more tomorrow.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Cardinals’ D is going to have to tighten up their chinstraps as Marshawn Lynch has been a beast so far this year for the Seahawks.  He is a power runner in the purest sense and he’s more than fast enough to get to the corner.  The Cardinals will be blitzing like crazy on passing downs as the Seahawks don’t have any receiver that worries them.  Tarvaris Jackson is little more than a game manager, so he’s not going to beat them with his right arm throwing the ball.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 23, SEAHAWKS 20

This is going to be a great football game with two teams that still have playoff aspirations.  The Cardinals have won four games in a row and six of their last 7 games, as they are red hot right now.  The Bengals have lost two games in a row and four of their last six games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to be a pass first team against the Bengals.  They are going to have to find a way to give John Skelton time to throw the ball.  If Skelton has time to throw the ball, he should be effective.  WR Larry Fitzgerald is in line to have a good game for the Cardinals tomorrow after getting shut down last weekend by the Browns for the most part.  Early Doucet, Todd Heap and Andre Roberts will be counted on to make the Bengals pay for paying too much attention to Fitzgerald.  Beanie Wells might have a hard time finding running room against a Bengals’ D that is allowing 99.6 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to likely be balanced in this game offensively.  The front seven of the Cardinals are going to have to deal with power runner Cedric Benson.  They are also going to have to get after Andy Dalton, because he has nice weapons in the passing game.  The Cardinals will likely double rookie WR A.J. Green (1,006 yards, 7 TDs) as he has a knack for making bit plays down the field.  TE Jermaine Gresham, WR Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell are also very effective for the Bengals.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, CARDINALS 17

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

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

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

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

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

The Cardinals broke a six game losing streak last weekend against the Rams, 19-13 in O.T.  The Eagles have won two of their last three games but they got beat 30-24 at home last Monday Night by the Bears.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals should line up and try to smack the Eagles’ D in the mouth with runs to Beanie Wells.  The Eagles are giving up 124.0 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year, so Wells could be in line for a huge game this Sunday.  Getting a running game going would help slow the Eagles’ pass rush, while keeping the Eagles’ offense on the sidelines.  QB John Skelton will get another start at QB this Sunday.  He will likely attack the corners of the Eagles (that’s an iffy proposition) by throwing the ball a lot to Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Cardinals are likely going to try to copy the Bears’ gameplan on D, by trying to stop Lesean McCoy and Michael Vick’s running.  That is easier said than done as the Eagles are averaging 172.3 yards rushing per game and 5.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Michael Vick spreads the ball around in the passing game, which makes him really hard to defend.  Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Brent Celek, Desean Jackson and Lesean McCoy are Vick’s favorite targets.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 34, CARDINALS 10

The Cardinals are reeling as they lost their sixth game in a row last weekend in Baltimore as they blew a 24-3 lead in the 2nd quarter.  The Rams came out of nowhere last weekend to beat the Saints 31-21 in St. Louis last weekend.  This is the backup QB Bowl with John Skelton getting the start for the Cardinals and A.J. Feeley getting the start for the Rams.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Rams are giving up 165.6 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year, so it makes perfect sense for the Cardinals to feed the ball to Beanie Wells.  After the Cardinals establish the running game, look for them to hit the air off of play action, with Skelton taking shots down the field to Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet.  TEs Jeff King and Rob Housler (if he can play) will also likely be thrown to quite a bit in this game.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to have to gang up on RB Steven Jackson, because if he gets going, it’s going to be a long day for the defense.  Rams’ QBs have already been sacked 27 times this year, so look for the Cardinals to blitz more than usual.  They need to get to A.J. Feeley, because he will be getting the ball to his top WR (Brandon Lloyd) down the field in this game if he has time to throw the ball.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 28, RAMS 27

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