The Cardinals have lost 6 games in a row as the season appears to be going down the toilet.  But the Cardinals could get back into the NFC West race with another win over the Rams.  The Cardinals beat the Rams 17-13 in the season opener at St. Louis but that was a long time ago as the Cardinals have lost six games in a row.  The Rams won their first game on the road last weekend in Denver and they are sitting atop the NFC West right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are dumb offensively.  They should be running the ball more often instead of letting Derek Anderson chuck the ball down the field.  Look for that to continue this weekend.  Cardinals’  QBs have been sacked 36 times already this season while the Rams have 31 sacks, so I don’t see Derek Anderson having a lot of time to throw the ball.  That is a recipe for disaster for the Cardinals as that is when he starts throwing the ball to the other team.

When Rams have the ball:  The Rams are likely going to be able to do whatever they want against the Cardinals this weekend.  That’s because the Cardinals are giving up 146.5 yards rushing per game and 249.3 passing yards per game.  The Rams will likely mix it up between Steven Jackson runs and Sam Bradford passes.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 26, CARDINALS 13

These two teams are awful but believe it or not this is a big game.  The winner could only be one game behind the Seahawks in the NFC West if the Chiefs can beat the Seahawks.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals would be smart to mix in some runs this Monday Night with Tim Hightower or Beanie Wells toting the ball.  That’s because Cardinals’ QBs have been sacked 35 times already this year and Derek Anderson tends to make big mistakes when pressure is in his face.  The Cardinals hope to hit some quick hitting passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston so that they can make some big plays after the catch.

When the Niners have the ball:  With Troy Smith playing QB again this week the Cardinals will need to stop Frank Gore and force Smith to pass the ball.  The Cardinals have Adrian Wilson & Kerry Rhodes at safety to deal with Smith’s favorite targets which are TEs Delanie Walker & Vernon Davis. 

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 16, 49ERS 13

The Cardinals have lost four games in a row after somehow starting the year 3-2.  The Chiefs have lost two division games on the road as they were outscored 72-49.  The Cardinals are awful on the road this year where they are 1-4 and they have been outscored 144-68 away from home.  The Chiefs are awesome at Arrowhead Stadium so far this year where they are 4-0 and have outscored the opposition 107-54.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals will probably come out throwing the ball in a attempt to get a quick lead in this game.  If Derek Anderson has time to throw the ball (Cardinals’ QBs have been sacked 33 times this year!) he could have some success against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 240.2 yards passing per game.  Tim Hightower will also likely find some running room against the Chiefs who are allowing 104.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to come out running the ball with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 132.4 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Cardinals are allowing 269.3 yards passing per game this year so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chiefs throw a little more than usual with Dwyane Bowe (39 rec, 606 yards, 9 TDs) being Matt Cassel’s top target.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 27, CARDINALS 13

The Cardinals and Seahawks both really need this game.  The Seahawks beat the Cardinals 22-10 just three weeks ago in Seattle.  But the Cardinals are tough at home where they are 2-1 on the season.  The Seahawks are 1-3 on the road this year and they have been outscored 104-43!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals will likely give the rock to Tim Hightower 20+ times this year as the Seahawks are allowing 112.6 yards rushing per game this year and 4.0 yards per carry.  If the Cardinals give Derek Anderson time to throw the ball he should be able to make some plays down the field to Steve Breaston & Larry Fitzgerald.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are hard to figure out because they don’t do anything well on offense.  If I had to venture a guess about the game plan I would think that the Seahawks will come out running the ball against a Cards’ D that is allowing 135.3 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Matt Hasselbeck will likely spread the ball around in the passing game as he doesn’t appear to play favorites.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 21, SEAHAWKS 10

The Cardinals have been very lucky this season as they could just as easily be 0-7 this season as they are 3-4.  The Cardinals have been absolutely pathetic on the road this year as they are 1-3 and they have been outscored 117-44!  The Vikings have had a rough year but they are 2-1 at home this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Vikings only have 6 sacks and 6 interceptions this season so the Cardinals will likely be tempted to come out throwing tomorrow.  The Vikings are giving up 213.6 yards passing per game so the Cardinals could have success throwing the ball if they had a legit NFL QB on the roster, which they don’t.  Derek Anderson is back in the saddle for the Cardinals and he will try to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston tomorrow.  The Cardinals would be smart to make sure that they don’t abandon the running game tomorrow as Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower and LaRod Stephens-Howling need the work to keep the Vikings’ D honest.

When the Vikings have the ball:  This is the perfect game for the Vikings to just hand the ball to Adrian Peterson a lot and let him carry them to victory.  The Cardinals are giving up 143.1 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so Peterson is likely going to have a monster game.  I don’t look for Brett Favre to be throwing the ball all over the place in this game as I see him having more of a game manager type of role for the Vikings tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 23, CARDINALS 6

The Cardinals have proven that it’s better sometimes to be lucky than good.  How else can you explain the fact that the Cardinals are 3-3 this year despite averaging a NFL worst 237.8 yards of offense per game?  The Cardinals are 2-0 at home and the Buccaneers are 2-0 on the road so something has to give this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals have decided to replace Tim Hightower with Beanie Wells as the starting RB this Sunday.  The Buccaneers are allowing 157.3 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry so the Cardinals would give Wells & Hightower 40+ carries tomorrow if they are smart.  Steve Breaston is back and he will start opposite of Larry Fitzgerald at WR but I’m not so sure that will boost the pass offense this week.  The Buccaneers only have 5 sacks this year so Max Hall should have time to throw the ball but the Bucs also have 10 interceptions this year.  CBs Ronde Barber & Aqib Talib are playing at a very high level so Hall better be careful when throwing the ball.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers also will come out running the ball with LeGarrette Blount & Cadillac Williams against a Cards’ D that is allowing 141.3 yards rushing and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Bucs will also take aim at a Cards’ D that is allowing 227.3 yards passing per game this year.  Second year starting QB Josh Freeman has been solid this year as he has 7 TD passes against only 3 INTs so he has been very smart with the football.  He has nice targets in rookie WR Mike Williams, TE Kellen Winslow and RB Cadillac Williams out of the backfield.

PREDICTION:  BUCCANEERS 20, CARDINALS 17

The Cardinals have been simply awful on the road as they are 1-2 on the year and they have been outscored 95-34 away from home!  The Seahawks have been awesome at home where they are 2-0 outscoring the 49ers & Chargers by a combined score of 58-26!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The matchups look really bad in this game for the Cardinals.  Ordinarily I would say that a team with a rookie QB should run the ball on the road.  Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells will likely have to fight for every single yard against a Seahawks’ D giving up only 70.4 yards rushing and 2.9 yards per carry.  If Max Hall has time to throw the ball he should be effective.  The Cardinals have allowed 19 sacks this year while the Seahawks had 17 already so Hall is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  Hall will likely have Steve Breaston & Early Doucet back which should aid the passing game and cause the Seahawks not to cheat every down by doubling Larry Fitzgerald.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks would like to be balanced in this game.  Marshawn Lynch & Justin Forsett will take turns running the ball against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 140.8 yards rushing and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Cardinals don’t have much of a pass rush and they are giving up 241.2 yards passing per game so Matt Hasselbeck will likely be very effective in this game. 

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 30, CARDINALS 13

The Cardinals are the luckiest 2-2 team I have ever seen.  Luck is likely to run out this Sunday as the Cardinals are starting undrafted rookie Alex Hall at QB.  Max Hall vs. Drew Brees sounds like a scary proposition for the Cardinals and that’s for good reason.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  If I were Ken Whisenhunt I would want to get both Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower 20 carries apiece against a Saints’ D that is allowing 138.3 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Saints will likely double cover Larry Fitzgerald and force the rookie QB (Max Hall) to throw the ball to someone else.  Hall will also need to get rid of the ball quicker as he has only thrown 16 passes so far this year but he has already been sacked six times. 

When the Saints have the ball:  Although it would be tempting to run Chris Ivory and Ladell Betts against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 154.8 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry I see the Saints going to the air in this game.  Drew Brees will be targeting a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 233.3 yards passing per game this year.  He will likely spread out Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey and Lance Moore and throw to whoever is open because someone will be.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 34, CARDINALS 13

The Cardinals are easily the luckiest 2-1 team in the NFL while the Chargers are averaging 188.6 more yards per game than their opponents despite being 1-2 on the year.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  I see the Cardinals double covering Larry Fitzgerald the whole game so the Cardinals will likely attempt to run the ball a lot more than usual.  Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells will take aim at a Chargers’ D that is only allowing 91.3 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  The Chargers already have six sacks and 5 interceptions this year so Derek Anderson will need to be really careful with the ball when he decides to throw it.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will likely try to throw the ball a lot early in the game in an attempt to build a lead.  Philip Rivers has been outstanding so far this year as he has 4 different receivers with at least 10 catches and 156 yards receiving so he will be spreading the ball around.  If the Chargers get a good lead then they will turn the game over to Mike Tolbert and Darren Sproles in the running game.

PREDICTION: CHARGERS 41, CARDINALS 13

The Cardinals and Raiders both have had 1 blowout loss and a close win over the Rams this year.  That means the Cardinals are going to have to fight hard this Sunday if they want to prevail.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Raiders give up 140.0 yards rushing per game and 4.7 ypc so the Cardinals should run the ball more than usual in this game.  Tim Hightower has been outstanding so far this year and Beanie Wells is back so look for the Cardinals to pound the rock on Sunday.  When the Cardinals go to the air they should look for Steve Breaston more than Larry Fitzgerald.  That’s because the Raiders are going to have CB Nnamdi Asomugha shadowing Fitzgerald all day long.  The Cardinals shouldn’t feel too lucky with the matchup especially with Derek Anderson throwing the ball.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are going to attack the Cardinals’ run defense with Darren McFadden who is off to a blazing start.  The Cardinals’ run D has given up 153.0 yards per game and 4.4 ypc this year and that won’t get it done.  The Raiders will throw the ball downfield to their receivers and Bruce Gradkowski will also use Darren McFadden out of the backfield and TE Zach Miller on the short stuff.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 21, CARDINALS 17