Arizona Cardinals Look Ahead

After a 47-7 blowout, people are starting to wonder about a team that started off 7-3 that now has lost 4 out of the last 5. With the playoffs around the corner, they need a helping hand...fast.

Key notes from yesterday:

- Ken Whisenhunt thought that a combination of the snow and a Cardinals team that just won the division were a result of the recent poor play.

- Antrel Rolle piled up another 10 tackles, improving his poor tackling from earlier in the season. He now has 83 tackles for the season.

- Matt Leinart came in a performed better then Warner. Ken Whisenhunt stated after the game that Leinart's communication device in his helmet was malfunctioning for the first couple drives. All Matt could hear was loud static noise. Once the earpiece was fixed he obviously played better and threw a beautiful touchdown pass to Fitz.

- No significant injuries. Only notables were Ware, Francisco, Spach and Hood. All are fairly probable for next week. Whisenhunt noted that JJ and Q will probably play against the Seahawks on Sunday as well.

- The past is the past and frankly, I don't think anybody wants to keep talking about the Patriot game.

A look ahead:

•  The 4-11 Seahawks come to town. The Seahawks have only won 2 times on the road this year, beating the Rams and 49ers.
• Seahawks have nothing to play for. A loss won't effect the Cardinals seeding and at this point, won't hurt the Cardinals psyche because the past two losses already have.
• This is the last game of the regular season and last chance to establish any kind of momentum going into the playoffs.
• No major injuries. Losing Clark Haggens hurt but luckily the linebacker position is pretty deep. A few nicks and bruises for other players but nothing serious.
• The Cardinals are still going to the playoffs folks!! Keep your heads up.

Key Questions:

• What do the Cardinals do with the last game of the year? They are clearly the 4th seed in the NFC and have nothing to play for and Warner can surely benefit from the rest. It would also help avoid anymore injuries to key players.
• What is the cause of the recent poor play? When the Cardinals started 7-3, they were averaging 86.9 rushing yards per game. That isn't very good but it gets the job done. It makes the offense more balanced. In their last 5 games, they are averaging 39.6 rushing yards per game. Enough said.
• Who is to blame? It’s a toss up between Clancy Pendergast and Todd Haley. The defense was getting after the quarterback early in the season and creating havoc in the trenches. Now they can barely muster a sack. Haley is literally running the offense into the ground and some of the plays that are called are head scratchers.
• What needs to be done? I'm no coach but something dramatic needs to happen. A change of personnel or a new game plan needs to be created. The team that comes into Arizona in the first round won't care about the Cardinals and will not hesitate to expose their weaknesses. 

With one game left against a poor Seattle team, the Cardinals can ask for nothing better then a win for Christmas. They can easily use this game to experiment the offense before the playoffs and rest certain starters. One of the most important parts to success is the fans. With morale down, it's tough to support a team playing as poorly as the Cardinals. We need to keep the faith and stay positive. The past cannot be changed and whether we like it or not, the playoffs will come and go. Hopefully the Cardinals will be ready.