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That was a miserable loss yesterday. Here are some links about it.
Empty Offense By The Bay
Skelton struggles as Cardinals fall to 49ers, 23-7
Arizona Cardinals' turnovers lead to loss to San Francisco 49ers
Some football games produce enough meat for a week's worth of slicing, dicing and digesting. And with others, it takes only one slice to reach bone. That's the case with the Cardinals 23-7 loss on Sunday to the 49ers at Candlestick Park. The Cardinals (3-7) lost because their offense moved as little as your uncle after Thanksgiving dinner and made a bigger mess than the kids eating at the card table. "We didn't play well enough offensively, especially at the quarterback position, to give us a chance against a good football team," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "If we can get our offense to play at the level of our defense, we'll be fine." Whisenhunt said several times that he didn't want to blame John Skelton for the team's fifth consecutive loss to the 49ers, but the quarterback was at the head of that table.
Block Party Doesn't Help Cards
Notebook: NT Williams breaks arm; Doucet and Goldson scuffle
Ill will spills out during Cardinals-49ers skirmish
The Cardinals' and 49ers' dislike for each other was evident in the fourth quarter when Arizona receiver Early Doucet and 49ers safety Dashon Goldson skirmished. Goldson was ejected for throwing punches. Doucet said he retaliated against Goldson for a cheap shot.
Without question, the Arizona Cardinals need to get tougher
When the locker-room doors swung open, the sense of resignation smacked you in the face. No one was spitting fire or muttering under their breath. No one vowed revenge after another embarrassing loss to the loathsome 49ers. Earlier, Darnell Dockett had even wandered to the enemy sideline during the two-minute warning just to shake hands with the 49ers' defensive coordinator. "He loves me," Dockett said. So what happened to all the vitriol between these teams? "That's a good football team we played," Dockett said. "And I hate giving them credit." Alas, something shifted during a 23-7 loss on Sunday. The Cardinals seemed to wave a white flag. They acted like they just lost to Joe Montana's 49ers, not a team directed by Alex Smith. To a man, they seemed to agree that this game somehow pointed to a brighter future.
Arizona Cardinals-San Francisco 49ers rewind: What we learned
Kent Somers breaks down what went wrong in the Cardinals' 23-7 loss to the 49ers on Sunday afternoon.
Word From the Birds Blog - Niners aftermath
The locker room was emptying quickly, but Darnell Dockett was still smudged with eye black and in his football pants, talking to wave after wave of media questions. No one – at least publicly – has more bile for the 49ers. But after the way the Niners controlled Sunday’s game, even Dockett relented. "It’s hard for me to sit here and not admit they are a good team," Dockett said. "There is a reason they are 9-1. I usually don’t give credit to no one, especially in the division." When you cover a singular team, you always evaluate through the prism of that team. Sometimes, what the other team is doing gets lost a little bit, and as Dockett said, there is a reason the Niners have won so many games and are going to win the NFC West. Of course, my prism – the prism of this blog – is about the Cardinals. So, in the wake of the 23-7 loss:
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Post-game spread
A few minutes into his post-game press conference, Ken Whisenhunt caught himself and seemed to realize he was leaving the impression that he blamed Sunday's loss on quarterback John Skelton. After noting Skelton's struggles, Whisenhunt emphasized that Skelton was young and young players are inconsistent. But the coach also left no doubt that he believed poor quarterback play cost the team a chance to beat the 49ers. It's hard to argue. Skelton was erratic to start the game and never improved. Whisenhunt noted that Skelton took the wrong pass drop on the first play of the game. That led to him missing receiver Andre Roberts. My guess what happens at quarterback this week: No question Kevin Kolb will start if he's sufficiently recovered from a foot injury. If Kolb is out, Whisenhunt likely will stick with Skelton as the starter. But Whisenhunt won't wait long to pull Skelton if he struggles in St. Louis.
Rapid Reaction: 49ers 23, Cardinals 7 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers' victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Candlestick Park in Week 11:
Word From the Birds Blog - Dan Williams breaks arm
Nose tackle Dan Williams broke his left arm Sunday in the game against the 49ers. No official word on how long he is out, but with six games left, you figure it’s going to be tough — and probably not worth it — to come back. That means rookie David Carter will move into the starting lineup, and probably means Nick Eason will get more work at the position.
Arizona Cardinals-San Francisco 49ers play of the game
The setup: The Cardinals trailed 16-0. They had the ball on their own 40-yard line. It was first and 10.
Cardinals trounced in San Francisco, again - ArizonaSports.com
The San Francisco 49ers continued their recent mastery of the Arizona Cardinals with an easy 23-7 win at Candlestick Park.
Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers - Recap - November 20, 2011 - ESPN
Alex Smith emerged from the pelting rain with his jersey soaked, cleats tattered with chunks of mud and the tape around his ankles stuck to his damp skin. Never looked better in a 49ers uniform. Through seven years of boos and banter, losses and letdowns and a series of injury setbacks, Smith walked off the field on a soggy Sunday at Candlestick Park guaranteed of a winning season for the first time in his NFL career. And it's only Week 11. Smith threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and the San Francisco 49ers forced five turnovers to blow past the Arizona Cardinals 23-7, moving oh-so close to clinching the NFC West in near record-setting fashion.
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Recap - November 20, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Alex Smith passed for 267 yards and two touchdowns and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals, 23-7, on Sunday to win their eighth straight game for the first time in 14 years.
What we learned from 49ers, NFC West - NFC West Blog - ESPN
No quarterback controversy in Arizona: John Skelton or Kevin Kolb? There's no question after Skelton completed 31.6 percent of his passes with three picks before coach Ken Whisenhunt replaced him with Rich Bartel to start the fourth quarter. Kolb will start against St. Louis in Week 12 if he's healthy enough to do so. The Cardinals can say that was going to be the case anyway, but the game Sunday provided Skelton an opportunity to stay in the lineup a little longer. But the second-year pro failed so miserably that Whisenhunt finished his postgame news conference with a career high for quarterback hits.
Video: Diagnosing the Cardinals' awful loss to the 49ers
The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley discusses the Cardinals' awful 23-7 loss to the 49ers behind QB John Skelton.
Cards Daily - Postgame Reaction SF
Who is the Cardinal of the Week for Week Ten?
Cardinals vs. 49ers highlights
Catch the highlights from San Francisco as Alex Smith leads the 49ers to a decisive win over the Cardinals who turn the ball over five times.
NFL News:
Wrap-up: Seahawks 24, Rams 7 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Thoughts on Seattle and St. Louis following the Seahawks' victory at the Edward Jones Dome in Week 11:
Silver linings: Rams vs. Seahawks - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-8 with a 24-7 home defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Week 11 Monday 10-pack | ProFootballTalk
Nine days after 11-11-11, the 11th Sunday of the 2011 regular season was played. In the AFC, we’re no closer to knowing which teams are the best teams. In the NFC, ineffectiveness and injuries are allowing two franchises with eight Lombardi Trophies between them to continue to separate from the pack. But let’s go deeper than the same-old "if the season ended today" scenarios or the other fairly obvious stuff you’ll see on certain four-letter networks today. For some reason, I always can come up with only 10 things to say.
Sunday’s five most valuable players, Week 11 - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Comprehensive National Football League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more
Sunday’s five least valuable players, Week 11 - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Comprehensive National Football League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more
NFL Week 11 Debrief: Where The NFC North Dominates The Headlines - SBNation.com
The Packers stayed perfect, the Lions came back again and the Dolphins have now won three in a row. It's all part of the NFL Debrief for Week 11.
NFL Week 11 Injury Report: Adrian Peterson, Jay Cutler Among Big Names Banged Up - SBNation.com
With Week 11 of the NFL schedule almost in the books, SB Nation Medical Expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi discusses some of the most significant injuries from this weekend's games so far, and their potential impact:
NFL Week 11 Highlights: Fat Guy Touchdown, Hair Pulling And TD Dances - SBNation.com
The best highlights from the NFL's Week 11, including B.J. Raji moonlighting as a fullback, LaGarrette Blount's bulldozing TD and Cam Newton's TD shimmy.
Jay Cutler Injury: Bears QB Could Be Lost For Season, According To Report - SBNation.com
Jay Cutler broke his thumb on Sunday during the Chicago Bears' game against the San Diego Chargers. The injury could keep him out for the remainder of the regular season according to some reports.
Adrian Peterson Injury: X-Rays Negative On Sprained Ankle - SBNation.com
Adrian Peterson left Minnesota's game against the Raiders in the second quarter with a sprained ankle. X-rays are negative, but he's still scheduled for an MRI to be safe.
Brett Favre Discussed On SportsCenter As Possible Option For Bears - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
On Monday morning, in the wake of an injury that may keep Bears quarterback Jay Cutler off the field for the rest of the season, SportsCenter's Hannah Storm asked Rachel Nichols the following:
Darrius Heyward-Bey Injury: Raiders WR Released From Hospital, Status Unknown - SBNation.com
Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey suffered a scary-looking neck injury on Sunday and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He has been released from the hospital but his status is unknown.
Darrius Heyward-Bey Injury: Raiders WR Released From Hospital, Status Unknown - SBNation.com
Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey suffered a scary-looking neck injury on Sunday and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He has been released from the hospital but his status is unknown.
Report: League won’t let Earl Bennett play with orange shoes | ProFootballTalk
In each of the Bears’ past two games, Chicago receiver Earl Bennett has worn orange shoes. The first time, against the Eagles, Bennett drew a $5,000 fine. Last week, against the Lions, Bennett was fined $10,000. Bennett seems to be willing to keep writing the checks. (Or, more accurately, to have the fines deducted from his checks.) But the league isn’t interested in beefing up the coffers of its chosen charities.