NFC West: Maligned Cardinals defense rises up

Sports Network | October 20, 2009

(Sports Network) - The Arizona Cardinals have been one tough team to figure out during the early stages of this 2009 season, and this past Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks enhanced that enigmatic reputation.

Arizona's 27-3 victory over Seattle at the often-intimidating Qwest Field may not qualify as an unforeseen upset, but the one-sided way in which the reigning NFC champions took apart a division rival in its own venue certainly raised eyebrows. The Cardinals roared out to a 17-0 lead before the startled Seahawks knew what hit them, and this time kept their foot on the gas pedal to deliver the complete 60-minute effort that head coach Ken Whisenhunt had been seeking all year long.

The Cardinals had stretches of dominating play the previous week, when the club built a 21-0 halftime advantage over Houston before eventually holding on for a 28-21 verdict thanks to a goal-line stand in the final seconds.

That unrelenting mentality carried over into Sunday's matchup. Arizona limited the Seahawks to 128 total yards and a mere 14 on the ground, while forcing their bewildered opponent into an 0-for-11 showing in third-down situations.

While stopping the run hasn't been an issue for the Cardinals, who are surrendering a league-low 59.6 rushing yards per game, they've had more than their share of troubles in containing enemy passers. Indianapolis star Peyton Manning riddled Arizona for 379 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-10 Colts' rout earlier in the year, while the Texans' Matt Schaub put up 279 yards in the second half to nearly spark a comeback in Week 5.

The Cardinals allowed just 114 passing yards to the Seahawks, with a large chunk of that total coming on a 42-yard fake punt, and sacked signal-caller Matt Hasselbeck five times.

"It was a very good effort," said Whisenhunt on the defense's play. "I think the thing that I was most excited about was that we played together defensively as a team. It was a bunch of different guys making plays."

The offense did its part as well, with quarterback Kurt Warner amassing 276 yards and two touchdowns on a precise 32-of-41 passing, and All-Pro wideout Larry Fitzgerald tying a career-best with 13 catches that generated 100 yards and a score.

QUICK HITS: Warner surpassed the 30,000-yard plateau for his storied career, matching Hall of Famer Dan Marino as the quickest to reach that milestone in league history. Both achieved the feat in 114 games...Wide receiver Anquan Boldin left Sunday's tilt in the second half with an ankle sprain that could keep him out of the Cardinals' upcoming game against the New York Giants...Fitzgerald eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the first time since his 127-yard, two-touchdown outing in Super Bowl XLIII...Tight end Stephen Spach was inactive against the Seahawks due to a sprained ankle.

NEXT UP: The Cardinals head East for a primetime showdown against the formidable New York Giants, who will be out to atone for a 48-27 loss in New Orleans over the weekend that followed a 5-0 start. Arizona will be visiting the Meadowland for the first time since a forgettable 56-35 defeat to the New York Jets in Week 4 of last season, a game in which Warner committed six turnovers.

SEATTLE: The Seahawks have provided a fitting example of the topsy-turvy world that is the NFL over the past two weeks. After piling up 41 points in shutting out the Jacksonville Jaguars for its most lopsided win in nearly four seasons, Seattle had its lowest scoring output at home since a 14-3 setback to Washington on November 3, 2002 in its disappointing showing against Arizona.

The Seahawks' 14 rushing yards on 11 attempts ranked as the lowest amount in the franchise's 34-year existence, while the 128 total yards stood as the seventh-worst sum in team history. The offense held the football a measly 17 minutes and 10 seconds for the game.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck put forth an uncharacteristically poor performance in his second game back from a rib injury, with the three-time Pro Bowler connecting on only 10-of-29 pass attempts for 112 yards and one interception. Those subpar numbers could be at least partly attributed to having to work behind a patchwork offensive line that gave up five sacks and opened few holes for the running backs.

"We didn't get our rhythm and made it really, really hard for ourselves. It's just frustrating," said Hasselbeck, who had 241 yards and four touchdowns in the recent rout of the Jaguars.

The Seahawks were missing three regulars up front, with perennial All-Pro Walter Jones and fellow tackle Sean Locklear still sidelined with knee and ankle injuries, respectively, and left guard Rob Sims out with an ankle sprain. Hasselbeck's blind-side protector on Sunday was Kyle Williams, an undrafted free agent who's spent most of the past three seasons on the practice squad.

Seattle also suffered a potentially devastating blow on the defensive side as well in the loss, as standout middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu suffered a pectoral tear that puts the invaluable fifth-year pro's season in jeopardy. Initial indications are that Tatupu may be able to rehab the injury without surgery, however, which would give him a chance to return at some point later in the year.

QUICK HITS: Defensive end Patrick Kerney had two sacks and a forced fumble against the Cardinals before exiting in the third quarter when aggravating a groin strain...Brandon Frye, who had been subbing for Jones at left tackle, was placed on injured reserve last week with a neck stinger, with the club signing journeyman Damion McIntosh to fill the roster spot...Leading rusher Julius Jones mustered only five yards on five carries in the loss and is averaging 2.3 yards per rush over the last three games.

NEXT UP: The banged-up Seahawks will get a chance to lick their wounds with an upcoming bye before beginning a stretch of four road games in five weeks. Seattle will next be in action on November 1, when the team visits the palatial new Cowboys Stadium to battle Dallas. The Seahawks will have an opportunity to avenge a 34-9 shellacking at the hands of "America's Team" at the old Texas Stadium during Week 13 of last season.

ST. LOUIS: The NFL's current longest losing streak was extended when the St. Louis Rams came up short in Jacksonville over the weekend, although the long- suffering team did give the heavily-favored Jaguars a serious run before ultimately giving way once again.

The Rams appeared on the way to finally ending their now-16-game slide when veteran defensive end Leonard Little stepped into the flat and intercepted a David Garrard pass before rumbling 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:36 left to play for a 17-13 lead. The unit relented on two subsequent drives, however, and the Jaguars wound up escaping with a 23-20 overtime decision on a midrange field goal from kicker Josh Scobee midway through the extra period.

While rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo remarked afterward that he's not satisfied with moral victories, there were a few positives the Rams could take from an otherwise discouraging result.

Quarterback Marc Bulger, making his first start since a Week 3 loss to Green Bay, was a sharp 22-of-34 for 213 yards and showed no lingering effects from a shoulder injury that had kept him out of most of the previous two games. The accomplished field general did some of his best work in the waning minutes of regulation, when he orchestrated a nine-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in Josh Brown's game-tying field goal.

Despite permitting 492 total yards for the game, the St. Louis defense did force three turnovers and held Jacksonville to only six points over the first three quarters. Rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis thwarted one scoring chance when he picked off Garrard at the Rams' five-yard-line late in the third quarter to protect was then a 10-6 edge.

"There was a lot of good there, I know I say that every week," said Spagnuolo. "I do think we're getting closer, and a couple of plays here or there the outcome could have been completely different."

QUICK HITS: Second-year wide receiver Donnie Avery hauled in a 17-yard Bulger scoring strike on the Rams' opening drive but left the contest with a bruised hip in the second quarter...Running back Steven Jackson finished with 128 yards from scrimmage (78 receiving, 50 rushing) and set up Brown's last-second kick with a 38-yard reception...Outside linebacker Will Witherspoon (knee) and cornerback Ronald Bartell (concussion) were both sent to the sidelines on Jacksonville's game-winning overtime drive, while defensive end James Hall was forced to leave in the third quarter with a groin injury.

NEXT UP: Spagnuolo's troops will have a tough draw in their next attempt to give their coach an elusive first win, as Peyton Manning and the undefeated Indianapolis Colts invade the Edward Jones Dome this Sunday for an interconference showdown. Manning has eclipsed over 300 passing yards in each of the Colts' five victories in 2009, and Indy will have the added benefit of a bye week prior to this weekend's clash.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Michael Crabtree show is finally about to get underway, and it appears the first episode will run quite a bit longer than initially believed.

Crabtree was running with the first-team offense when the San Francisco 49ers reconvened for practice on Monday following a week-long bye. The rookie wide receiver has yet to see game action since ending a contentious 2 1/2-month holdout on October 7.

The 49ers had originally planned on slowly involving the two-time Biletnikoff Award winner in the game plan, but Crabtree has shown to be a quick study in addition to impressing the coaching staff with his obvious skills on the field. And with San Francisco currently ranking 27th in the league in passing offense, the team is hoping the former Texas Tech star can provide an instant spark.

"Michael Crabtree's progress is excellent," head coach Mike Singletary stated on Monday. "He's working his tail off, he's with the coaches all the time learning the playbook, and they're very pleased with what they're seeing and I'm pleased with what I'm seeing and the conversations he and I have had."

Crabtree will supplant second-year man Josh Morgan, who's caught just 13 passes during San Francisco's first five games, as the starting split end, with seasoned old pro Isaac Bruce remaining at the flanker position.

The offense should get another needed boost for this Sunday's matchup with the Houston Texans, with top running back Frank Gore set to return from an ankle strain that had kept him out of the team's last two games prior to the bye. Rookie Glen Coffee had struggled replacing Gore as the primary ball-carrier, with the 2009 third-round selection averaging just 2.6 yards per attempts so far this year.

Gore injured himself on his first and only carry in the Niners' loss at Minnesota on September 27. The 26-year-old had ripped off an astounding 207 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 carries in the team's 23-10 victory over Seattle the previous week.

NEXT UP: The 49ers will make their first-ever trip to Houston's Reliant Stadium in this Sunday's test against the high-scoring Texans, who improved to 3-3 with a notable 28-17 road triumph at Cincinnati this past weekend. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns in that game and directs the league's third-best passing offense.