NFC West: Cardinals show there's no place like home

Football Betting Lines

10/07/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Much has been made of Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt's decision to keep his team on the East Coast following its road loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 3. Needless to say, the second-year sideline boss learned a hard lesson when the Cardinals committed mistake after mistake during an embarrassing 56-35 rout by the New York Jets at the Meadowlands a week later.

Arizona didn't resemble the ragtag bunch that had seven turnovers in the New Jersey swamps one bit when it took the field this past Sunday. The Cardinals put together a crisp and mistake-free performance that resulted in an impressive 41-17 victory over the previously-unbeaten Buffalo Bills at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Cardinals appeared far more comfortable at their home digs, which was clearly reflected in the team's overall play in all phases. An offensive line that was ambushed by the Jets the previous week provided solid protection for lead-footed quarterback Kurt Warner, who in turn completed 33-of-42 passes for 250 yards and two scores without being sacked.

Most importantly, Warner did not turn the ball over once against the Bills one week after the two-time league MVP threw three interceptions and fumbled three times in Arizona's forgettable Week 4 defeat.

The absence of dynamic wide receiver Anquan Boldin, out indefinitely with a sinus fracture after enduring a frightening helmet-to-helmet collision with the Jets' Eric Smith a week ago, had little effect on the passing game as well. Steve Breaston took Boldin's customary spot opposite All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald and caught seven passes for 77 yards, with rookie Early Doucet contributing 42 yards on six grabs upon being slotted in as the No. 3 receiver.

Sunday's win was the fifth in a row at home for the Cardinals dating back to last season, and the club is an outstanding 8-2 at University of Phoenix Stadium since Whisenhunt took over as head coach.

"There is just a whole different energy with this team at home," Warner explained. "We have to find a way to take a little of this with us when we go on the road. It just shows how good we can be."

Arizona did have one of its cornerstone defensive players in the lineup against the Bills, as hard-hitting strong safety Adrian Wilson was active after sitting out the Jets game with a hamstring strain. Cornerback Rod Hood had to leave Sunday's test with an injured groin, however, and it's uncertain as to whether he'll be available for this week's clash with Dallas.

NEXT UP: The Cardinals' recent home prowess figures to be challenged by the potent Cowboys, who improved to 4-1 with Sunday's 31-22 triumph over winless Cincinnati. Arizona has lost its last three matchups with Dallas, including a 27-10 setback at home during the 2006 season.

SAN FRANCISCO: The 49ers appeared to had found themselves a hidden gem in J.T. O'Sullivan during the early portion of the season, but the journeyman quarterback has crashed back to earth after a pair of excellent games in Weeks 2 and 3.

O'Sullivan struggled mightily against the defending AFC champion New England Patriots on Sunday, with the previously unknown signal-caller throwing a season-high three interceptions and connecting on only 14-of-29 pass attempts. Three of his completions did go for touchdowns in San Francisco's 30-21 loss to the Pats, but O'Sullivan mustered just 130 yards and averaged a meager 4.5 yards per attempt.

San Francisco managed just 199 total yards as a team on Sunday and held the football for a scant 20 minutes and eight seconds of clock time. The Niners also made just 12 first downs and were a woeful 1-for-11 on third and fourth- down tries.

Over his last two outings, O'Sullivan has completed less than 50 percent of his throws and been intercepted five times. The well-traveled 29-year-old had a career-best 321-yard game in the 49ers' thrilling 33-30 overtime win at Seattle on September 14, then posted an outstanding 123.3 passer rating in the team's 31-13 decision over Detroit the following week.

As it turns out, the Lions and Seahawks rank 32nd and 30th, respectively, in the NFL in pass efficiency defense.

One bright spot in Sunday's setback, the 49ers' second straight following a 2-1 start, was the play of standout inside linebacker Patrick Willis. The reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year was credited with 18 tackles (14 solo) and had one of four San Francisco sacks. Willis leads the NFC with 46 total stops through the season's first five weeks.

The 49ers played Sunday's game without starting outside linebacker Manny Lawson due to a hamstring issue, while strong safety Michael Lewis had to leave in the fourth quarter after aggravating a lingering injury to his right elbow. Both players are considered questionable for this week's home matchup with Philadelphia.

NEXT UP: Both the 49ers and Eagles enter this Week 6 clash with 2-3 records and are mired in two-game losing streaks. Philadelphia followed up a tough 24-20 loss at Chicago in Week 3 with a 23-17 ousting by red-hot Washington this past Sunday. San Francisco has lost two straight in this series, with the Eagles most recently coming through with a 38-24 win at Candlestick Park during the 2006 campaign.

ST. LOUIS: Jim Haslett has yet to officially serve as the Rams' head coach in a game capacity, but the new sideline boss did back his first major decision during the club's recent bye week.

One day after being named the interim successor to the deposed Scott Linehan, Haslett announced that Marc Bulger will return as the team's starting quarterback. The two-time Pro Bowl honoree was replaced by veteran Trent Green for one game in a last-ditch effort by Linehan to provide a spark to the sagging Rams' fortunes.

Green handled the chores under center in Linehan's swan song, a 31-14 home loss to Buffalo in Week 4, and threw for 236 yards on 17-of-32 passing with no touchdowns and one interceptions.

Bulger's numbers haven't been up to his usual standards through the early part of St. Louis' so-far dismal season, but the eighth-year pro is hardly to blame for the team's sorry 0-4 start. He completed 58.4 percent (52-for-89) of his passes for 519 yards and two touchdowns while being intercepted twice over the Rams' first three games.

One player Haslett won't have at his disposal is tight end Randy McMichael, who was placed on injured reserve on Monday after breaking his tibia in the Buffalo game. The 29-year-old, who had 11 catches for 139 yards through the initial four games, also suffered torn ligaments in his leg that would have sidelined him for a minimum of 10 weeks.

Joe Klopfenstein is expected to take over McMichael's starting role, with nine-year vet Anthony Becht remaining as a blocking specialist in two-tight end sets.

NEXT UP: Haslett, who compiled a 45-51 record as head coach of New Orleans from 2000-05, draws a tough first assignment in his new position. The Rams travel to Washington this Sunday to take on a Redskins squad that has won four straight games following a season-opening loss to the undefeated New York Giants. St. Louis will be visiting FedEx Field for the first time since 2002.

SEATTLE: Mike Holmgren's impending sabbatical from coaching may have been one year too late.

The lowest point of Holmgren's very successful 10-year reign as the Seahawks' head coach came this past Sunday at the Meadowlands, where his club was handed a 44-6 shellacking by the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. The 38-point margin of defeat was Seattle's most lopsided since a 51-7 loss at Dallas on November 27, 1980.

Things began rather ominously for the Seahawks, as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck hyperextended his right knee on the third play from scrimmage, and got progressively worse from that point on. New York scored on its first six possessions and amassed 523 total yards on offense, the most Seattle has allowed since November of the 2002 campaign.

Hasselbeck did remain in the game, but went just 11-of-21 for 105 yards and was intercepted once before being yanked with the score out of hand in the second half.

The stinging defeat dropped the Seahawks, winners of the NFC West four years running, to 1-3 for the first time since 2002. That also happens to be the last year the highly-regarded franchise missed out on the postseason.

Seattle has now been outscored by a decided 78-16 margin in its two road games this season, both of which took place in the Eastern Time Zone. The Seahawks started out the year with a 34-10 loss at Buffalo.

Holmgren's troops have also lost nine of its last 12 contests, including five in a row, east of the Mississippi River. The Seahawks will head east once again in two weeks for a clash with Tampa Bay in Week 7.

On a brighter note, Seattle did get wide receiver Bobby Engram back in the lineup for the first time all season in Sunday's test, and the savvy veteran led the team with eight receptions and 61 receiving yards. Engram had been sidelined since early in the preseason with a cracked shoulder blade.

Fellow wideout Deion Branch, out since last January's playoff loss to Green Bay with a torn ACL, also made his season debut against the Giants. The former Super Bowl MVP caught three Hasselbeck passes for 31 yards, but left the game in the first half after bruising his right heel.

NEXT UP: The Seahawks gleefully return home this Sunday and will have an opportunity to avenge last year's 42-20 loss to Green Bay in January's NFC Divisional Playoffs. The Packers also won't be entering Qwest Field on a roll, as the defending NFC North champs have dropped three straight games following a 2-0 start.