In the Tunnel: Arizona Cardinals

So for the second week in a row, the 49ers go up against an NFC West opponent that they managed to beat earlier in the year, the Arizona Cardinals. We can all harken back to Week 1, when the season was still so full of promise, and Alex Smith and the 49ers engineering a heroic come-from-behind victory against the team that had beaten them twice the year before. My, what a difference a couple of months can make.

This time around, the Niners are heavy underdogs, and Alex Smith will be watching the game from the bench. The Cardinals have been playing well lately and are only a game behind the Seahawks for the lead in the NFC West. They are coming off two games against the Detroit Lions and the Cincinatti Bengals in which they have forced 10 turnovers and have really found their stride in the passing game.

CARDNIALS OFFENSE

Offensive Line

Although Arizona's offensive line hasn't done much this season to create space in the running game (with the exception of their Week 1 matchup in San Francisco, when they ammassed 161 yards on the ground) they have done a good job as of late in protecting their quarterback and providing time in the passing game to make plays. Rookie right tackle Levi Brown has played well thus far, and since left-handed quarterback Matt Leinart's season was ended by injuy, he's no longer required to protect the quarterback's blindside against an opponent's best rusher.

Quarterback

Leinart's replacement, 36 year-old Kurt Warner has played quite well while he's been able to stay on the field. He's thrown five of his 11 TDs in the last two games and has developed quite a rapport with his talented recieving corps. Warner suffered a torn ligament in his non-throwing elbow a few weeks ago, but he's back playing with a brace, and it hasn't slowed him down a bit. He actually tossed a pass with that bad arm last week that set up an important touchdown. Niner fans are all too familiar with what Warner can do when given time to find open recievers and with the encouragement of his little troll friend, there may be no stopping him.

Running Back

Boy, does Edgerrin James have to be kicking himself for chasing the money into the desert wasteland of Phoenix Arizona. Sure, the Cards are picking it up a bit this season, but "The Edge" is averaging a lowly 42.3 yards per game for the month of November and has the Cardinals ranked 25th in rush offense. He obviously isn't as dangerous as he was in Indianapolis, and cry as he might, they can't hear him in "Nap-town" because of the Super Bowl rings ringing in their ears. James has been virtually a non-factor in Ken Whinsenhunt's offense as of late, and even though the coach clearly wants to establish the run, he's been forced to rely on the arm of Warner to get points on the board.

Wide Reciever

This is the apparent strength of the Cardinals offense. We all know about Larry Fitzgerald and Anquon Boldin, they're big, they can catch, and they can break tackles after the catch. They don't have terrific deep threat speed, but it hasn't mattered much. Fitzgerald leads the team with 60 receptions, but it's Boldin with six TDs to Fitzgerald's four on only 40 receptions.

Tight End

Leonard Pope has also emerged as a scoring threat in the red zone and a favorite target of Kurt Warner. He's caught four TDs this season, and his role in the offense has increased steadily as the season has gone on.

CARDINALS DEFENSE

Defensive Line

Defensive end Bertrand Berry has been the most prominent and dominant Cardinal defenisve lineman for several years now, and when his season was ended with a triceps tear, it looked like the front line of their defense was in serious trouble. However, the play of his teammates like defensive tackle Darnell Dockett has been steady and at times outstanding. Dockett has eight sacks this year from an interior position and has definitely been a bright spot for the line.

Linebackers

Perhaps helping the play of the defensive line is the outstanding linebacking play the Cards have gotten from Karlos Dansby, Gerald Hayes and Calvin Pace. They all have at least 56 tackles and Dansby has three interceptions over the last two games. Hayes controls things fromthe MLB position and leads the team in tackles. They all have been getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks as well, each contributing at least two sacks.

Defensive Backs

In the Cardinals' latest surge, a huge contribution has come from nickleback Antrelle Rolle. Last year's starter and former first-round pick, Rolle picked off Carson Palmer three times last week and returned two of them for scores. He was on the verge of three scores, but a penalty nullified one of his remarkable returns. Starters Eric Green and Roderick Hood have been playing well also, but it's clearly Rolle that's making the most of his opportunities.

Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson is a little dinged up right now and remains questionable for Sunday's game with a foot injury.

Looking at the Cardinals' last two games, it's obvious that they've been scoring some significant points and have improved on the defensive side of the ball. This team is hot, and they're chomping at the bit to get some revenge on the hapless Niners, who stole a victory from them in Week 1. This game is in Arizona, where the fans are sure to be excited to see their sudden playoff-contending team show its true strength against an inferior opponent.

The Niners will have to put some points on the board early and often to hang with this team, and that hasn't happend at all this year, so things could get pretty ugly fast. Let's hope that the Niners can continue getting to the passer like they did against the Rams last week and rattle Warner's cage enough to garner us a rare Tim Rattay sighting. Of course, seeing Rat-a-tat on the field usually meant a Niners loss anyway, so maybe we're better off with Kurt.