Monday guaranteed only one thing for the NFC West Division leading Cardinals, that next week will come, and if they hope to clinch their division for a second straight season, they will need some help from the Eagles. Kurt Warner, and the now 8-5 could have had the West locked up for a second straigh time, however, Patrick Willis, and a fired up San Francisco 49er team were not having any part of it. Now, Arizona has to rebound and get a win over a under-achieving Lions team this coming Sunday, and also hope that San Francisco will not continue their recent performace against the NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles. If McNabb and company can shutdown Bly and Willis, and be the playoff crusher for the 49ers, then next week Arizona should be having a different post-game celebration.

This week left them asking a number of questions. What is the status of Fitzgerald? Will he be able to go? How can Warner correct the interception problem? What do they have to do to hold on to the ball? Errors in performance cost the team numerous yards in penalties, as well as points given up on a season-high 7 turnorvers. The Cardinals cannot afford to have any resembling performance of last season, where they cliched the division, yet, fizzled the remainder of the season.

Look for a raw battle between San Francisco and Philadelphia this weekend, as the 49ers hope to keep their season plyoff hopes alive. Arizona should have a pretty easy going against the Detroit Lions, as one would only think they would bounce back from a loss like that, seeking a little more than just a normal win. A statement game needs to be made as they hope to wrap up the NFC West. The Cardinals can ill-afford to allow themselves the remaining one or two games of the season to be the ones to do it in; those games need to be reserved for the secondary personnel, as rest becomes a critical issue before a post-season run. Arizona does not want to rely on starters playing long minutes in the final weeks of the season seeing as Fitzgerald showed us all that injuries occur at any moment.

Look for a follow up article next week on the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions, as well as one for the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles if a title becomes up for grabs in the West.