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Cardinals can clinch NFC West

Nov 18, 2008 - 10:14 PM NY GIANTS (9-1) AT ARIZONA (7-3), 4:15 pm EST

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The NFC West is so bad that the Arizona Cardinals have a chance to clinch the division before Thanksgiving.

The Cardinals can wrap up the division with five weeks still remaining in the season with a victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, coupled with losses by San Francisco and Seattle.

The Cardinals (7-3) have not claimed a division title since 1975, when the franchise was located in St. Louis.

Their only postseason appearance since moving to the desert came in 1998, when Arizona earned a wild-card berth and upset Dallas in the first round of the playoffs.

The Cardinals put themselves in position to lock up a playoff spot before Thanksgiving with last week's 26-20 win in Seattle.

"It feels amazing," Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin said. "This is my sixth year. I've never been 7-3, never beat Seattle up here. This was a big game for us, and we stepped up to the challenge."

Arizona faces a bigger test this week against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, who head west with a punishing ground attack that leads the NFL in rushing.

In last week's 30-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, New York hammered the league's top run defense for 207 yards on the ground.

It marked the fifth time the Giants' "Earth, Wind and Fire" backfield of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw has surpassed 200 yards rushing.

This is the Giants' first trip back to University of Phoenix Stadium since their epic 17-14 victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots in last season's Super Bowl.

While the Cardinals are cruising to a division title, they aren't being taken seriously in many circles because they play in the league's worst division.

Arizona is 7-3 for the first time since 1977, but just 4-3 outside the NFC West.

Sunday's contest is a chance for the Cardinals to show if they are one of the league's elite teams. Arizona split its previous two games against NFC East teams, beating Dallas in overtime, 30-24, and losing at Washington, 24-17.

While the Giants dominate on the ground, the Cardinals boast the NFL's top receiving tandem in Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, who have combined for more than 1,700 yards through the air.

Arizona's Kurt Warner, evoking memories of the days when he spearheaded the potential St. Louis Rams attack from 1999-2001, is the league's top-rated quarterback.

Warner is second in the league in passing yards (3,155) behind New Orleans' Drew Brees and has passed for more than 300 yards in four straight games, an Arizona record.

Warner, who spent the 2004 season with the Giants, completed 32-of-44 passes for 395 yards and a touchdown.

"His completion is over 70 percent," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "That is a great tribute to Kurt. He is just a quality, quality guy. We have great respect for him here. We couldn't be happier for him, the kind of season that he has put together."

While the Giants have a three-game lead in the NFC East over Dallas and Washington, they can't afford to let up.

New York only has a one-game lead over Carolina in the battle for home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs.

"November in this league is very, very important to put yourself in some kind of position and set yourself up for the finish - the final games of the season," Coughlin added. "So these are all very, very important games. I think everybody understands that."