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Cardinals seek NFC West title in return to St. Louis

Dec 2, 2008 - 7:30 PM Arizona (7-5) at St. Louis (2-10), 4:15 pm EST

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- The Arizona Cardinals have hit a bump in the road to their first division title in 35 years.

A trip to their former stomping grounds to face the floundering St. Louis Rams may be just what they need to get back on track.

One of six teams never to reach the Super Bowl, the Cardinals spent 28 years in St. Louis before leaving in 1988 after Bill Bidwell failed to convince the city to build a new stadium.

The Cardinals return to their roots on Sunday in hopes of capturing their first NFC West title against the Rams.

With a win, Arizona can clinch its first division title since 1975 when the franchise was known as the St. Louis Cardinals. A tie coupled with a loss or tie by San Francisco would also give Arizona its first playoff berth since 1998, when it was a member of the NFC East.

In order to do so, Arizona must rebound from one of its worst losses of the season and end a two-game skid. The Cardinals, who are 4-0 against the woeful NFC West, have struggled outside the division.

MVP candidate Kurt Warner threw three interceptions and Arizona was limited to a season-low 260 yards in a 48-20 loss to Philadelphia on Thanksgiving.

"It's not the game we wanted to play," Warner said. "I came out and forced one early. We just didn't have our game today and it was across the board."

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt would like to see the Cardinals rebound the same way they did last time they lost two straight. After a 56-35 loss to the New York Jets, Warner threw for 250 yards and a pair of TDs in a 41-17 romp over Buffalo on October 5.

"Hopefully, we will respond like we did the last time we came off a tough two-game stretch," Whisenhunt said.

The Rams appear to be the perfect remedy for the Cardinals' woes. St. Louis, which has lost six straight, failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 16-12 loss to Miami last week.

"We find ways to lose," said quarterback Marc Bulger, who completed 16-of-35 passes for 149 yards with three interceptions. "We hung in there the first half. We got that corrected, which is good. We played good in all phases at some points, but we struggled at others."

Running back Steven Jackson returned from a strained right thigh and ran for 94 yards on 21 carries in his first game since a 34-14 loss in Arizona on November 2. Jackson ran for just 17 yards on seven carries and sat out most of the second half of that game.

Arizona has won three straight and four of the last five meetings.