Week 12 Sunday Scores & Monday Prediction

By TLarner

Although its hard to get excited about the 49ers and the Cardinals, Monday night’s game could have an impact on the NFC West playoff picture. Check out Sunday’s scores and prepare for more action from Arizona.

Game of the Week Results: SD 36, IND 14

Peyton Manning continued to struggle with interceptions as he threw four more in a losing effort to the San Diego Chargers. After throwing a touchdown to tight end Jacob Tamme on the opening drive, Manning threw a pick six to linebacker Kevin Burnett, and the Chargers led 10-7 after one quarter. After throwing a second pick in the second quarter, Manning threw his second touchdown of the game right before halftime, this time to receiver Blair White. San Diego safety Eric Weddle intercepted Manning again in the third quarter, and took it to the house for the defense’s second touchdown return, and the Chargers went up 26-14. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers had a quiet but effective night. Although Rivers didn’t throw a touchdown pass, running back Mike Tolbert scored his ninth rushing touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter, ending any hope for an Indianapolis comeback.

Rivers threw for 185 yards on 19 of 23 pass attempts. Tolbert had his second consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing while filling in for rookie Ryan Mathews. Antonio Gates, albeit less than 100%, had a team high 46 receiving yards on four catches. Receiver Vincent Jackson returned from suspension, but only for a few plays. Jackson was sidelined with a strained calf, an obvious sign his body is not used to game speed after sitting out the first 10 games. Kicker Nate Kaeding was 5 for 5 on field goal attempts, and the San Diego defense recorded one sack, one forced fumble, and four interceptions. Surprisingly, the Chargers failed to convert any of their eight third down attempts . Manning threw for 285 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions for Indianapolis. The Colts’ run game was again ineffective, as Donald Brown ran for 24 yards on 11 carries. Tamme had a team high seven catches for 64 yards, including his touchdown reception.

Remaining Score from Sunday:

Green Bay 17, Atlanta 20

Pittsburgh 19, Buffalo 16 (Overtime)

Carolina 23, Cleveland 24

Tennessee 0, Houston 20

Jacksonville 20, New York Giants 24

Minnesota 17, Washington 13

Miami 33, Oakland 17

Kansas City 42, Seattle 24

Tampa Bay 10, Baltimore 17

Philadelphia 26, Chicago 31

St. Louis 36, Denver 33

Monday Night Football

The San Francisco 49ers travel to the dome in the desert to face NFC West rival Arizona. Both teams sit at the bottom on the division at 3-7, but are not out of the playoff picture with both St. Louis and Seattle at 5-6. Although the 49ers are 0-4 on the road, the Cardinals are currently on a five game losing streak.

San Francisco quarterback Troy Smith is 2-1 as a starter. He looked like the QB the 49ers have been searching for in his first two games, where he threw for a combined 552 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, and won both games. However, in a 21-0 loss to Tampa Bay last week, he barely completed 50% of his attempts for only 148 yards with one interception. Running back Frank Gore is on pace for his fifth straight 1,000 yard season. Through 10 games, he has 801 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He has a team high 46 receptions, and his third on the team with 452 receiving yards. He also has two touchdown catches. Tight end Vernon Davis leads the team with 516 receiving yards, and is tied with receiver Michael Crabtree with four touchdowns. Even though the defense has struggled, linebacker Patrick Willis continues to play at a Pro Bowl level. He leads the team with 91 tackles, and also has four sacks and a forced fumble.

The Cardinals desperately miss retired quarterback Kurt Warner, who had Arizona in the Super Bowl only a few years ago. Rookie Max Hall did start three games, but was benched with a 41.0 passer rating. Derek Anderson returned to his starting role, but hasn’t played any better. He has thrown for 1,776 yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven starts. With Beanie Wells battling the injury bug most of the year, running back Tim Hightower has taken advantage of his opportunities. Hightower has run for 438 yards on a 4.8 yard per carry average, and three touchdowns. Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald is having a down year without Warner throwing him the ball. Fitzgerald has 55 catches for 691 yards and five touchdowns. The Arizona defense is giving up 29.2 points per game, second worst in the league.

Prediction

Neither team has a high powered offense, but neither team has an exceptional defense either. Anderson did make one Pro Bowl while in Cleveland, but isn’t playing anywhere near how he did with the Browns. On the other hand, Smith has played rather well for the 49ers (Maybe the other Smith, former first overall pick Alex Smith could learn a thing or two from the former Heisman Trophy winner). If San Francisco sticks to the game plan and allows Gore to run wild over a defense giving up 135 rushing yards per game, Smith will merely have to manage the game. The 49ers will beat their division rival on Monday night.

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