National Football League

Lindley gives Cardinals 'a better chance to win this game'

Published Dec. 26, 2014 8:49 p.m. ET

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TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals are back to Plan A -- or Plan C, depending on the point of reference in a snake-bitten season.

After coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday named rookie Logan Thomas as the team's starting quarterback, Arizona on Friday said Ryan Lindley will start Sunday against San Francisco.

Arians evaluated Thomas in practice for two days and returned to Lindley, who last week made his first start since 2012 and the Cardinals lost 35-6 to Seattle.

"He's going to give us a better chance to win this game," Arians said of Lindley. "Logan is going to be a hell of a player one of these days. But right now he is not ready."

Arians said the change was not prompted by concerns over Stanton's recovery from his right knee injury. FOX Sports NFL Insider Mike Garafolo on Friday reported Stanton underwent arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday for an infection in his right knee and could be unavailable for the rest of the season.

"There really is no news on Drew, other than he is on schedule for next week," Arians said. "I have no idea about infections and all that. You talk to doctors about that stuff. He's at home and he'll stay there over the weekend and rehab and be ready to go next week."

Unless the Cardinals win the division -- they need to beat the 49ers and have the Rams must beat the Seahawks -- they will be a road wild-card team in next weekend's first round. In that case, the Cardinals almost certainly will be a No. 5 seed and play the winner of the NFC South deciding game between Atlanta and Carolina, although they could be the No. 6 seed if Detroit and Green Bay tie on Sunday.

CARDINALS (11-4) at 49ERS (7-8)

When: 2:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: FOX Ch. 10 (Thom Brennaman, David Diehl, Laura Okmin)

QUICK FACTS
-- Want proof parity reigns in the NFL? San Francisco entered the season tied for the NFL's third-longest active streak of reaching the playoffs at just three seasons -- a streak that will end. Green Bay and New England both have clinched their sixth straight; Denver and Cincinnati will go to the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

-- This is the Cardinals' first trip to Levi's Stadium, which opened this year with a capacity of 68,500 with the ability to expand to 75,000 for major events like the Super Bowl, which will be played there in 2016. The last reported cost of the stadium was $1.3 billion, making it the second most expensive NFL stadium, behind the New York Jets' and Giants' $1.6 billion MetLife Stadium.

INJURY REPORT
Cardinals: QB Drew Stanton (knee) is out. LB Larry Foote (knee) is doubtful. S Deone Bucannon (knee), DT Dan Williams (foot) TE John Carlson (calf) and G Jonathan Cooper (wrist) are questionable. LB Lorenzo Alexander (knee), DE Calais Campbell (hip), WR Jaron Brown (foot), S Rashad Johnson (ankle), G Ted Larsen (shoulder), LB Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder), S Tyrann Mathieu (thumb) and WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) are probable.

49ers: G Alex Boone (knee) and S Raymond Ventrone (groin) were placed on IR. RB Carlos Hyde (ankle), WR Steve Johnson (knee) and S Eric Reid (concussion) are out. CB Perrish Cox (shoulder), WR Bruce Ellington (hamstring), LB Ahmad Brooks (thumb) and CB Tramaine Brock (hamstring) are questionable. WR Michael Crabtree (knee), C Marcus Martin (ill), DE Justin Smith (back), CB Chris Culliver (knee) and WR Brandon Lloyd (groin) are probable.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Not much. The Cardinals still have an outside shot at winning the NFC West if they win and the Seahawks lose at home to the Rams, but that probably isn't going to happen. If Seattle wins, Arizona is all but locked in as the NFC's No. 5 seed. The only way it can fall to No. 6 is if it loses while Detroit and Green Bay tie.

OUTLOOK
Coach Bruce Arians says the Cardinals are playing to win this game, but it wouldn't be surprising to see playing time curtailed or even avoided for a number of starters with the playoffs approaching. The 49ers have had their problems all year, but the guess here is that with coach Jim Harbaugh possibly headed for the college ranks after the season, they'll play an inspired game for the coach that led them to three straight NFC championship games.

PREDICTION
49ers 20, Cardinals 13

-- Craig Morgan

The Cardinals have planned since Stanton's Dec. 11 injury to have him ready for the first round.

"That's what we've been hoping for all along," Arians said.

By starting, Lindley will get valuable reps in case Stanton is out longer than anticipated.

Lindley was waived in training camp but re-signed after Carson Palmer suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 31-14 victory over the Rams on Nov. 9, and he has played 1-1/2 games. He was 18 of 44 for 216 yards with one late interception against Seattle.

"Ryan damn sure didn't lose that game," Arians said.

Asked what he needs from Lindley, Arians said, "a couple of more completions. Guys play better around him. The ball was to the right spots. We missed a couple of balls that we need to catch and not jump offside on third-and-3 from the goal line and score touchdowns. He'll be fine."

As every week, the Cardinals will have packages for Thomas, Arians said. Thomas came in for one first-half play against Seattle, a deep pass that was derailed by a strong Seattle pass rush.

Thomas played the second half against Denver on Oct. 5, completing 1 of 8 passes for 81 yards, after then-backup Stanton suffered a concussion. Starter Carson Palmer, who missed that game with a shoulder injury, returned to the lineup Oct. 12. Thomas also played in the fourth quarter of the Seattle game, but his accuracy in practice appeared to be an issue this week.

"I was hoping he would be able to handle it, but it's not the time right now," Arians said of giving Thomas a start. "The ball wasn't in the spots it needed to be. He was throwing it well, but not to the right guys. He just hasn't had enough reps to be able to go against this defense, which is one of the best five defenses in the National Football League. It was probably a poor decision on my part to announce it, but it is what it is, and we need to do what we do to win the football game."

San Francisco ranks No. 5 in the NFL in total defense and No. 11 in points allowed.

The Cardinals had their hands full with Seattle's No. 1-ranked defense and gained just 216 yards. The had 29 rushing yards on 15 carries, with Stepfan Taylor gaining a team-high 19 yards on 11 carries.

Rookie halfback Kerwynn Williams is likely to get more work against the 49ers, Arians said. Williams gained 100 yards on 19 carries in a 17-14 victory over Kansas City on Dec. 7, his first NFL appearance, but had two carries against Seattle.

"I would anticipate that to change," Arians. "I would anticipate we could run the ball more in this game."

EXTRA POINTS

Inside linebacker Larry Foote (right knee) did not practice this week and his status for Sunday's game is a concern, Arians said. "Kevin Minter, Glenn (Carson) and Kenny (Demens) all will play," Arians said. Foote has played 994 of the Cardinals' 996 defensive snaps this season, trailing only Rams safety T.J. McDonald and Detroit linebacker DeAndre Levy, who have played every snap this season. ... The Cardinals (11-4) would set a franchise record for victories by beating San Francisco. "That's huge. That's what we're after," Arians said. "It guarantees us not only that record, but if something were to happen in Seattle, we'd have the bye. We want to do both those things." The Cardinals have lost two games in a row only once this season.

Run defense: Four of Arizona's past five opponents have topped 100 yards rushing, and Detroit finished just 2 yards from making it five of the past six. The 49ers are the league's sixth-ranked rushing attack at 131.3 yards per game (they're 31st in passing at 191.6 yards per game). When the Cardinals defense is most successful it makes offenses one-dimensional.

Run the ball -- a lot: Ryan Lindley is starting at quarterback. He will make mistakes. He will struggle to move the team through the air. Arizona's best chance at a win is revving up the run game that had success in Weeks 14 and 15 when guard Jonathan Cooper was healthy and scat back Kerwynn Williams was providing a spark.

Stay healthy: The playoffs begin next weekend and the word is the Cardinals will play a Saturday game if they end up a wild card team, shortening the week even more. Injuries have plagued Arizona all season and are a major reason why nobody gives the Cards a chance in the postseason. They don't need to lose more bodies in what is largely a meaningless game.

Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter

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