
The offensive line has led the way for the Cards to have averaged more than 400 yards of offense over the last five games.
Earlier this week, coach Ken Whisenhunt praised his offensive line for playing “one of our better games as a whole” in the win over Minnesota.
The line has been playing well for a while, now, even sidestepping the problem of injured left tackle

That’s why the 49ers, who were able to pressure quarterback

“We’ve been through some battles and we know we are capable of doing some great things when we operate when we can,” guard

After the opener, Whisenhunt said the line needed to work on cleaning up technique.
“Were there mistakes? Of course,” guard

Gandy is expected to play this week, Whisenhunt said, although the coach added Gandy’s status as a starter will depend on how he feels on game day. If not,

Like the rest of the Cards, the line would like another chance to face the 49ers, after San Francisco sacked Warner three times in the opener. In that game, the 49ers held the Cards to just 40 rushing yards and had an easier time covering receiver



The receivers are healthy now, and the running game has turned into an above-average threat. With the line playing as it has, it is difficult to slow the Cards.
“(The Vikings) were frustrated,” Warner said. “I can’t say enough about those guys up front because when they allow us to do what we need to on the back end, we are a pretty good team.”
INJURY UPDATE
The illness going around the team claimed another player Saturday, when nose tackle


Nevertheless, Robinson is listed as probable for Monday night’s game. Other than linebacker



TAKING ON FITZ
One significant difference between the last time the Cards and 49ers played will be the absence of San Francisco cornerback Nate Clements, who is out with a shoulder injury. Clements has been the main cover man on Fitzgerald since Clements was signed as a free agent before the 2007 season.
In the five games between the teams since then, Fitzgerald – who sees a healthy dose of double- or bracket coverage from the Niners – has averaged less than 65 yards a game.
With Clements down, his replacement will likely be Shawntae Spencer, a former teammate of Fitzgerald’s at the University of Pittsburgh and the guy who used to cover Fitzgerald before Clements arrived.
“He’s a scrapper, works his butt off all the time,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s fun to compete against.
“We used to get into it all the time at practice. He’s a talker in practice, but he never says anything to me in a game. It’ll be like old times.”
WORK TO THE MUSIC
The park next door to the Cardinals’ facility is often used for high school bands or drum groups who are practicing their craft. Saturday, the Cards heard plenty of beats while practice was going on.
“The only problem is half our guys are dancing to it,” Whisenhunt said. “I saw all different facets of our team getting into it, from



“No. 29” is cornerback
