Cards run away with road win in blowout of Rams

ST. LOUIS - Every 24 years or so, the Cardinals manage to record a 5-3 mark at the halfway point. About this infrequently, they so dominate an opponent on the road that fans start heading for the exits by the end of the third quarter.

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Read Mike Tulumello's blog, 'Bird Watching'

Yes, times are good for Redbirds, who are now in position to put away the NFC West after drubbing the Rams, 34-13, here Sunday afternoon.

They are 5-3 for the first time since 1984, four years before they moved to Arizona.

“It’s big,” said coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was elated that the Cardinals — unlike last week — closed a team they had way down at halftime (24-7).

More important in the long run, “We are becoming a better road team. We are becoming a good football team.”

On Sunday, the Cardinals also were a lucky team.

But that was all good, too, as far as the Cardinals were concerned.

Once, a Kurt Warner pass to Jerheme Urban was deflected by the Rams’ Jonathan Wade. But instead of intercepting the pass or even deflecting it, Wade knocked the ball up in the air.

Urban grabbed it and ran for a 56-yard touchdown to make it 24-7 at halftime.

“He did a good job of coming underneath and going up for it,” Urban said.

“I came back for it. As soon as it popped up … I said, 'Let’s grab it and go.’”

Another time, Warner had a shotgun snap sail past him when he wasn’t expecting the ball.

He chased it down, and the ball bounced right back into his hands. Warner tossed a wobbly pass that Anquan Boldin caught, one-handed.

“Sometimes the ball bounces your way,” Whisenhunt said.

“A lot of times you say, 'Good teams get the bounces.’

“Maybe that’s a sign that we’re a good team. We’re getting some of those bounces. I hope so.”

Even the other game in the division went the Cardinals’ way on Sunday when Seattle lost at home to Philadelphia.

That means the Cardinals have a three-game lead in their division with eight to play.

But the Cardinals didn’t need luck to win a game they controlled starting with their 24-point second quarter.

To start the scoring, safety Antrel Rolle intercepted a Marc Bulger pass and ran it back 40 yards for his fourth career touchdown.

Then safety Adrian Wilson threw off a block by Rams fullback Antonio Pitt­man, sacked Bulger and caused a fumble.

That set up a Neil Rackers’ field goal for a 10-7 lead.

The Cardinals were off and running, literally.

With Tim Hightower replacing Edgerrin James as the starter, the Cardinals found they could run the ball effectively.

At times, Hightower was spectacular.

With two minutes left in the first half, he ran off left tackle, cut to the middle and exploded through the Rams’ defense for a 30-yard touchdown run to make it 17-7.

As for Warner, he completed 23 of 34 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald caught six passes each. And J.J. Arrington caught five while gaining 62 yards on just six carries backing up Hightower.

James didn’t play.

And the Rams?

They were so lifeless that the fans who stayed until the end — the stadium was virtually empty in the final minutes — seemed to do so mostly to boo the home team.

Their favorite target: highly paid running back Steven Jackson, who dropped a touchdown pass and ran seven times for just 17 yards.

CARDINALS 34, RAMS 13

Summary: The Cardinals stumbled only once. They marched the ball to the 2-yard line on their first possession but came away with zero points. The Rams even took the lead on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Marc Bulger to Derek Stanley, who beat Eric Green.

The Cardinals cruised from that point. Their defense didn’t allow another score until the early fourth quarter, well after the game had been decided.

On offense, they mixed in their high-powered short passing game with some intermediate passes and – most significant – a potent running game led by Tim Hightower and J.J. Arrington. The result: a 24-7 halftime lead. The Rams never threatened after the break.

Did you see that? Tim Hightower burst through the line for a 30-yard touchdown run. That’s the Cardinals’ longest run in three years.

Where were the fans? For the second straight week, the Cardinals played to thousands of empty seats.

Thumbs up: The Cardinals passed the ball 34 times and ran it 33.

Thumbs down: The Cardinals failed to score when they had first-and-goal at the 2-yard line on their first possession.

Quotable: “We only have a couple guys who have been to the playoffs. Why are we going to celebrate something that we’ve never done? Our next game is San Francisco.” – Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson.

UP NEXT: 49ERS AT CARDINALS

When: 6:30 p.m. Monday

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium

Records: 49ers 2-6; Cardinals 5-3.

49ers this week: They had a bye.

Outlook: The Cardinals will show off their division lead on the national stage on “Monday Night Football.” A win would leave only the Seahawks as a long-shot possibility to keep up with them in the NFC West.

The 49ers are making the transition to new coach Mike Singletary, who is turning out to be a demanding taskmaster. But the Niners just don’t have the weapons on either side of the ball. The draft of quarterback Alex Smith No. 1 overall over Aaron Rodgers hurt them, and an offseason spending spree in 2007 didn’t seem to have much of an impact.