THE STORY: San Francisco and Arizona have been eliminated from playoff contention in the mediocre NFC West. The teams will compete for positioning in next year's NFL draft and to stay out of last place in the weakest division while St. Louis and Seattle meet for the division title and a postseason berth.
TV: 4:15 p.m. EST, FOX
OPENING LINE: San Francisco -6 1/2; O/U 38 1/2.
WEATHER: 55 degrees, chance of rain 40 percent.
ABOUT THE 49ERS (5-10): The game will be the first for interim San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula, who was promoted from his defensive line duties after Mike Singletary was fired following a 25-17 loss to St. Louis that eliminated San Francisco from the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. The 49ers, 4-3 at home, have lost two straight.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (5-10): Strong safety Adrian Wilson was the lone Cardinal to be named to the Pro Bowl. Wilson has a career-high 115 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, five passes defended and a blocked field goal. Wilson is the first defensive player for the Cardinals to be named to three straight Pro Bowls since cornerback Aeneas Williams. The Cardinals have 12 return touchdowns this season, one short of the NFL record set by Seattle in 1998. Arizona's seven fumble returns are already a record.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught only one pass in the Cardinals' 27-26 victory over Dallas on Sunday, ending his streak of 97 straight games with multiple receptions, fourth longest in NFL history. Rookie wide receiver Andre Roberts, a third-round pick from The Citadel, caught five passes for a career-high 110 yards in the victory. Ted Ginn's 78-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Rams on Sunday was the fourth in his career.
QUARTERBACKS: Alex Smith will start for the 49ers in what is expected to be his last game in a San Francisco uniform. The former No. 1 overall draft pick out of Utah in 2005 will become a free agent and has an overall record of 18-31 as the 49ers' starter. Smith, who was replaced by Troy Smith for five games from Oct. 31 through Dec. 5, has completed 189 of 313 passes for 2,094 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 10 interceptions. Quarterback John Skelton is 2-1 as the Cardinals' starting quarterback despite completing only 45.5 percent of his passes (46 for 101). Skelton, a 6-foot-5 rookie from Fordham, threw for only 183 yards last week but led Arizona to a 27-26 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
RECENT HISTORY: The teams have split their last 10 games. In the first meeting of the season between the NFC West rivals, Brian Westbrook ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's 27-6 victory. Arizona has committed seven turnovers and averaged 10.3 points and 249 yards in dropping the last three games against the 49ers.
KEY INJURIES: Arizona - questionable: RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring), QB Derek Anderson (head), LB Joey Porter (triceps), WR Larry Fitzgerald (head). San Francisco - questionable: DB William James (concussion), G David Baas (ribs), DB Phillip Adams (ankle); doubtful: LB Patrick Willis (hand), LB Keaton Kristick (concussion); late decision - T Joe Staley (leg).
LAST WORD: Willis, named to his fourth Pro Bowl on Tuesday, will miss a start for the first time in his career due to a surgical procedure on his broken right hand. Willis has a team-leading 128 tackles with six sacks and two forced fumbles and signed a five-year, $50 million contract extension through the 2016 season.