Arizona @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2014 ) San Francisco 14, Arizona 23

The Arizona Cardinals aim for the winningest season in franchise history and potentially much more when they wrap up the regular season at the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Cardinals were shellacked by Seattle 35-6 last week to fall into a first-place tie with the Seahawks in the NFC West, which will be decided with this week's action. Arizona can also gain the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win and losses by Seattle and Green Bay, and a first-round bye is attainable with even less.

"We're playing to win the game," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said when asked if he would be holding anyone out with a playoff berth already in place. However, quarterback Drew Stanton is reportedly out for the season following a knee scope and rookie Logan Thomas will make his first start after Ryan Lindley struggled in the loss to the Seahawks. While their head coach is more heavily linked with a college job, the 49ers are playing out the string in a season that has gone sour, losing their fourth straight after blowing a 21-point halftime lead in a 38-35 overtime setback against San Diego on Dec. 20.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: 49ers -6. O/U: 36.5

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (11-4): Arians had previously indicated that Stanton was "85 percent" for the first postseason game, the franchise's first since 2009, but he still wanted to see what Thomas could provide as an option going forward. "You got to turn over every stone going into the playoffs," Arians said on Sirius XM NFL Radio on Tuesday. "It doesn't have anything to do with how Ryan played last week. I need to find out what Logan can do going into the playoffs." Thomas has completed 1-of-9 passes on the season, that one completion an 81-yard TD at Denver on Oct. 5.

ABOUT THE 49ERS (7-8): Since the head coaching position at the University of Michigan opened up with Brady Hoke's firing Dec. 2, San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh has dominated the rumor mill. He is reportedly going to meet with 49ers executives to discuss his future in the days after Sunday's finale, with all signs indicating he will not be back for the fifth and final year of his contract with San Francisco and more signs pointing to a strong connection with Michigan, his alma mater. Sunday might also mark the end of a 49ers career for running back Frank Gore, who is 38 rushing yards shy of his eighth 1,000-yard season in 10 overall with the organization.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Cardinals also won 11 games in 1925, 1948 and 1975.

2. San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick has fewer than 200 yards passing in each of his team's four straight losses after topping the 200-yard mark in 10 of his first 11 games.

3. 49ers WR Anquan Boldin needs 19 receiving yards for his seventh 1,000-yard season.

PREDICTION: 49ers 18, Cardinals 15