There’s no other way to slice it; the San Francisco 49ers
have the Arizona Cardinals’ number.

The Niners, who have already clinched the NFC West title,
have defeated the Cardinals the last five times they’ve
played, including a 23-7 decision last month in San
Francisco.

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the
bad blood between the two teams brewing, a fact not lost
on
the Cardinals. But due to the fact that the 49ers have
owned this pairing as of late, one Arizona player was
hesitant to term it a rivalry.

“For it to be a rivalry, you gotta beat them,” wide
receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “Sometimes they might
beat you, but for there to a rivalry, you’ve got to go out
there and win.”

Defensive end Calais Campbell disagreed somewhat with his
teammate. “This is our biggest rivalry,” he said. “This
is the one team that I really dislike more than others.”

The 49ers’ recent ownership of the Cardinals includes two
straight wins at University of Phoenix Stadium, a trend
Fitzgerald wants to stop on Sunday to keep Arizona’s slim
playoff chances alive.

“We have to reclaim home field, they beat us two times
here over the last two years, and that’s not supposed to
happen,” he said. “We’ve got to come out and play much
better.”

Arizona Sports’ Craig Grialou contributed to this
report

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