Cardinals vs. 49ers: San Francisco clinches NFC West

Along with wrapping up their second consecutive NFC West championship, the 49ers also put their best foot forward in an effort to earn one of the conference’s two first-round byes. Depending on the outcome of Chicago’s late afternoon rivalry game with Green Bay, San Francisco will soon land either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC and should benefit from kicking off the postseason at Candlestick Park.

Fantasy studs and duds

In addition to Smith, who is out with a left elbow injury, the 49ers will be without the following players:

The Cardinals, meanwhile, will be without quarterback Ryan Skelton, who remains on the inactive list. Arizona will turn to Brian Hoyer to start, the team’s fourth different quarterback this season. A complete list of the inactives for the Cardinals is below:

These two teams met earlier this season in Arizona, and the 49ers came away with an easy 24-3 victory. The two looked to be the top contenders for the NFC West crown early in the season, but the Cardinals have struggled since September.

Arizona got off to a fast start in 2012, winning each of its first four games. Since then, the Cardinals have won just once in their last 11 contests and have fallen to 5-10 on the year. The quarterback position has been at the center of their struggles, and they may see a fourth different starter this weekend.

In the first four games of the season, Arizona was an outstanding 4-0. Then everything fell apart, as a string of nine straight losses erased any playoff hopes. Now the Cardinals are playing for pride and jobs next year. As far as jobs go, the biggest question mark is on coach Ken Whisenhunt’s future. The Cards were plagued by injuries, resulting in a carousel of players on the offensive line and most importantly at quarterback. If the coach and his battered battalion can pull off an upset of their division rivals, it might -- might -- earn him another season in Glendale.

Sunday, Dec. 30, 4:25 p.m. ET