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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Thanks to those who kept the latest NFC West chat moving even though we encountered quite a few eight-man fronts. Transcript here. Highlights below:

Ruben (Highland, Ca): Mike, Thanks for taking my question. If the Rams win or lose in Detriot on Sunday, isn't it time for all the young players to play after the bye? Smith at LT, Gibson at WR, Butler at CB, Greco at G/T, Null for a few series, ect.? This teams needs to look toward the future, but I know the losing mentality has to stop. How can they balance this the last half of the season?

Mike Sando: The Rams do not have very many older players. They are one of the youngest teams in the league. By definition, then, the young guys are playing in most cases. Jason Smith does need to play every snap, in my view. Perhaps his health isn't where it needs to be. I do not know. But if he can play, play him. What is there to lose? Brandon Gibson also needs to play right away. The QB situation is a harder one to manage that way. I would not just throw Keith Null out there at this stage. If he is your third guy and he plays in a game, the other two quarterbacks cannot return to the game, by rule. I suppose they could make him the No. 2 quarterback at some point.

Shane (Los Angeles, CA): Sand-O: As expected, the sports talk following the Cards win over the Giants was more about "What's Wrong with the Giants?" rather than "What's Right with the Cardinals?" With their next 5 games against the Panthers, Bears, Seahawks, Rams and Titans, the Cards could feasibly enter the game against the Vikes at 9-2 or 8-3. What do you think the Cards need to do to merit discussion among the leagues' SB contenders?

Mike Sando: Keep doing what they are doing. Look, the Cardinals have earned our skepticism by going from 7-3 to 9-7 last season, then losing at home to the 49ers in the opener. Let's see this team sustain a high level of play for more than a month or two. I see signs the Cardinals are starting to do that. The Giants have been consistently good for a while. The Cardinals are never going to get the same national play the Giants or Redskins would get because Phoenix is not New York. But the Cardinals can command respect by playing well consistently.

Sean L. (Tacoma): With Walter Jones finally on IR and possibly done for good, do you see the hawks making any roster moves to add depth to the o-line?

Mike Sando: Teams generally carry nine offensive linemen. The Seahawks had nine plus Walter Jones. Putting him on injured reserve doesn't affect their depth on the line because Jones wasn't part of that depth. He was sort of off to the side while the team waited for him to get better. From a personnel standpoint, the Seahawks are pretty much stuck. They have no good options for upgrading depth during the season.

Tre (Florida): Where is Indy weak defensively that you expect SF to try and exploit?

Mike Sando: The Rams got Bob Sanders to bite on a play fake, freeing Donnie Avery to catch a 50-yard pass on a flea flicker. That was early in the game, when the Colts were focused on stopping the run (Steven Jackson did quite a bit of his damage later in the game, once the Colts pulled away). If I'm the 49ers, I would be looking for ways to continue finding Vernon Davis down the middle of the field. Davis is bigger and faster than the people he'll be matching up against. I just wonder how much time Smith will have to let those plays develop. The Colts' defensive line is going to cause problems rushing the passer inside and out.

The 49ers' game at Indianapolis marks the final time an NFC West team will face the Colts during the regular season. That is good for the division.