NFL: Resurgent Westbrook leads San Francisco past Arizona

Former Eagle Brian Westbrook rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown in place of the injured Frank Gore and the San Francisco 49ers sent punchless Arizona to its sixth straight loss, 27-6, Monday night in a shower of boos from the Cardinals home crowd.

Westbrook, who had nine yards in five carries all season, carried 23 times in his 21st career 100-yard game, but first since Dec. 7, 2008, for the Eagles against the New York Giants.

San Francisco (4-7), beaten at home by Tampa Bay, 21-0, last week, improved to 3-1 since Troy Smith became starting quarterback and pulled within a game of coleaders St. Louis and Seattle in the anemic NFC West. Arizona fell to 3-8.

McDaniels safe. Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen says embattled coach Josh McDaniels' job is safe.

In a rare interview, Bowlen told AOL FanHouse he is not interested in making a coaching change this year or next and would stick by McDaniels despite the team's 5-21 slide and the embarrassing videotaping scandal that rocked the franchise this month.

Jackson's no faker. San Diego running back Mike Tolbert said teammate Vincent Jackson got hurt in practice last week, and that there's no way the wide receiver would fake an injury in his first game back after a contract dispute.

The question arose because the Chargers didn't list Jackson on the injury report last week.

Jackson started Sunday night at Indianapolis but limped off the field after two plays with a strained right calf, raising speculation due to his clash earlier this year with the front office.

Coach Norv Turner says Jackson had an MRI exam Monday and has considerable swelling that likely will keep him from playing in Sunday's home game against Oakland.

Jackson's agent, Neil Schwartz, says it's "totally absurd" that Jackson would fake an injury.

Young to have surgery. Vince Young is getting his right thumb repaired, the Titans quarterback announced on Twitter. Young was placed on injured reserve last week, two days after tearing the flexor tendon in the thumb of his throwing hand.

Sorry, James. The NFL rejected Steelers linebacker James Harrison's appeals of his $75,000 fine for a hit on Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, and $25,000 fine for slamming helmet-first into Saints quarterback Drew Brees' back.

Harrison faces another possible fine for his roughing-the-passer penalty Sunday against Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Talib under review. The NFL is looking into a verbal confrontation between Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib and an official who worked the Buccaneers' game against Baltimore.

Talib reportedly made an expletive-laced comment to an unidentified official about a call made by field judge Boris Cheek. The Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times said the official responded by using an expletive of his own to describe how Talib played and that the player then threatened to punch him.

Death ruled accidental. The Cook County medical examiner's office has ruled the death of a man who fell from a stadium concourse during halftime of Sunday's Bears-Eagles game an accident, not a suicide.

A Monday autopsy showed that 23-year-old Stewart Haverty of Woodstock, Ill. died of multiple injuries.

Police say Haverty fell more than 35 feet from a Soldier Field concourse onto the roof of a stadium storage building.

Witnesses told police they saw Haverty run and jump over a 3-foot barrier to his death. His friends told police they thought he was going for a cigarette and was unaware of the drop.

Injury report. Buffalo coach Chan Gailey fears defensive end Dwan Edwards could miss the rest of the season with a left hamstring injury. . . . Damien Woody, the Jets right tackle, sat out practice while recovering from a sprained knee ligament, but expects to play at New England on Monday night.