Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden is relieved. After enduring endless criticism of his inability to adequately prepare his team for regular season opening games, his team went to Arizona and dominated the Cardinals just like the good teams do. The Redskins won the matchup 24-6.
A brief analysis of this game will show a couple of things.
1): The Redskins offense has effective weapons and can move the ball and;
2) The young defense has good depth and talent and can stop the opposition when it needs to
Initially, Washington’s offense looked a little rusty but by its second and third possessions, it was apparent that change had come to Washington.
Early on, Redskins QB Alex Smith showed himself to be the veteran that he is. It is apparent that he has learned his new system and he looked good running it. Poised and mobile, he took the plays the defense gave him, ran the ball when the opportunity showed itself and threw it away when he needed to.
If this game showed anything, it was how much the Redskins missed their starters last season.
Tight end Jordan Reed, running back Chris Thompson, defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, linebacker Zach Brown and offensive lineman Trent Williams were all instrumental in the win. Reed was as much of a mismatch to Cardinals defenders as he has ever been and Thompson looked faster than he ever has. The two were responsible for over 100 yards receiving in the game and two of the touchdowns.
The team ran the ball effectively with new-to-the-Redskins running back Adrian Peterson and with him, Gruden will stick with the run game. In the first half alone, the veteran had run the ball enough that Washington won the time of possession by approximately 20 minutes-and-change to Arizona’s six-and-change and the score was already 21-0.
Early in the game, the defense was very good except for the inside linebackers. That unit got better but there were a few times when Brown looked out of place. It didn’t last long. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky sorted it out and Arizona RB David Johnson never got going.
The Redskins defense is now effective against the run. At least today it was.
As will always happen, Arizona had their big plays. QB Sam Bradford had a big 27-yard pass to Pro Bowl wideout Larry Fitzgerald. Johnson had an 11-yard run. The Cardinals had a 15-play drive that culminated in a Johnson touchdown.
But when it counted, the defense stopped Arizona.
Either through pressure on Bradford or plays in the secondary, Arizona had only five first downs in the first half and 14 in the whole game to the Redskins 30. The Redskins almost doubled the Cardinals net yards, logging 429 to Arizona’s 213.
On the other side of the ball, the run game can be effective enough to remain a part of the offense.
Adrian Peterson was impressive, garnering 96 yards on the ground on 26 carries for a touchdown. He was explosive, elusive and smart (except for a 52-yard run he had at the end of the game where he got a little over-zealous and fumbled the ball while trying to stiff-arm a guy for more yards). For as long as he is healthy, he will help the team.
Again, Thompson was amazing. He came out early in the game and made defenders miss. He out-ran guys in an almost embarrassing way (to them). He logged 63 yards on six rushes, also with a touchdown. His longest was 23.
With Gruden committed to running the ball, when it was all said and done the Redskins had 182 rushing yards. In fact, he didn’t even ask Smith to throw the ball much. WR Paul Richardson caught four balls for 22 yards (the longest was seven yards), Josh Doctson caught one pass for 11 yards, TE Vernon Davis had a catch early for nine yards and Reed had four catches for 48 yards. The longest was 22 yards, plus the TD.
Across the line of scrimaage, the defense held Johnson to 37 yards on nine carries and Fitzgerald to 76 yards on seven catches.
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A couple of quick notes on the contest:
Reed is an elite tight end and Thompson is an elite back. If the defense stays effective, it will be hard to beat Washington when these two offensive weapons are both healthy.
It was fun to watch Redskins left tackle Trent Williams and Cardinals DE Chandler Jones go at it. Williams won most of those battles. Washington center Chase Roullier is just getting better and better.
The Cardinals defense is undisciplined. Chris Thompson had two hits on him that should have been flagged.
Gruden called a great misdirection play on the on the Peterson 17-yard run. The entire Cardinals defense was pointing, “Left, left, left!” and the play went right for the gain. There are Redskins fans that underestimate the coach’s play-calling.
Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar is underrated. He defended passes and had an interception in the third quarter. Watch for him to be effective all season if he stays healthy.
Gruden recently commented that he liked his team being under the radar. It’s not going to be for long if it continues to play the way it did against the Cardinals.