Redskins loss allows Cowboys to clinch
The Washington Redskins, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, faced the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, December 4, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals with quarterback Carson Palmer came out as if they were ready for war as quarterback Palmer threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Star Running Back David Johnson also scored twice as the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Washington Redskins 31-23 on Sunday. This loss helped the Dallas Cowboys clinch a playoff spot in the NFC playoff hunt.
Cardinals Put away Redskins
The Redskins defense seemed doomed from the start. In a must-win game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Washington Redskins defense did not come out with the correct intensity and fire needed to defeat the slumping Arizona Cardinals. On the first series of the game, the Cardinals drove down the field and scored on a David Johnson one-yard touchdown run. Palmer and the Cardinals offense were so methodical on the first series that the David Johnson touchdown capped a five play, 75-yard drive that took 8:17 to convert. In the preview for this game, we pointed out that the Redskins defense could not sleep on this Arizona Cardinals team and what did they do? They slept. On the first series, their offense seemed to find a rhythm on the Cardinals vaunted defense until they hit the Cardinals red zone area. As we spoke on in the review for this game the Redskins “kryptonite” on offense this season seems to be the red zone area. That was surely the case today as the Redskins had to settle for a field goal on their first series. That field goal helped cut the Cardinals lead to 7-3. On the Cardinals next series. After the Cardinals settle for a field goal on their next series the Redskins offense took the lead on a Kirk Cousins one yard sneak up the middle on their one-yard line. The Cardinals defense then stepped up to force a Kirk Cousins fumble on the next series that helped their offense score on a Michael Floyd 6-yard touchdown pass. After trailing late in the third quarter, Kirk Cousins found the former Duke Blue Devil Jamison Crowder on a 26-yard touchdown pass that gave the Redskins the 20-17 lead. On the Cardinals next series, they marched down the field as Carson Palmer found David Johnson for a 25-yard touchdown pass. On the next series, the Redskins offense once again has to kick a field goal that cut the lead to 24-23. Arizona’s next series was a pivotal one because they delivered a critical blow to the Redskins playoff chances with a late 42-yard Carson Palmer touchdown pass to J.J. Nelson. The Redskins defense needed to make a stand but they could not get it done as the Cardinals drove 75 yards to put the game away 31-23.
You cannot expect to beat good teams in the NFL if you simply cannot push the opponent’s defensive line backward and score in the red zone area. Forget all of the fancy gadget plays, you have to play big boy football in the red zone area and the Redskins once again failed to do that. They have a bruising running back who can pick up extra yards after contact in Rob Kelley so there is no excuse as to why they cannot score in the red zone. The Redskins had ample amount of chances to win this game but they must now put this game behind them and prepare themselves to go to war with the Philadelphia Eagles next week at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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