The Washington Football Team travels on Sunday to face Kyler Murray and the 1-0 Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals came off an upset victory over the defending NFC Champions San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals have been a trending pick to make a wild card spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile Washington fought back from a 17-0 deficit and manhandled the Eagles in the second half for a 27-17 victory. While that was not expected, most experts expect the Cardinals to win this Sunday. Here are my three keys for Washington if they want to get the victory and start 2-0.
1. Keep Kyler Murray in the pocket.
This seems like common sense but the advantage that Murray has is extending plays with his legs. Washington was able to generate pressure against the Eagles with primarily four rushers and used personnel well. Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio was able to scheme up problems for the makeshift offensive line the Eagles put out there. The Cardinals line is healthier but isn’t the strength of the team. Washington must be able to get pressure with four rushers to flood the secondary with players and make Murray fit the ball into tight spaces. Also generating pass rush with four people will help the secondary most importantly the deep ball.
2. Run the ball effectively.
Against the Eagles the rushing offense for Washington was putrid. The 36 attempts were fine however they gained only 80 yards for 2.2 yards per attempt. There were a few reasons for the performance, offensive line blocking issues, timing on motions, and some bad reads by the backs. One way to help your defense is to have long sustained drives and keep Kyler Murray off the field. I’m sure that Scott Turner would ride the hot hand but one of the backs need to step it up.
3. Win the turnover battle.
Washington did a superb job of forcing turnovers on defense and not turning the ball over on offense. Haskins was great not making mistakes with the football, which probably led to some sacks. The defense was more aggressive intercepting two passes and forcing some fumbles, giving the offense short fields to work with. Kyler Murray did throw one interception last week and does like to make some risky throws. If Washington can limit their turnovers and force a couple of turnovers, Washington can win this game.
Prediction
In my season prediction I had Washington winning versus Philadelphia and losing this game to Cardinals. After watching Washington I feel like they can certainly win this game. Washington 24, Cardinals 21
