Winner: Washington Redskins
The Redskins were led by two aging stars in Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson. Smith was exactly what everyone expected. He’s a veteran presence who commands the offense, protects the ball and moves the chains.
Smith spread the ball around displaying early chemistry with running back Chris Thompson. This fits Smith’s style of play as he has always loved to use his running back in the passing game.
He will need to start getting the receivers more involved but the Redskins controlled this game and weren’t forced to push the ball down field. Josh Doctson, for example, only got three targets. That had a lot to do with the strong play of their defense.
The defense was stout upfront limiting the Cardinals to just 68 rushing yards. They excelled in third down situations allowing the Cardinals only one third down conversion. The combination of pressure and good coverage kept Sam Bradford off rhythm.
It’s also important to note that the Redskins were on the road in this contest. This was a cross country trip where they dominated from the kickoff. Arizona might not be a very strong team, but the Redskins took care of business.
Washington has a favorable matchup next week as they host the Indianapolis Colts.