Game Preview: Cardinals @ Redskins

Who: Arizona Cardinals v. Washington Redskins
What: Week 3 of the 2008 NFL season
When: Sunday, 1 PM
Where: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
History
The Redskins have won the last 5 games between these two teams, including a 21-19 victory at FedEx Field in week 7 of last season. A key difference has been that the Redskins rushed for 612 yards in those 5 games while the Cardinals rushed for only 341 yards. Not surprisingly, the Redskins have dominated time of possession in those games, by a nearly 8 minutes per game average. The Cardinals have not won in Washington since 1998. Washington leads the series overall 72-44-2.
Summary
It’s a mystery as to how good the Cardinals really are. [Same goes for the Redskins.] The Cardinals have beaten two teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, that combined to win 6 games last year and 1 game so far this year. They have a high-powered offense and a defense that hasn’t been tested yet. The Redskins will provide Arizona with their toughest test of the season to date. The Cardinals are 2-0 for the first time since 1991 and haven’t been 3-0 since Don Coryell was the head coach…in 1974.
When the Cardinals Have the Ball
The Cardinals can really move the ball through the air. In the NFC, Kurt Warner ranks first in passer rating [128.5], 1st in TD passes [4], 1st in yards per pass [10.3], 2nd in completion percentage [70.4], and 4th in passing yards [558]. Warner’s perfect passer rating of 158.3 last week against the Dolphins tied Peyton Manning for an NFL record that will never be broken. If given time, Warner will carve up the Redskins defense as he does any other defense. If rushed, however, Warner is prone to giving up cheap sacks, fumbles and throwing interceptions. He throws to 2 fantastic wideouts, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. In 2 games, Boldin has 14 catches for 222 yards [15.9] and 3 TD. Fitzgerald has 9 catches for 184 yards [20.4] and 1 TD. Redskins cornerbacks Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot and Carlos Rogers will have their work cut out for them on Sunday, as will safeties Laron Landry, Reed Doughty and Chris Horton. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Redskins leave 5 defensive backs on the field for most plays, leaving the team with only 2 linebackers.
The Cardinals don’t run the ball nearly as well as they pass it. They will try to establish the running game early, but if it doesn’t work, they’ll give up on it by halftime unless they’re playing with a good lead. TB Edgerrin James will be the workhorse, but he’s averaging only 3.5  yards per carry and doesn’t have a single run of more than 14 yards. His backup, Tim Hightower, has scored 2 TD, but is strictly a short yardage runner — he’s averaging only 2.1 yards per carry.
The key for the Redskins will be to rush Kurt Warner. Defensive ends Jason Taylor and Andre Carter must get more of a rush on than they have so far. Taylor got his first sack last week, but hasn’t been consistent and Carter hasn’t registered a sack yet. Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache could dial up some exotic blitzes for Reed Doughty and Laron Landry — who both blitz well — but doing so would leave the defensive backfield wide open for Arizona’s deadly wide receivers. A good pass rush from the Redskins front four is essential if they’re going to win this game.
The Cardinals are going to complete passes and move the ball — that’s a given. What the Redskins need to do is tackle well and keep Boldin and Fitzgerald in front of them; no 50-yard TD passes. The Cardinals offense will bog down in the red zone because it cannot run the ball effectively so preventing big play scores will be critical. If the Cardinals are kicking field goals, it is advantage Washington.

When the Redskins Have the Ball
Jason Campbell rebounded from a miserable week 1 loss to the Giants by ripping the New Orleans Saints defense to shreds. The most hopeful development has been Campbell’s ability to not help the other team — he has no interceptions and no fumbles in 2008. WR Santana Moss has re-emerged as a big play wideout and he has now scored touchdowns in 5 straight games going back to last season. It won’t be surprising if the Cardinals double up on Moss because Antwaan Randle-El is the only other Redskins wideout with experience who is likely to be healthy. [Check the status of WR James Thrash and WR Malcolm Kelly.] A key figure for the offense could be TE Chris Cooley, who must be a key part of the passing game for the Redskins to be efficient. Cooley was superb last week [72 receiving yards] and if he can win his matchup against Arizona’s SS Adrian Wilson, the Redskins will score a lot of points. The problem for the Redskins is that their options are limited in the passing game; nobody but Moss and Cooley have really stepped up.
Unlike the Cardinals, though, the Redskins can and will run the ball. Clinton Portis scored 2 TD against the Saints and is averaging over 4 yards per carry. Backup Ladell Betts can tear up a defense, too, and Arizona should get a healthy dose of both of them. Running the ball will enable the Redskins to control the clock, thus keeping Warner & Co. off the field, so expect Head Coach Jim Zorn to try to control the game with his running backs. It won’t be easy, though. Pro Bowl DT Darnell Dockett can stuff the run and DE Bertrand Berry can get to the passer. Campbell responds better to the rush than Warner does, so Washington doesn’t have to dominate the line of scrimmage, but it does need to open enough holes for Portis to do some damage and run the clock. Look for the Redskins to run Portis over the left side, behind LG Pete Kendall and LT Chris Samuels, until someone figures out how to stop it. If the Cardinals over-commit to it, the Redskins can use play-action to get Moss deep.
Position Comparisons

Prediction: Washington 27 Cardinals 23
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