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Redskins vs. Cardinals: Week 1 offense and defense matchups, score prediction

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins looks on against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins looks on against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins looks to pass against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins looks to pass against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Redskins offense vs. Cardinals defense

The Redskins new-look offense will get their first regular season test in Phoenix. After playing sparingly during the preseason, the starting unit will come into the game healthy with the exception of the loss of rookie Derrius Guice. The reason they sat starters was to preserve them for the opening week, and they will have a chance to see action against the Cardinals.

Notably, this will be Alex Smith‘s first chance to impress the Washington faithful. Smith has been one of the more accurate passers in the NFL, and that will come in handy against this solid and well put together Cardinals defense. Smith’s accuracy will help to open up some options for the receivers, and he will almost certainly be more accurate than Cousins was in openers (as he threw five picks in three season openers as a starter).

That said, the Cardinals will have a major advantage on one side of the field, as they will have a chance to use Patrick Peterson as a No. 1 corner. Right now, it’s unclear which Redskins receiver Peterson might shadow, but he will certainly limit either Josh Doctson or Paul Richardson. The other cornerback spot, likely to be manned by Jamar Taylor, will be more susceptible to allowing big plays.

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With the uncertainty about who Peterson will cover, it seems that Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed will get a lot of targets. Both will be working over the middle of the field where the Cardinals are a bit weaker after releasing star safety/slot corner Tyrann Mathieu. Both could be in for solid performances, so they will have the best chance to start the season strong. This will be the biggest area to watch in Sunday’s game as if Smith can get the ball to these two, the Redskins offense should move the ball pretty well.

On the ground, Adrian Peterson figures to be the lead back, but the team will use a committee approach for most of the day. Chris Thompson will work as the main back on passing downs while Samaje Perine and/or Rob Kelley will be mixed in throughout the day. The Cardinals, however, have a solid run defense, so it may be tough for the piecemeal Redskins running game to get a lot going in Sunday’s contest.

The other key player to watch is Chandler Jones. The Cardinals star edge rusher will give the Redskins tackles a tough test, so Morgan Moses and Trent Williams need to be at their best. They almost always are though, so Jones will hopefully be limited by this.

Overall, the Redskins have a good chance to fare well on offense in Week 1. They still have to execute in certain areas and hopefully, they will be able to get their run game going at least a bit, but they should have a slight edge over the Cardinals defense for now.

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