The Washington Redskins are taking on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 of the NFL season. Here’s a look at some bold predictions for the Redskins vs. Cardinals contest.
We are merely days away from one of the most exciting days of the year. The NFL is kicked off with Eagles-Falcons on Thursday night, and every other team across the league will be in action on Sunday. That day, which once seemed extremely far away, is now upon us.
Once Sunday rolls around, the Redskins will be in action. They open up the season on the road and will take on the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are ushering in a new era as quarterback and also sport a new head coach in Steve Wilks. They have done a lot to reshape their roster into what will either be a veteran-laden contender…or one of the weaker teams in the NFL.
Though the Redskins are opening the season on the road, many of their fans are expecting a win. At the very least, a solid effort will be necessary to inspire some confidence in the team as they too open the year with a new quarterback. If they can start on the right foot, they will have a chance to build some momentum in their three contests before their early, Week 4 bye.
With all the pressure that is on Jay Gruden and the Redskins players, this game should be a good one. At the very least, it will be fun, and there’s always the possibility of some crazy things happening in the season opener. With that in mind, here’s a look at our five bold predictions for Redskins vs. Cardinals in NFL Week 1.
5. Fabian Moreau notches his first career interception
The Redskins are marching into Sunday’s game with a young corner group. Among the players they have at the position is Fabian Moreau. He figures to be the new starter in the slot and he will be tested by the hyper-accurate Sam Bradford.
However, the Cardinals don’t have a lot of great receivers on their roster. Chad Williams is their No. 2 guy right now and rookie Christian Kirk may end up manning the slot. Those are two guys that Moreau should be able to handle, and he should match up well with Kirk as they both are speed-based players.
If Moreau can track the Cardinals slot receiver consistently and do a good job, then he will have a chance to at least slow down the Cardinals passing offense. Again, Bradford tends to be able to put the ball where he wants to, but perhaps if he is under pressure and the coverage is solid, he will make a mistake.
Moreau has never had an interception in his career. He’s only recorded one pass breakup. But, with more playing time in this new and favorable test, Moreau should have a chance to grab an interception. So, we’ll predict that he grabs the first of his career and makes a big play to help the Redskins secondary succeed.
4. Adrian Peterson eclipses 100 yards against his former team
Some will be shocked by this prediction. Others will not be. Peterson is one of the most polarizing players on the Redskins right now, as some believe him to be the true lead back while others expect him to merely be a flash in the pan. It’s unclear what he will be this year.
That said, there is some history to Peterson, and that could help him play well at least to open the season.
Our own Ian Cummings identified Peterson as one of the players to watch in this week’s game, and he said the following of what Peterson currently offers the squad.
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"Peterson was once the best player in the entire NFL. But those days are far behind us now. In 2018, Peterson is a 33-year old running back with a less-than-ideal injury history and a very average 2017 stat line. He showed flashes of his former self with the Cardinals, but consistency was a rare commodity. That said, the Redskins’ offensive line is a clear cut above that of Arizona, and Peterson should be able to work his magic, if he can stay healthy. Health has always been the biggest question with Peterson, and it’s a question that’s not going to go away anytime soon. With as much contact as Peterson’s accrued over his affluent career, the next snap is never a sure thing."
Those are all excellent points and they are exactly why I think that Peterson’s success will either be fleeting or inconsistent this year. But, in the first game when he’s looking to establish himself as the lead back in the pecking order, I expect him to come out strong and put up a vintage performance. He might not consistently break long runs, but getting over 100 yards would do a lot to quell concerns about the Redskins RB room.
I’m not sold that this will happen. And if it does, it may be one of the very few times this year that he manages too. There’s no reason that Peterson can’t find success in Week 1, but it will be interesting to see if he can meet this lofty standard.
3. Ryan Kerrigan totals two sacks
The Cardinals made some improvements to their line this offseason by drafting Mason Cole and signing Justin Pugh. That said, their tackles still aren’t particularly strong.
D.J. Humphries was improving before his 2017 season ended with an injury. However, Andre Smith is washed up at this point in his career and will have a lot of trouble manning the right tackle position. And that will be music to the ears of one Ryan Kerrigan.
Kerrigan is one of the most consistent pass rushers in the league, and he’s coming off the second-best sack total of his career (13 in ‘17). Now, he will have a chance to start off on the right foot against the Cardinals.
Kerrigan seems likely to line up across from Smith on most plays. Smith will have trouble dealing with Kerrigan’s unique combination of strength, speed, and skill and that could put a lot of pressure on Sam Bradford. Considering that Bradford isn’t very mobile and has been injury prone in the past, he may go down easily.
Kerrigan shouldn’t have a problem notching a sack in this contest. In fact, there’s a good chance that he will get multiple sacks and put a lot of pressure on Bradford and the Cardinals. If he can do that and work in tandem with the new, young, deep defensive line, the Redskins defense could have a big day in the desert.
2. Paul Richardson records over 150 receiving yards
The Redskins are going to have a chance to utilize all of their weapons on Sunday afternoon, and that should be excellent news for the team. The Cardinals are solid in coverage in most parts of the field, but their No. 2 corner position has been a perennial weakness. The Redskins will probably look to exploit this, and the question will be, which receiver do they want to use to do that?
The answer to that question isn’t simple. It seems that Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed are set to be the middle-of-the-field threats for the Redskins. They will battle the safeties and slot corners of the Cardinals, and they should win some battles. On the outside, either Josh Doctson or Paul Richardson will face Patrick Peterson most of the time, but I’m anticipating that the Redskins plan will be to isolate Doctson in coverage over there because of his size.
All that said, this is going to open up the game for Richardson a lot. Richardson has game-breaking speed and if he matches up against Jamar Taylor and the other players the Cardinals attempt to play at corner, it could end up working out in the Redskins favor.
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If Richardson can break one long play against the Cardinals, he will have a chance to crack the century mark. If he becomes the No. 1 outside target in this contest, which is possible, he will have a chance to do even more. In fact, he could end up being a big playmaker in the first half and the Cardinals may have to make the decision to have Patrick Peterson shadow him.
Getting 150 receiving yards may seem like a lot, but it’s certainly a possibility for Richardson. If any receiver is going to break out in Week 1, he seems like the best bet. Perhaps we’re a bit overconfident in him this week, but hey. They’re called bold predictions for a reason
1. Redskins commit no turnovers
This would be a huge development for the Redskins. In the past three openers, Kirk Cousins threw five interceptions. In the preseason, the Redskins backs had some issues with fumbles. In the opener, if they want a good chance to win, they will absolutely have to avoid turning the ball over.
With Alex Smith at the helm, the Redskins quarterbacking situation should be more accurate by default. We can spend all day arguing whether or not Smith is actually better than Cousins, but the fact remains that Smith is the more accurate and less turnover prone quarterback. It means he’ll take less risks as well, but considering the turnovers off picks in Cousins’ three opening day starts, Smith throwing none would be refreshing.
As for the running game, Adrian Peterson will hopefully be able to avoid putting the ball on the ground. He has been fumble prone throughout his NFL career, but given that he’s trying to prove that he’s still capable of holding onto a starting job, his ball security should be better than it’s been in the past.
At the end of the day, no turnovers would be huge for the Redskins. It would indicate that they are on the right track to avoiding sloppy plays and that their discipline may be better this season. It will take a lot for all of this to work, but if there aren’t any turnovers, the Redskins will be in very good shape to take down the Cardinals.