You’re favorite weekly Riggo’s Rag project is back! Ian and I duel to see who can more closely predict the score of each Redskins game.
Week 1 is here! The Washington Redskins are finally going to play meaningful football. It’s felt like ages since we’ve seen it. While I may not be as optimistic for the season as other fans, i’m very optimistic for this game. I think the Cardinals have a good team. They matchup well with Washington, but I think the familiarity the Redskins have will prove to be too much.
The Redskins are comfortable with their scheme. They’re going into their second year with the same offensive and defensive coordinators, and a fifth year under coach Jay Gruden. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are starting their first year under new head coach Steve Wilkes, after former Coach of the Year Bruce Arians retired.
The Cardinals will need time to adjust. Thus, expect them to be slow out of the gate, but stun some people late in the season. A grouping of David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Chandler Jones, and Patrick Peterson is an excellent core of players to have.
Washington will look to dominate the ground on both offense and defense. It will be a brutal battle and I expect both teams to finish with more than 120 rushing yards each. David Johnson will have 170 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Sam Bradford will throw one interception and be sacked seven times. Preston Smith will account for two of them. Alex Smith will throw one touchdown to Josh Doctson, and Adrian Peterson will rush for 60 yards and a touchdown. Tack on a trio of field goals from Dustin Hopkins, and Washington will come out on top.
Matt’s Prediction: Redskins win 23-17
Ian’s Prediction
I’m going to pick the Redskins as well, but I don’t think it’s going to be as close as Matt suggests.
The Cardinals and Redskins are both teams that are “getting there”. The Redskins have a solid young core on defense, and a capable conductor at quarterback on offense. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have better top-end talent, while also maintaining stability at the game’s important position.
What separates the teams, however, is the play in the trenches. The Redskins have one of the better offensive lines in the league, and no matter how concerned one may be in the depth, the five starters are certainly more than adequate; two are All-Pro players at their positions.
Yes, you don’t want your backups to step on the field. But no one wants their backups to step on the field. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they’ll have no choice. Rookie center Mason Cole will be making his first career start, filling in for the injured A.Q. Shipley, and the rest of the line is average at best. The Redskins’ revamped defensive line should find a way to be disruptive, and I see that as the deciding factor.