Four takeaways from the Redskins win over the Arizona Cardinals

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GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 9: Cornerback Quinton Dunbar #23 of the Washington Redskins tackles tight end Ricky Seals-Jones #86 of the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at State Farm Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

No. 3 – The defense looked better than expected

I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the Washington defense. I didn’t expect Arizona to have that much firepower to begin with, but I did assume that they would put up more than six points. These six points also came with 5:47 left in the game, when the game was already over. You could make the argument that the Redskins weren’t playing their hardest.

Let that sink in for a second.

To Cardinals nation, it felt like a shutout. Sam Bradford struggled and didn’t look as good as most were anticipating. He finished the day with 153 passing yards and an interception. He threw the ball for an average of 4.5 yards per throw, a number far lower than Smith’s.

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Bradford couldn’t get the ball moving against this Redskins secondary. My biggest concern was the young secondary, but they instilled confidence for every Redskins fan. Quinton Dunbar looked great, supplying the only interception of the game along with three pass deflections.

Leading the team in tackles was a trio of players: Zach Brown, D.J. Swearinger, and Montae Nicholson, all with five. The Redskins only had two sacks, which was a little disappointing, but will get better as the season moves forward.

The biggest surprise was the Redskins holding David Johnson to 37 rushing yards! He did score the lone and late touchdown, but was absolutely controlled and dominated by the Redskins defense the entire game. This was beyond impressive.

The success against the run was reassuring, especially since Washington has to play twice against both Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley. If they can keep Johnson in check, then they most certainly can prevent these other big name running backs from having stellar performances.

Larry Fitzgerald did give the Redskins some trouble over the middle. He had seven receptions for 76 yards on ten targets. Other than that, the receiving corps for the Cardinals was irrelevant.

Overall, it was a great performance by Greg Manusky and the Washington defense. If they can continue to perform with this type of energy and dominance, then the NFC East, and the NFC, needs to be concerned.

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