Postgame Redskins Reality Checks for Week 1 at Arizona
By Tim Payne
No. 3 – Reality is, we have no clue what the defense is going to look like.
I said I’d be thrilled if the defense kept Johnson under 100 yards rushing, forced at least one turnover, and held the Cards to under 50 percent on third downs on the way to a win, and that I’d be disappointed if the defense looked under-prepared or under-manned leading to a loss. I was optimistic that Ryan Kerrigan, D.J. Swearinger, and Jonathan Allen would lead the way to an encouraging performance where they kept Johnson relatively contained and forced a turnover to get a win.
The reality is, this defense came up against a sputtering offense and made them look silly. Only time will tell whether this was more about the Cardinals being bad offensively or the Redskins being legitimate defensively, but my eyes didn’t lie: the Redskins dominated on defense.
Reality Check: The Cardinals converted only one third down all game (12.5 percent). David Johnson ran for 37 yards (He only added 30 receiving yards), and the Cardinals were held scoreless until the 5:51 mark in the fourth quarter. Pump the brakes on the 1991 Redskins and 1985 Bears comparisons, but this was a solid and complete defensive effort. Defensive star of the game?Quinton Dunbar.