Three keys to victory for the Washington Football Team vs. Cardinals in Week 2
2. Contain Kyler Murray
The stat that immediately jumped off the page for Washington in Week 1 was the eight sacks they totaled against Carson Wentz. Rushing the passer against Kyler Murray will be a little different.
With Murray’s elite speed you cannot just pin your ears back and rush the quarterback. You have to rush Murray, while also containing him within the pocket.
Murray totaled 95 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in Week 1. In Week 2, a good pass rush against won’t necessarily be a high-sack game. Sacks are a nice bonus, but you cannot let Murray’s legs beat you. One of the most backbreaking plays for a defense is when getting to the quarterback only to watch him scamper for a first down, or even worse a touchdown.
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Just because Kyler Murray is a dual-threat quarterback doesn’t mean he is an inaccurate quarterback. In fact, in Week 1, his accuracy looked really solid.
However, generating a pass rush while also keeping Murray in the pocket, should make Murray very uncomfortable. If that happens, it could result in a repeat performance of Washington’s Week 1 victory. As the game goes on Murray’s passes could start floating on him.
And just to note, in the Carolina Panthers’ victory against Arizona in 2019, can you guess how many sacks the Panthers had? That’s right. Eight! Maybe Ron Rivera has the secret to taking Kyler down.
But either way, on defense, Washington has two main goals: contain DeAndre Hopkins and don’t let the legs of Kyler Murray beat you.