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Three keys to victory for the Washington Football Team vs. Cardinals in Week 2

By Jacob Troutman

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 13: Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team runs with the ball in the second quarter against Jalen Mills #21 of the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on September 13, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 13: Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team runs with the ball in the second quarter against Jalen Mills #21 of the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on September 13, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 13: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals runs with the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 13: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals runs with the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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.

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