Game Preview, Week 4: Washington at Arizona
September 28, 2024
by Steve Thomas
Washington dramatically outperformed nearly all expectations last week, at least on offense, with rookie quarterback breaking the NFL record for completion percentage in a game for a rookie. Stunningly, Washington put up 38 points against a good, albeit underperforming, Bengals team. The defense didn’t exactly blaze new trails, but it did enough to beat the Bengals in a huge offensive game. The trick now is to repeat the performance this week, on the road, against the 1 – 2 Arizona Cardinals, who present their own challenges. Kyler Murray may not be a future hall of famer, but he’s dangerous on the ground and has achieve better passing results than I figured for a guy who’s only 5’8” or so. Can Washington succeed? This is the type of game that, in prior years, I’d probably feel pretty negative about. Last week’s big win gave me some hope, though. Can they do it? Our preview begins below.
Game time & location: Sunday, September 29, 2024, 4:05 p.m. ET, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona; Gates open 12:05 p.m. ET.
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jennifer Hale
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: BIG-100 (WBIG FM)
Washington radio network: Click here
Cardinals radio network: Click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 380 (Wash. broad.) / 225 (Cardinals broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: Click here
Washington depth chart: Click here
Cardinals roster: Click here
Cardinals depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Cardinals: 78 – 47 – 2 (last 10: 7 – 3)
Last meeting: W, September 10, 2023, 20 – 16
Early odds: Cardinals, -3.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Take advantage of the Cardinals’ week pass defense
Through week 3, the Cardinals have had one of the least successful pass defenses in the NFL, having allowed opposing quarterbacks to earn an average quarterback rating of 114.3, ranked 30th, and an NFL-worst 75.3% completion percentage. At the same time, the Cardinals have been much better against the run, having allowed an average of just 3.9 yards per carry, ranked 7th. Particularly with Austin Ekeler having already been declared out, Washington will need to rely on Daniels to continue his amazing run of high completion percentage games, hopefully featuring mostly a short to mid-level passing attack. Washington probably won’t be able to run effectively, so they’ll need to extend drives and burn clock primarily in the air.
Protect Jayden Daniels
A key to the featuring primarily a passing game will require quality protection for the quarterback. The Cardinals only have 9 sacks so far this season, as well as a fairly low pressure percentage, so protecting Daniels ought to be a doable task in this game. Hopefully, Washington’s somewhat questionable offensive line is up to the task, particularly since guard Samuel Cosmi has an achilles injury.
Keep Kyler Murray in the pocket
Murray is Arizona’s second-leading rusher so far this year as measured by yardage, with 161 yards in just 15 carries. That equates to 10.7 yards per attempt. The starting running back, James Conner, has 46 carries for 189 yards, which is 4.1 yards per attempt. In other words, Murray is what makes the Cardinals’ running game special. This is the game in which Washington’s defensive line needs to step up, for the first time this season. Neither Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne have had much of an impact so far this year, so now is a good time for them to ensure that Murray has no running lanes up the middle. Then, the linebacker corps needs to spy Murray and protect the edges. Keeping Murray in the pocket and not allowing him to be on the move is a major key to this game.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Benjamin St-Juste vs Marvin Harrison Jr.
This is probably the matchup that is going to draw the most interest due to Harrison’s high profile draft status. In 3 games, Harris has had 10 receptions, albeit in 22 targets, for 198 yards, which is 19.8 yards per reception. St-Juste has shown that he’s probably not a #1 corner, but Washington will nevertheless need him to do better against Harrison than he’s been this season. Control of Murray’s targets will be essential, and Harrison is Murray’s favorite, particularly with tight end Trey McBride out of this game with a concussion. Keep an eye out on this matchup.
Bobby Wagner vs Kyler Murray
As I mentioned above, Washington needs to keep Murray firmly planted in the pocket, so this is one game that the team needs its high-profile middle linebacker to essentially spy on Murray and make sure that he doesn’t burn Washington on the ground. Wagner hasn’t been great so far this year, or even above average, but now’s the time for Wagner to step up.
Terry McLaurin vs Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V
McLaurin’s official return to prominence came last week against the Bengals, and now he’s facing two corners that most likely aren’t up to snuff. Look for McLaurin to have another big day against Murphy-Bunting and Thomas.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Saturday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful
| Washington | Cardinals |
| RB A. Ekeler, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | TE T. McBride, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| DE C. Ferrell, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP game: O | DL K. Tonga, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| WR J. Crowder, calf; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | OL K. Beachum, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| G S. Cosmi, achilles; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | WR M. Harrison Jr., quadricep; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| CB B. St-Juste, chest; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | S B. Baker, quadricep; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| CB E. Forbes Jr, thumb; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | LB D. Gardeck, finger; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| S. Q. Martin, elbow; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DL D. Stills, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| DT J. Newton, foot; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | OL I. Adams, thumb; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP; game: Q |
Steve’s Prediction
I think the Vegas odds are underestimating Washington. Based on their strong offensive performance last week, I think Washington comes through again, although with a slightly less amazing offensive performance than last week – mainly because there’s no way any team could keep up a 38 points per game pace. Washington wins a fairly close game, 31 – 24.