Redskins Look To Build

A big win, like the Redskins victory over the division rival New York Giants last Sunday, is often all for naught if it is followed up by a clunker in the next game. The Redskins have been experts at that over the years. Sunday's game against the visiting Arizona Cardinals will provide a good litmus test to see if Washington really has turned a corner under Mike Shanahan.

Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at Washington Redskins (1-0)
Sunday, 1 pm
FedEx Field
Line: Redskins by 4
TV: Fox
Announcers: Sam Rosen (play-by-play), Chad Pennington (color)
Last Meeting: September 21st, 2008, Redskins won 24-17 in Washington
Projected uniforms: Redskins-Burgundy helmets, burgundy jerseys, gold pants. Cardinals-White helmets, white jerseys, white pants.
Breakdown: This is familiar territory for Shanahan's Redskins, having last year beaten Dallas in the opening game and then playing another winnable home game the next week. They lost that game and the season ended up as a disaster. That is something that shouldn't happen on Sunday if the Redskins want to be seen as a contender this season. As well as the Redskins played, there's always still room for improvement. For instance, new running back Tim Hightower averaged a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. That's not going to get it done, particularly because Rex Grossman isn't going to throw for 300 yards every game. The Cardinals defense did a good job on Carolina's tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, so Hightower might be in for a rough time against his former team. Maybe not, though. Grossman found some good targets in addition to the usual Santana Moss, with Fred Davis going over the century mark for yards, and Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Armstrong catching touchdowns. The Redskins can be a legitimate passing team if those two in particular continue to shine. With a Cardinals passing defense that gave up over 400 yards to a rookie quarterback last week, why can't Grossman outdo his previous performance?
Flipping sides, the Redskins defense was, by their standards, tremendous on Sunday. They'll be facing a quarterback who they're somewhat familiar with-Kevin Kolb spent his first three years in Philadelphia with the Eagles before being traded to Arizona in the offseason. He played three quarters against Washington last year and almost led the Eagles to a comeback victory, but came up a little short. Fortunately for him, he has possibly the best receiver in the game-Larry Fitzgerald. With LaRon Landry possibly out again, the Redskins corners need to blanket Fitz, because Reed Doughty can't hang with him in single coverage. Running back Beanie Wells had a solid game last week, running for 90 yards and a score, but that was Carolina's defense, not Washington's. Still, he and the rest of the Arizona offense cannot be overlooked.
Prediction: I think this is one of those games where the Redskins just get it done. 27-13, Skins.