The Arizona Cardinals host the 2-1 Washington Commanders on Sunday at State Farm Stadium with a 1:05 p.m. Arizona time kickoff. They hope to even their record to 2-2 and end Washington’s two-game winning streak.
Washington will not have running back Austin Ekeler or defensive end Clelin Ferrell. The Cardinals will be without tight end Trey McBride.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, comes in as the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing two touchdown passes, rushing for another and setting a single-game rookie record for completion percentage in the Commanders’ 38-33 win Monday night over the Bengals.
To prepare for this game, in addition to appearing on the podcast to preview the game, Commanders Wire managing editor Byran Manning takes Cardinals fans “behind enemy lines,” answering a few questions about Arizona’s Week 4 opponent and making predictions for the game.
The good and the bad for the Commanders
What has been good and bad so far with the Commanders’ 2-1 start to the season?
The good starts with Jayden Daniels. It’s only three games but he’s been as advertised so far — not just in leading Washington to two wins, but in how he has reenergized the fan base.
The bad is all defense. Daniels needed to be perfect to pull off the win in Cincinnati and he was. Had Washington punted one time in each of the last two games, it probably has a 0-3 record. The defense, all aspects, has been dreadful.
Jayden Daniels
What has Jayden Daniels shown so far? What does he still need to improve on?
Daniels has been phenomenal. It’s been a progression, too. Kliff Kingsbury kept it safe for Daniels over the first two weeks to protect him behind a questionable OL. However, last week, Kingsbury opened it up and Daniels was excelling at every level of the field. Where he needs to improve is knowing when to run and when to get down. He’s taken too many hits early this season. Daniels’ legs have been a major weapon but he will get hurt if this continues.
Kliff Kingsbury
What have been your early impressions of Kliff Kingsbury as OC?
I was taking a wait-and-see approach on Kingsbury. I wasn’t listening to what some in the media said about Kingsbury because he was in a different role here. He looks to be in his element just coaching offense, working with the QBs and calling plays.
Keys for Washington vs. Cardinals
If Washington wins, what has to happen? If they lose, what will be the reasons?
To win, they need to run the ball. Establish the run early so there isn’t as much pressure on Daniels to play hero. Also, they need defensive stops. Get a couple of sacks, force a turnover or two. If they lose it’s because of the defense allowing Kyler Murray to have a huge day. Washington must find a way to make things difficult for Murray.
Matchups
What matchups are you most excited to see? Which are you most concerned about?
I’m excited to see Washington’s receivers against the Cardinals’ secondary. Terry McLaurin is terrific but some of the Commanders’ other weapons played huge roles last week — guys like Luke McCaffrey and Noah Brown. I also am interested to see Ertz against his former team. Defensively, I want to see if the D-Line responds to some of the criticism levied at them after such a poor start.
