Washington Redskins vs Arizona Cardinals: 4 keys to Victory

The Washington Redskins are coming of an impressive win against Division rivals in Week 1. This Sunday they face the Arizona Cardinals in an attempt to improve their record to 2-0.

Last week, the Redskins had good production from their rookies, Rex Grossman played with skill and confidence and the defense stepped up when they needed to.

This week they need to look to improve in other areas if they want to build upon that early success and continue to win games. Here are the four keys to victory in Week 2 for Washington.

Offensive Line Needs to Show Up to Play

Last week, the Giants pounded and hounded Rex all game. The offensive line looked outclassed and lethargic. Despite that, Grossman performed admirably, posting great numbers. The Cardinals have a weak secondary and they know it. Look for them to pressure Grossman in an attempt to keep him out of rhythm and uncomfortable in the pocket. If the line steps up and protects him, Rex could put up numbers similar or even better than last week.

While we're on the subject, the line just needs to be all over better. The Cardinals are a team that could easily give Tim Hightower his first 100+ yard game of the season. You know Hightower would love to put up numbers bigger than his replacement on the Cardinals, Beanie Wells. I predict at least two runs of over 25 yards and a touchdown for Hightower if the line does their job.

A Strong Start from the Offense

Last week, the Redskins looked timid and lost in the first quarter. This week, they need to take the field ready to go. The game against the Cardinals should be a win, but the Redskins do not want to have to play from behind as the Cardinals are more than capable of pulling off an upset. The Washington offense needs to take charge of the field from their first possession and control both the clock and the field position. That means sticking with a balanced attack utilizing both the pass and the run as evenly as they did against the Giants.

The Defensive Secondary Needs to Contain Larry Fitzgerald.

DeAngelo Hall is going to have his hands full with Fitzgerald. If he doesn't get help from the safeties, it could be a long day for the Redskins secondary. As of this writing Landry's status for the game is unknown, but regardless Fitzgerald is the kind of receiver that can single-handedly win a game, and we know what kind of corner DeAngelo Hall is. DeAngelo could make a pick 6 and win the game for us, or he could bite on the double move and pray Otagwe is there to pick up the pieces. The Interior line and the Linebackers should continue to impress, but our secondary needs to bring their “A” game.

Special Teams Need to Be Perfect

This includes you, Graham Gano. The Redskins can put this one away early with a good performance from Banks and Gano. Last week, Sav Rocca was excellent, and the Redskins blocked a field-goal. Overall, the special teams are doing fine, but we did miss a chip shot field-goal, and it didn't look like Banks got a whole lot of help from his blockers on some of his returns.

As long as we stay as solid in coverage this week as we did last week, we should be in good shape, but I've got a warning for you: Rookie Patrick Peterson. He went 89 yards on a punt return to win the game for Arizona last week. Special teams win games. They can also lose them.