Palmer, Johnson lead Cardinals past Redskins

No risk it, no biscuit. The Cardinals went on to win 31-23.

Peterson’s interception was the other key moment, a play Arians said few other defensive backs in the National Football League would make. However, the Cardinals dialed up the pressure late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, and Cousins made an extremely poor pass to end the game for Washington.

According to a report from ESPN, Gruden yelled at his players once in the locker room after the game.

Johnson finished the game with 84 yards rushing and added another 91 receiving.

Then came Sunday in Arizona, where Cousins was in position to try and force overtime, but came up short.

In the minutes after a 31-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Gruden lit into his team for several minutes in a speech that challenged their competitiveness and preparation.

When Bruce Arians dislikes the play-calling of Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher, he doesn’t need to say a word. Johnson recorded 175 total yards, his 12th straight game more than 100, on 18 carries and nine receptions.

Washington (6-5-1) got the ball after the touchdown and promptly went three-and-out.

Kelley has been getting rave reviews since taking over for starter Matt Jones in the Cincinnati game, but was mostly a non-factor in Arizona, getting the ball just 14 times though he averaged 4.5 yards per carry.

The goodwill built up over the last month doesn’t end because of one loss or a game-ending interception by Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

While it’s certainly never ideal to feel as though each remaining game is a “must-win”, the Redskins have been pretty good at putting pedal to metal when they’ve needed to the most. They jumped the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles, both at 5-7 on the season. “We’ve got to make sure that we get him more involved, maintain the time of possession and stay more balanced”.

Sunday’s game marked the first time this season that the retractable roof was open for a game at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Just one minute into the third quarter, Cousins connected with Jackson for a 59-yard reception into the red-zone. While the unit has talented players, there hadn’t been enough impact plays to justify top billing.

The Cardinals presented Washington with their biggest challenge of the season, and the offense didn’t live up to the bill.

The Cardinals had a few penalties that could have hurt them but they did not turn the ball over on Sunday.

Quarterback Carson Palmer 30-46 for 300-yards and three touchdowns. In this week’s post, I look at just what would have to happen for Washington to get in to the playoffs and compete for the Super Bowl. Defensively, Arizona put itself in plenty of third and manageable situations, and allowed conversions on 5-of-11 attempts for Washington.

“I think it’s a combination of things we’ve said all along – the pass rush has to marry with the pass coverage”. Though it will still take some help from other teams and a great stretch run for the Cardinals, Arizona’s upcoming schedule sets up nicely for what could be a fascinating march through the month of December.

EAST WOES: The Cardinals head to Miami next Sunday, and that is not a good sign.