When the Cardinals schedule was released, it was noteworthy that five of the first six opponents were playoff teams.
The exception was the Washington Commanders, who visit State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
But with what they have done on the field, the Commanders can’t be seen as anyone’s outlier, including a 38-33 road win in Cincinnati earlier this week.
“I have a lot of respect for (Commanders coach) Dan Quinn,” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “You can tell the fabric of how he coaches his team, plays with that energy and juice all three phases. They got good players all three phases, offense is clicking. They’re 2-1 for a reason. Big-time test coming in here.”
Their quarterback, Jayden Daniels, is one of the main reasons why the Commanders have looked so good to kick off the season. The reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week has showcased his mobility plenty throughout the first three games, something the Cardinals have spent the week preparing to face.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, have had a bitter taste in their mouth after falling to 1-2, with both defeats coming in one-score games. While those losses sting, it reaffirms to the players they’re not far off.
“I feel like we know who we are,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “We’ve played three really good teams and we’ve been in every single game. We just have to continue to get better.”
The Cardinals do have hurdles to deal with, one of the biggest that tight end Trey McBride will miss the game with a concussion. There’s been a revolving door at right tackle after Jonah Williams’ Week 1 injury, but it appears Kelvin Beachum should return to play against his former coach, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury.
