Cardinals O-line is regrouping
Quarterback Alex Smith shines for Washington
There were a few parallels between the Cardinals and the Redskins before they took the field on Sunday. Both teams had new, though veteran, quarterbacks. Both are hoping to build off similar records from last season. Both prepared by practicing in the heat, with Washington mixing in a number of humidity-soaked practices.
Similarities aside, the two teams were in stark contrast on Sunday, as the Redskins left Glendale with a 24-6 win.
Quarterback Alex Smith had the clear edge over Sam Bradford, despite having no idea what to expect from the Cardinals’ defense.
“It was hard to prepare for that defense,” Smith said. “They hadn’t shown a ton of film.”
Instead, Smith turned to watching a lot of Carolina film, to see how a defense coached by Cardinals coach Steve Wilks and defensive coordinator Al Holcomb fared. Whether it was from watching that film or from Washington’s own game plan, Smith was ready to go on Sunday.
“I thought he was sensational,” Washington head coach Jay Gruden said. “Alex led the show.”
Smith threw for two touchdowns and 255 yards, completing 21 of 30 passes. He looked sharp but also benefited from having options. Redskins running backs Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson kept the Cardinals defense on its toes all night. With the chance to finally put a varied playbook into effect, Smith was able to get into a rhythm.
“He does a great job of really running their offense,” Wilks said. “He’s a guy, again, that’s not going to beat himself. He’s going to manage the game well and that’s what you saw tonight.”
Silver lining for Nkemdiche
While the Cardinals will focus on the outcome of the game, a few players reached positive milestones.
Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche tallied his first career sack, putting Alex Smith on the ground for a loss of one yard. A first-round draft pick in 2016, Nkemdiche has been eager to prove himself. Still, he found the new mark on his stat sheet to be meaningless in context of how the game as a whole played out.
“That means nothing if you don’t get the ‘W,’” he said. “I didn’t think about it. I’m just trying to be out there and play as hard as I possibly can.”
Nkemdiche missed some time during the preseason with a foot injury, which started in training camp. The injury once again raised questions of when Nkemdiche will truly break through. Nkemdiche and Wilks shrugged that speculation aside.
Wilks said he talked to the defensive tackle on the side during practice about what he’s hoping to see this year.
“He needs to dominate,” Wilks said on Friday. “I’m not putting any pressure on him, I’m just telling him the expectations.”
Two days later, Wilks said he liked some of what he saw out of Nkemdiche against Washington but felt it was too early to extrapolate anything from his play.
“It’s hard to determine right now,” Wilks said. “He flashed a little bit. Getting off the football, penetrating, those kinds of things. Just wasn’t enough.”
O-line making adjustments
When rookie center Mason Cole took the field, he continued his streak of 105 consecutive starts. Jumping to the next level of play brought some new looks.
“Some good, some bad, some ugly all part of it,” Cole said on what he saw in his NFL debut.
Cole added that he wasn’t surprised by anything in the game and that the speed was not a major adjustment.
“I don’t think so. The preseason games help you adjust. It was a little faster than preseason, but it was fine,” Cole said. “We just know that we’ve got to get first downs earlier in the game. Those three-and-outs really hurt us.”
The Cardinals were 1-for-8 on thirddown conversions. They had just 14 first downs all game. The inability to convert skewed the time of possession well in favor of Washington. The frustration with players was clear after the game.
“We ran 13 plays in the first half,” right guard Justin Pugh said. “That’s not going to win you any games.”
The offensive line will certainly have to make adjustments ahead of next week’s game in Los Angeles against the Rams. They also made adjustments within the game on Sunday.
Right tackle Andre Smith left the game in the fourth quarter, with John Wetzel replacing him. Wilks said it was due to an elbow issue and that he would have an update in the coming days.
“I don’t really know the details right now and that’s why we went with Wetzel,” Wilks said.
Keeping Rosen ready
Rookie quarterback Josh Rosen served as Sam Bradford’s backup in Sunday’s season opener against the Redskins, and unless something drastic occurs, that will remain the case moving forward. That doesn’t mean the first-round pick can rest easy.
“Josh is fortunate to have two veterans who have done nothing but help him since the day he walked into the building,” offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said Thursday. “It’s going to pay dividends in the long run for him, to be able to sit back and to see the way Sam operates every day. Just watch how Sam goes about his business on a daily basis and the way he runs practice and the leadership he has.’’