From Arizona’s very first offensive drive of the game – a 15-play, 75-yard sustained series that culminated in a touchdown and chewed up more than eight minutes of clock – the Redskins defense knew it would have its work cut out for them, especially on third down.
Washington had two opportunities on third-and-long to prevent the Cardinals from moving the chains to begin the game, and subsequently the end zone, but couldn’t manage to do so. Quarterback Carson Palmer found running back David Johnson for a 13-yard gain on third-and-11 near midfield and then found tight end Jermaine Gresham for 14 yards on third-and-12 in the red zone.