Powering Defense

Washington’s defensive unit showed tons of promise as they manhandled Arizona’s offense throughout the afternoon. The unit held the Cardinals to 213 total yards of offense (68 rushing and 145 passing) and was pitching a scoreless shutout for three and a half quarters.

The revamped defensive line of Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne and Matt Ioannidis were able to stuff Arizona’s most elite playmaker, running back David Johnson, to 67 total yards from scrimmage and terrorized quarterback Sam Bradford to only completing three passes for 11 yards in the first half.

Washington was able to control the game by keeping its defense fresh every play call. Subbing in backups and calling in the right formations worked in the Redskins favor. One of the bright spots of the defense was fourth-year corner Quinton Dunbar, who notched in five tackles and one interception.

It’s still a long season, but Washington has a defensive core that can carry them back to the playoffs.