The Arizona Cardinals suffered a 42-14 defeat against the Washington Commanders, conceding 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. This loss drops their record to 1-3 and raises concerns about the talent level on both sides of the ball.
Washington’s offense, under the direction of former head coach Kliff Kingsbury, focused on dominating the line of scrimmage, allowing running back Brian Robinson Jr. to carry the ball 21 times for 101 yards. The Commanders also utilized Jeremy McNichols with eight carries totaling 68 yards, and quarterback Jayden Daniels contributed with eight carries for 47 yards. Daniels, a former Arizona State standout who won the Heisman Trophy at LSU and was the second overall pick, completed 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Arizona’s quarterback Kyler Murray had a decent outing, completing 16 of 22 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown during the initial drive of the game to rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. However, this early success was short-lived as the Cardinals struggled to maintain momentum. They were unable to apply pressure on Daniels, managing just one quarterback hit, while also allowing Murray to be sacked four times along with three additional quarterback hits.
Despite running back James Conner rushing for 104 yards on 18 carries, the Cardinals lacked offensive support from their skill players. With tight end Trey McBride out of the lineup, Harrison led the Cardinals’ receiving corps with five catches for 45 yards, while fellow second-year player Michael Wilson and slot receiver Greg Dortch each contributed 38 receiving yards.