Coming off of an amazing win in Week 1, Arizona Cardinals fans were hopeful for the future season of the team. Many skeptics thought the first win was a fluke and a one time mistake on the opponent, but the Cardinals proved themselves yet again in Week 2.
First Half
Kyler Murray looked incredible at the Arizona Cardinals’ Home Opener against the Washington Football Team and has really come into his own as a veteran this season. After Washington’s first drive went three and out, the Arizona Cardinals offense took the field. The Cardinals drove down field, and DeAndre Hopkins earned his first touchdown as an Arizona Cardinal in the back of the endzone, giving the team a 7-0 lead early in the game.
The Washington Football Team came close to a score after the Cardinals touchdown. However, on their first and goal play, Dwayne Haskins had the football knocked away and Chandler Jones recovered the fumble for the Arizona Cardinals. Although the Cardinals’ defense made a huge play, the Washington Football Team followed with forcing a three and out for the Cardinals. While the Cardinals were forced to punt, the returner for Washington, Steven Sims Jr., fumbled the return and the Cardinals recovered the ball again. Quarterback star, Kyler Murray, was able to run into the endzone for the second Cardinals score of the day, giving them a 14-0 lead.
The Washington Football Team offense had another three and out to start the second quarter. Once the Cardinals got the ball back, they were able to drive far enough downfield for Zane Gonzalez to kick a 49-yard field goal and extend their lead 17-0. The Washington Football Team was clearly struggling in Week 2. With only 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Washington was 0 for 5 on third down conversions and only had 67 yards. Zane Gonzalez was able to extend their lead even more on the Cardinals next drive after making a 33-yard field goal. The Arizona Cardinals took a 20-0 lead at the end of the first half.
Second Half
The Washington Football Team needed a miracle to happen in the second half in order to leave the desert with a win in Week 2. Washington was able to force a three and out on the Cardinals in their first possession of the half. The Washington Football Team still could not drive downfield enough to produce any sort of points in their first drive of the half.
A lot of back and forth on possessions in the third quarter of the game, and it took quite some time before anything resulted in points on the board. With only 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the Washington Football Team was able to get some action in the red zone. While they couldn’t pull out a touchdown, Washington was able to make a 24-yard field goal to finally get a score, cutting the Cardinals’ lead 20-3.
The next possession for the Arizona Cardinals was another successful one. DeAndre Hopkins had a long 25-yard completion to put the Arizona Cardinals in great field position. The chemistry Hopkins and Murray have created in such a short amount of time is insurmountable. Larry Fitzgerald was able to pick up a 12-yard gain on 4th and 4 to keep the Cardinals drive alive. Fitzgerald has been phenomenal in the shorter receptions in the last two weeks. Having a young stud receiver like Hopkins on his side, Fitzgerald has been able to take some of the receiving pressure off of himself.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Arizona Cardinals found their way to the end zone yet again. Kyler Murray ran for 21 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the day bringing their lead up 27-3. Although the clock was winding down, the Washington Football Team was not going to give up. Washington was finally able to find their way to the end zone in just five plays for their first touchdown of the game. Terry McLaurin had a 24-yard reception for the Washington score. Being so behind, Ron Rivera was forced to have his team attempt a two-point conversion which was unsuccessful after Haskins was stopped just short of the goal line. The Arizona Cardinals still had a huge lead, 27-9, in the fourth.
The Washington Football Team was finding a nice rhythm in the fourth quarter. Haskins was able to connect with Sims Jr. for a 30-yard gain downfield. Antonio Gibson was able to rush for 11 yards for his first Washington touchdown. Arizona still had a lead, 27-15 with 6:38 left in the second half.
The Arizona Cardinals took a nice drive late in the fourth quarter. They were certainly in scoring position at the two-minute warning but expected Washington to use some, if not all, of their three timeouts. Ron Rivera did not take a single timeout and the Arizona Cardinals made another field goal with just 0:26 left in the game and extended their lead even more, 30-15.
The Arizona Cardinals took another win in the second game of the season, making their record 2-0. The last time the Cardinals started a season 2-0, they went to the NFC Championship. Kyler Murray ended the game with 26/38 completions and 286 yards. The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of momentum heading into the rest of the season. The Detroit Lions are next to face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, 9/27.
