The Setup
The 4 - 6 - 1 Cards lost again a week ago (this time 38 - 19 to the Falcones). Skins lost to the Cowboys 31 - 26. Washington - at 6 - 4 - 1 - was third of three NFC East teams competing for playoff spots. Although BA continued to state otherwise, the Cards were "running on fumes" when it came to playoff hopes.

The Lede
Cards Win See-Saw Battle Over Washington 31 - 23

The Bottom Line:
It was a hard-fought win, with the lead changing back and forth 4 times. The teams were pretty even in most areas of play (offensive and defensive line-play, pass coverage, QB-play etc,), but the play of RB David Johnson, crowd noise and an edge in turnovers gave the Cardinals the slight edge they needed.

• Wash won the toss and deferred. TB on KO. Cards started with a couple of runs by D Johnson, and Carson Palmer then mixed in several short-passes on route to a 15-play (8:17) statement-maker. (Yds gained pattern: +10, +2, +12, +2, -3, +13, Inc, +11, +6, +10, -2, Inc., +14, +0, +1 (the final play a 1-yd TD run up the middle by D Johnson). Cards 7 - Washington 0.

  Kickoff returned to the Wash 24.TB on the KO. Two false-start penalties (crowd noise?) put Washington in a (rare for them) 3 & out. Punt returned to Cardinal 41, but Cards held to 3 & out. Punt retured to the Wash 25. Cousins managed to lead his offense to the Cardinal 45 but the defense stiffened. Punt (net a holding penalty) gave Cards the ball on their own 8-yd line. They ran three plays but were still on their 8 as the quarter ended.

  1st Quarter Score: Cards 7 - Washington 0.

• Cards moved to their own 26 where they were forced to punt Punt was returned to the Wash 31. A completion to Thompson for +21-yds followed by a burst up the middle by Kelley put the ball on the Cardinal 28, but another false-start flag helped derail the Wash drive and they settled for a 47-yd Hopkins FG. . Cards 7 - Washington 3.

  TB on the KO. An offensive pass interference call on Floyd helped force the Cards into a 3 & out. Punt was returned to the Card 48. Despite two more OL penalties (false-start and illegal shift) Cousins engineered an 11-play drive which stalled at the Cardinal 1. Card goal-line defense stiffened and Wash settled for a 20-yard FG. (We've got ourselves a one-point football game). Longest play of the Wash drive was a 13-yd completion to Grant. Cards 7 - Washington 6..

  1:52 till halftime. TB on the KO. Palmer overcame a minus-9 yard sack as he moved the Card offense to the Wash 10 in 11 plays, but had to settle for a 28-yd Catanzaro FG. Key play in the drive: a +23-yd completion to D Johnson. Cards 10 - Washington 6

  0:07 left. KO was for no gain. Cousins took a knee. ).

  First Half Score: Cards 10 - Washington 6

3rd Quarter

• Wash returned the KO to its own 26. On the second play from scrimmage, Cousins hit D Jackson deep for +59-yards. Three plays later, Cousins snuck it in from one-yard out, and Washington took the lead. (Knuckle-biting time). Washington 13 - Cards 10.

  TB on the KO (How would Palmer and the Cards respond? With a 12-play drive that came to a screeching halt at the Washington 25 where Ellington lost 2-yards up the middle, Palmer took a minus-10 yard sack and Catanzaro was wide left from 53. (Here we go again?)

  But no-o-o-o! On the second play of the Wash possesswion, Cousins was sacked by Calais Campbell and his fumble recovered by Golden and returned to the Wash 10-yd line. Three plays later, Palmer hit Floyd for a 6-yd TD. and the Cards regained the lead. Cards 17 - Washington 13.

  TB on the KO. Cousins moved Washington in 7 plays to the Cardinal 26, where Cousins hit Crowder (who split what looked like 2-deep safety coverage) for a 26-yd TD. (Key play: a 28-yd 3rd & 5 completion to Garcon over T Jefferson. Washington takes over the lead again). Washington 20 - Cards 17.

  TB on the KO. Cards reached their own 35 in 3 plays to end an action-packed third quarter.

  Third Quarter Score: Washington 20 - Cards 17.

• After a holding penalty on Gresham appeared to stall the Cardinal drive right in its tracks, but Palmer hit Fells for +9 yds, Gresham for +9, Gresham for another +11. Then it was D Johnson up the middle for +13 and Palmer-to-Fitz for +5 before Palmer hit D Johnson short-right and "The Man Without a Nickname" ran it in for a 25-yd TD. (Consider that - after the penalty on Gresham - all but 5 yards of the Cardinal positive yards on the drive was made either by TE's or RB's). Cards 24 - Washington 20.

  TB on the KO. Washington came roaring back. A lot of short stuff (max yardage was a pass to Crowder for +14) brought ball on the Cardinal 35, but the defense stiffened and Wash had to settle for a 53-yd Hopkins FG which still left the Cards ahead by one-pt. Cards 24 - Washington 23.

  6:01 left (any Cardinal fan who claimed not to be watching the clock was lying). TB on the KO. Check out this play sequence: DJ Run: +3. CP to Fitz: +4. CP to DJ: +2. DJ (on a 4th & 1) Run: +14. CP to Floyd: +5. Inc. Holding on Norman (who was preventing Fitz from making his inside break). DJ Run: No Gain. CP to Nelson who made a leaping catch between 2 defenders in the end zone for a 42-yard backbreaker. Cardinals 31 - Niners 23

  1:56 left to play (Confession: We knuckle-biters were still biting). A roughing the passer call on Campbell and a hands-to-the face on PP21 helped put the ball on the Cardinal 28 with 0:48 left to go (& no time outs) But Cousins' pass for Crowder instead went into the hands of PP21. Palmer took a knee. Game over.

  Final Score: Cardinals 31 - Niners 23

Last Word:
"One small step forward for mankind. We're one game below 500 with 4 games to go (& Seattle just had a huge win over Carolina).

One thing this win over Washington should prove to the team and its players - Stay focused and keep mistakes to a minimum and we can win any game we play in. Most impressive were the length of the drives engineered by our QB (to execute 10 - 15-play drives, you have to play virtually "mistake free" football).

We play Miami next Sun. Best advice we can give is: "Do it again."