News » Alex Smith looked like his old self. So did Adrian Peterson

When the 34-year-old Smith wasn't carving up the Arizona defense http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ben-gedeon-jersey , the 33-year-old Peterson was running through it.The result was a 24-6 Washington victory on Sunday, coach Jay Gruden's first win in a season opener in five tries, and it was even more dominant than the final score would indicate."You guys put that monkey there. You guys kept reminding me about the dang 0-4 start," Gruden said. "It counts as one game. I told our team we are 1-0 and now it is time we have to put back-to-back games together."Smith and Peterson were playing their first game as Redskins and the two veterans made an impact from the start."I thought the way we came out moving the ball, finishing drives in the red zone was big," Smith said. "It certainly started with running the football. I thought our O-line was dominant."Smith, acquired from Kansas City in the offseason to replace Kirk Cousins, completed 21 of 30 passes without an interception and had TD throws of 13 yards to Chris Thompson and 4 yards to Jordan Reed. Peterson rushed for 96 yards on 26 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown ru n."The sky is the limit (for this offense)," Peterson said. "Alex is doing a great job running this offense and for the past couple of weeks I have seen these receivers go out in practice and grind. The offensive line speaks for itself and then you add C.T. (Chris Thompson) in there. That young guy got me going today."Peterson, who played for Arizona a year ago and signed with Washington as a free agent on Aug. 20, finished his day with a 52-yard reception, but fumbled at the end of the play.The Redskins outgained the Cardinals 429-213 and had 30 first downs to Arizona's 14 and it was even more one-sided before the Cardinals showed some life late in the game. Washington rushed for 182 yards to Arizona's 68."The nemesis right now is just stopping the run," Wilks said. "...Tackling was an issue."Arizona avoided a shutout when David Johnson ran 2 yards for a touchdown with 5:47 to play.Johnson, who signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with Arizona on Saturday night with $30 million guaranteed, carried nine times for 37 yards and caught five passes for 30 yards."I'm not even thinking about the contract," he said. "I'm thinking about the loss and what I did wrong Sheldon Richardson Jersey , the mental errors, dropped catches and how bad I played."Sam Bradford, in his debut as Cardinals quarterback, was 20 of 34 for 153 yards and was intercepted once.The Redskins manhandled the Arizona defense in a dominant first half to lead 21-0 at the break. And the Arizona team under the new coaching regime was booed roundly as it left the field.The statistics were stunningly one-sided through the first two quarters: 261 yards for the Redskins to 36 yards for the Cardinals. Smith completed 17 of 20 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Bradford, meanwhile, was 3 of 7 for 11 yards. Washington had the ball for 22 minutes, 57 seconds to the Cardinals' 7:03."We had three possessions in the first half and we're down 21-0 at halftime," Bradford said. "It's tough on the defense, it's tough on the offense."Arizona got two first downs on its first possession and went three-and-out the only other two times it had the ball in the first half.Washington, meanwhile, had touchdown drives of 80, 73 and 92 yards behind a powerful rushing game and the efficient management of Smith.The first scoring drive went 80 yards in 11 plays, Smith went 13 yards to Thompson on the first play of the second quarter for the score.After Arizona's first three-and-out, Washington used up 9:06 in a 15-play, 73-yard drive, Peterson plowing in from the 1-yard line to make it 14-0.The Cardinals went nowhere again and the Redskins took advantage of their last chance of the half.Smith completed 7 of 7 passes for 77 yards in a 10-play, 92-yard drive. Smith threw 4 yards to Reed for the touchdown and it was 21-0 with 8 seconds left in the half.INJURIESThree Washington players left the game with injuries.Rookie wide receiver Cam Sims injured an ankle in the first quarter and was carted off the field. He did not return. Washington wide receiver Trey Quinn left in the third quarter, also with an ankle injury Authentic Matt Wile Jersey , and didn't return. Redskins safety Troy Apke left with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.Arizona right tackle Andre Smith left in the fourth quarter with an elbow injury.UP NEXTRedskins: host Indianapolis next Sunday. Washington hasn't started 2-0 since 2011.Cardinals: play at the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday. Arizona lost at Los Angeles 33-0 last season.Minnesota Vikings: Four bold predictions for the season Finally, we can get to the good stuff. The regular-season kicks off Thursday and for Vikings fans, the season will begin Sunday. This is the time when people predict what will happen with teams and how a team will perform this season. I figured I’d jump in on this talk. However, I’m not making judgements based off of stats, but also my own heart felt opinion. These are considered bold predictions. or hot takes. Some may consider it overreacting, we won’t be able to tell until the season gets underway. 4. Kirk Cousins will throw for 5,000 yardsWell, this is a possibility. Cousins has thrown for over 4,000 yards in the last three seasons. His biggest year came in 2016 when he threw for 4,917 yards, only 83 yards short of cracking 5,000 yards. He’s capable of doing just that this season. The reason he can do that is because he is surrounded by weapons, no one can disagree. Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph, that’s only just a few. After the preseason and trading for Brett Jones, I think our offensive line will hold up and actually be solid protection for Cousins. With the backfield being as deep as it is, it won’t be a surprise to see more of a balanced offense this season Youth Brett Jones Jersey , or depending on the defensive scheme that the opponent is working under. It may be hard to believe for Vikings fans, since no quarterback in Vikings history has thrown for, or over 5,000 yards. The quarterback that almost obtained 5,000 was Daunte Culpepper in 2004. He threw for 4,717 yards. Will Cousins be the first?3. Diggs, Thielen will both have 1,000 receiving yardsThis isn’t that bold of a prediction considering Thielen cracked 1,000 yards last season and Diggs had right around 850 yards. My logic behind this is that both receivers will perform similar to last season, however, Diggs will get a lot of deep shot looks this season that will boost his numbers.The reason the idea came up is because the Detroit Lions have two wideouts in Marvin Jones Jr. and Golden Tate, who both surpassed 1,000 receiving yards last season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for over 4,400 yards last season. If I got Cousins throwing for 5,000, then I have Diggs and Thielen both cracking 1,000. 2.Vikings win 13 gamesY’all can book it now, the Vikings will go 13-3 come the end of the season. This is one bold prediction that I’m strongly confident in. Just to break it down http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-tom-compton-jersey , Minnesota gets off to a hot start. grabbing wins against the 49ers, Packers (at Lambeau) and the Bills.Week four and five will be a challenge for the Vikings as the team faces both the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Week four against the Rams is on a Thursday, so it will be a short week for preparation. I don’t think they get the job done against the Rams or the Eagles. Mike Zimmer and company will get right back on track though, while obtaining six straight wins during weeks six through twelve (bye is week 10) to streak to a 9-2 record. That’s when the Vikings arrive at Gillette Stadium in New England to face the Patriots. Minnesota takes the fall on the road in another tough contest. Three of the remaining four games will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium, bag three wins there on top of the one road game in Seattle that the Vikings will pick up. 1. Smith will grab 10 interceptions I know, I know, y’all are like, “Lucas, that’s crazy.” Well, I’m pretty crazy, so this fits perfect. It may be a lofty goal, but it’s sure obtainable. Last season Harrison Smith recorded five interceptions. Five is his career high, as he also reached five in his 2014 campaign. Book it now, but this will be Smith’s best year, yet. I’m even feeling a little frisky, so he’ll also take three of those interceptions to the house for six. Harrison Smith will be the best safety in the league this year.