PHX Reporter

When the Cardinals' schedule was released, it was noteworthy that five of the first six opponents were playoff teams. The exception was the Washington Commanders, who visit State Farm Stadium on Sunday.

But with what they have done on the field, the Commanders can't be seen as anyone's outlier, including a 38-33 road win in Cincinnati earlier this week.

"I have a lot of respect for (Commanders coach) Dan Quinn," coach Jonathan Gannon said. "You can tell the fabric of how he coaches his team, plays with that energy and juice all three phases. They got good players all three phases, offense is clicking. They're 2-1 for a reason. Big-time test coming in here."

Their quarterback, Jayden Daniels, is one of the main reasons why the Commanders have looked so good to kick off the season. The reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week has showcased his mobility plenty throughout the first three games, something the Cardinals have spent the week preparing to face.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have had a bitter taste in their mouth after falling to 1-2, with both defeats coming in one-score games. While those losses sting, it reaffirms to the players they're not far off.

"I feel like we know who we are," quarterback Kyler Murray said. "We've played three really good teams and we've been in every single game. We just have to continue to get better."

The Cardinals do have hurdles to deal with; one of the biggest is that tight end Trey McBride will miss the game with a concussion. There's been a revolving door at right tackle after Jonah Williams' Week 1 injury, but it appears Kelvin Beachum should return to play against his former coach, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury.

McBride's inactive status opens up an opportunity for second-year tight end Elijah Higgins to make his first start of the season.

"Hopefully I can bring my own flavor to the tight-end game," Higgins said.

With the exception of linebacker Bobby Wagner—a player familiar from his time in Seattle—the Commanders' defense features a lot of young talent, especially at cornerback. They've allowed more than 250 passing yards per game.

The flavor that Higgins can bring to the table is his route-running experience. Before becoming a tight end, Higgins was a wide receiver at Stanford.

"I've been through a week of practice and kind of knew it was coming to be coming to fruition," Higgins said. "But last year, coming in and not really knowing how to play tight end and getting to this point now a year later, it's special to see."

The Cardinals also need to hold up against Daniels too. Daniels' connection with wide receiver Terry McLaurin has made him an early favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Playing against a rookie quarterback always adds unpredictability. In 2023, the Cardinals defense made 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud play one of his worst games by throwing three interceptions in that outing.

Just because Daniels is a rookie doesn't mean the Cardinals are taking them lightly. But they do feel prepared to close out September with a win.

"The scheme is hard to defend, especially with the quarterback's skill set," Gannon said. "We just got to be on those details in pass game concepts that attack coverages so we've got to be on details."