There have been some changes in the nation's capital this season, and the Washington Redskins had better get something that works if they are going to be competitive in the NFC East. On Sunday afternoon they will be in the desert to play the Arizona Cardinals in a game that begins at 4:25 PM ET at State Farm Stadium, formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium, in Glendale, AZ.

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The Redskins figured that quarterback Kirk Cousins was going to test the free agent market, and they were obviously not going to pay him the money he eventually received. So they engineered a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs which brought them Alex Smith, who is well-versed in playing a West Coast-type system. Smith may have been cast aside in favor of youngster Patrick Mahomes, but he did lead the NFL in passing efficiency last year, completing 67,5% with eight yards and attempt and just five interceptions.

The Cardinals said goodbye to QB Carson Palmer, who retired. And they drafted Josh Rosen out of UCLA in the first round. To warm the seat while Rosen sits and learns, they went out and got Sam Bradford, the former Heisman Trophy winner. Bradford may be somewhat limited, but he can be very effective in a controlled passing attack - witness his 71.6% completion rate in 2016 for Minnesota (broken by Drew Brees last year). Last year he had an outstanding opening game for the Vikings (27-32, 346 yards, three TD's) but did not play the rest of the year because of wear and tear on his knee. Will he be able to stay healthy?

In the odds at BetAnySports upon which we will make our football picks, the Cardinals are the favorites:

Arizona Cardinals -2.5
Washington Redskins +2.5

Over 43.5 points -110
Under 43.5 points -110

One of the things Washington wanted to do was upgrade its rushing attack, which averaged only 3.6 yards per attempt last year. They felt they got a bargain in the second round of the draft, when they took Derrius Guice, an expected first-rounder until "character issues" surfaced. He could have been the go-to back for them, but he injured his knee in the first pre-season game and is out for the year. Coach Jay Gruden took a flier on Adrian Peterson, the future Hall of Famer who is a shadow of himself at age 33, and who saw some action for the Cardinals last year, registering a couple of 100-yard games, but was eventually released. Smith should have enough receivers to throw to, but somebody from among Peterson, Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine will have to produce something.

The Cards are set at running back, as long as David Johnson stays healthy. Johnson injured his wrist in the first game of the 2017 season and sat out the rest of the year. But in 2016 he had 2118 yards from scrimmage. He is one of the league's most valuable players, and will make a tremendous difference. It's actually pretty shocking that the Cards could finish with an 8-8 record without him.

The new coach is Steve Wilks, who is looking to instill a more hard-noised attitude, and he promises to bring additional life to a defense that wasn't all that bad (sixth-best in yardage allowed) and should rush the passer better, though on Sunday they'll have to do it without Markus Golden, who has been ruled out of this game with a knee injury.

To contend this season, Bradford will have to stay out of the trainer's room. But for right now, we see some revival with Johnson, as well as rookie Christian Kirk coming in to complement Larry Fitzgerald, who unbelievably had 109 receptions last year. The passing game won't go downfield as much as it did with Palmer, but offensive coordinator Mike McCoy has had his share of success stories..The Redskins still have to figure out a way to defend the run better; they gave up more yards on the ground then anybody last year. We like the Cards at home.

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