Welcome back to the second season of "The 'Skinny," a weekly preview of the local professional football team's upcoming game and opponent. Every Thursday, you can find any and all information* about the Redskins' next opponent in this space.
(*Sometimes, it may be some or most information. And it was Friday this week.)
Week 6 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals (3-1)
Game Information: Sun., Oct. 12 -- 4:25 p.m. ET -- University of Phoenix Stadium -- FOX
Last Week: What do you know, the Redskins lost in primetime again, this time to the Seattle Seahawks by a 27-17 score. The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season in a 41-20 blowout against the Denver Broncos.
What's The Skinny?
The hubbub surrounding the Redskins this week involved their apparently jovial postgame disposition following the loss to the Seahawks, their third in a row. Scathing columns were written, and Twitter fights between media members and the players were had.
Sports
"Hopefully it was taken out of context or what have you, but I have no idea what it was like," coach Jay Gruden told reporters. "If it was upbeat, it shouldn't be, and that is disappointing that it was because they played their hearts out. They played hard, I thought. We lost the game. No reason to be upbeat, though, whatsoever."
If Washington wants a reason to celebrate, it can find one by defeating Arizona on Sunday. The first-place Cardinals are not offensively potent; their 1,222 yards of total offense so far this season ranks 31st out of 32 teams. Defensively, Arizona allows 302.5 passing yards per game, also second-worst in the NFL.
Third-string quarterback Logan Thomas, a former Virginia Tech Hokie, may start Sunday. Carson Palmer has missed three games with a "dead" nerve in his throwing shoulder and backup Drew Stanton suffered a concussion last week.
Statistic of the Week: The Redskins have defeated the Cardinals in all seven meetings between the teams since 2001. Arizona has not won in the series since 2000.
What They're Saying
"We'll formulate a game plan to beat Washington and then see what quarterback is available to do what he does best."
- Arizona coach Bruce Arians, making perfect sense
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