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Three Big Things: Commanders Week

A look at the top storylines for Sunday's game

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  • CARDINALS vs COMMANDERS
  • 1:05 p.m. Sunday
  • State Farm Stadium
  • Line: Cardinals -3.5 (For more NFL odds, visit the BetMGM online sportsbook)

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It's Homecoming Week

Kliff is back. So, too, is Jayden Daniels. And don't forget about Zach Ertz. Sure, there are a handful of others, be it coaches or players with connections to the Cardinals who will be back at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, but it's Kliff Kingsbury's return that is grabbing most, if not all, of the headlines. For four seasons, including a playoff appearance in 2021, Kingsbury was the head coach. And in each of those seasons, his quarterback was Kyler Murray. Now with Daniels – another young, dual-threat signal caller – as his QB, Kingsbury arrives to town as the offensive coordinator of the No. 5 scoring offense and sixth-best total offense in the league. Can the Cardinals spoil their return?

-- Craig Grialou

Come For The Arm(s), Stay For The Legs

If you set the Cold Tub Time Machine to 2019, Kyler Murray was a Cardinals rookie while Jayden Daniels was a freshman at ASU. Turns out, they met after randomly crossing paths at a local mall (Orange Julius? Cinnabon?) Now, when they meet in Week 4, it marks the first NFL game (since at least 1950) between starting QBs who enter with a passer rating of 100+ and have averaged at least 50 yards rushing a game. Remarkably, Daniels leads the NFL in completion rate (80.3 percent) yet also has the most rushing TDs (3) of any QB. The last player to pull that off for an entire season -- Hall of Fame QB Steve Young circa 1994 (when he was NFL and Super Bowl MVP). Based on how both Murray and Daniels keep a defense honest as dual-threat quarterbacks, they have much more in common than just Heisman Trophies.

-- Paul Calvisi

Running Down A Dream

This Cardinals offense is built around being able to run the ball, and that's exactly what this Commanders defense presents the opportunity to do. Washington's 29th-ranked defense ranks bottom of the league in first down, third down and red zone; three categories in which the Cardinals offense ranks top 10. Arizona can't let the fact that they struggled to find success in the run game last week against Detroit change their identity. They need to run it early and often to create rhythm and open up the passing game.

-- Dani Sureck

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