GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Redskins dominated the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It might sound hyperbolic, but it's no exaggeration.

Washington doubled up Arizona in total yards and they doubled up Arizona in total first downs. Through three quarters, the Cardinals had five first downs. Total.

The dominance came in two forms, and it came exactly the way the Redskins brass hoped for this offseason when they rebuilt their team. The defensive line shut down Cardinals star running back David Johnson and the Washington offensive line paved the way for more than 180 rush yards.

Adrian Peterson, the future Hall of Fame running back that the Redskins signed just three weeks ago, proved that he very much still has his fastball. In the first half, when the game was still in question, Peterson ran over and through Cardinals defenders. He established a physical, methodical pace the Redskins would use to take a 21-0 lead and march to victory.

"That’s one thing that I want to bring to this team, being physical, every play, relentless," Peterson said. "It was some opportunities that I had where I was able to drop my shoulder and set that tempo and show the guys that this is what I’m going to bring every time I touch it."

Peterson's plan worked.

He ran the ball 26 times for 96 yards and a touchdown and added another 70 yards through the air. When the Redskins needed to muscle the ball in short yardage situations, Peterson was the guy. Rob Kelley explained in the locker room after the game that Peterson's first half showed this team that they can knock down anybody. Morgan Moses said that Peterson's downhill, freight train style rubbed off on the offensive line.

"Our O-line set the tone early, especially with the way that we were running the football," Washington QB Alex Smith said after the game.

And for Peterson, he wanted that nastiness to extend beyond the offense.

"You can see it spread not only to the offensive side of the ball, but to the defensive side as well," he said.

Again, his plan worked.

Powered by Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis, the Redskins defense held Johnson to just 37 yards on nine carries. The Cardinals got nothing going offensively during the first half.

An NFL football game lasts 60 minutes, 30 per half. In the first half of Sunday's game, the Redskins held possession of the football for nearly 23 minutes. The Cardinals offense ran fewer than 10 plays in the second quarter. Think about that. The Redskins controlled the first half of that game. Completely. Fully. Totally.

Washington spent their 2017 and 2018 first-round draft picks on defensive linemen out of Alabama. The idea was to stop the run.

On Sunday, it worked.

While the defensive line rebuild was planned, Adrian Peterson's arrival was not. He only landed in Washington because Derrius Guice got injured.

On Sunday, that worked, too.

"That’s what pro football is all about, your ability to run the ball, stop the run. And we’re getting there, we’ve got a long way to go. But I’m happy with the way this game ended," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said after the game.

At its core, football is a simple game. Control the line of scrimmage, on offense and defense, and teams usually win.

That formula worked for Washington on Sunday. Don't forget tremendous performances from Smith and Chris Thompson, and the re-emergence of dynamic tight end Jordan Reed.

There were numerous outstanding performances. Quinton Dunbar deserves praise as well.

Ultimately, however, the Redskins controlled the line of scrimmage. Their offensive line pushed around the Cardinals defensive line. And their young, rebuilt defensive line manhandled the Arizona run game.

It's a simple formula, and it can be replicated.

In fact, for Peterson, things need to get better.

"There are some things I know have to work on personally to improve my game. I left a lot of yards out there, and there’s some good film to watch," the running back said. "There were some missed holes there, some missed opportunities. That happens. That’s why you watch. You watch film, you improve and you get better for next week."

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