Redskins roll over Cardinals, 24-17

Unprompted following practice Wednesday, Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn singled out receiver Santana Moss‘ progress within the new passing offense. He said Moss had turned the corner from thinking about a route and a read to using his athleticism to make the play work.

“He’s the first guy in our group that you can see burst,” Zorn said. “Those things rolled for him last week.”

On Sunday, they rolled again.

Two plays after Carlos Rogers’ interception, Moss caught a quick screen pass from Jason Campbell and scooted 17 yards for the deciding touchdown in the Redskins’ 24-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field.

The winning score came with 12:10 remaining but stood up thanks to a Redskins defense that allowed only 18 fourth-quarter yards and an offense that held possession for the final 2:33.

Though the season is only three games old, Moss appears to have returned to his 2005 form. He already has 19 catches and three touchdowns.

“I’m loving the way this offense is being run and loving the way they’re throwing the ball around to everybody,” Moss said.

And Rogers, who has been ribbed for having bad hands since he arrived in the NFL as a top-10 draft pick, set up the winning touchdown. As he fell to the ground, he collected a pass Leigh Torrence deflected and returned it 42 yards to put the Redskins in scoring range.

Moss and Rogers’ heroics kept the Redskins (2-1) a game out of first place in the NFC East as they prepare for consecutive road games in Dallas and Philadelphia.

After their first NFC East road game, a 16-7 loss to the Giants on Sept. 4, scuttlebutt abounded: Campbell’s transition to Zorn’s offense would be painful; the defense wouldn’t hold up against prolific opponents; the Redskins were several levels below their division rivals.

Since that loss at the Meadowlands, Campbell has thrown for 524 yards and two touchdowns, the defense has produced four takeaways and the Redskins have entered themselves into the division conversation regardless of how the next two games develop.

“Jason’s doing a great job. The offensive line is playing pretty well, [Clinton Portis] is running the ball hard and Santana and [Chris] Cooley are making plays,” defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin said. “I like watching them. I’m a fan, too.”

Griffin and the defense weren’t bad, either. The Cardinals’ only passing play longer than 20 yards was a 62-yard scoring strike to Larry Fitzgerald in the third quarter. And when Arizona got good field position (its own 42) after Shaun Suisham’s failed 52-yard field goal with 3:23 remaining, the Cardinals gained only 6 yards before punting.

“Incredible,” Zorn said of the defense. “They really did a wonderful job. The scheme and plan through our coaching staff was just excellent.”

As was the Redskins’ start. Campbell was 6-for-6 on the opening drive, a 60-yard march that included two third-down conversions, a 16-yard scramble by Campbell and a 3-yard touchdown run by Portis.

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