LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Some Washington Redskins feel they'll be playing Boston for the second week in a row.

Last week, it was Byron Boston, a line judge they accused of making bad calls in a loss to Detroit. This week, it's David Boston, Byron's son and a rookie receiver for the Arizona Cardinals.

Forget that, said defensive end Marco Coleman. He feels his teammates should be thinking more about someone else as they face an Arizona team that has won four straight in a four-way NFC East race.

"Two words: Jake Plummer," Coleman said. "Jake Plummer means a whole lot to that team. He's the new coming of John Elway. He's an outstanding football player, big-play guy, hurts you with his legs and with his arm, smart, tough. Who's to say we might shut down the run again this week and have Jake Plummer kill us?"

That certainly wouldn't be unusual, because the Redskins (7-5) have had their problems with mobile quarterbacks. They've been embarrassed by Buffalo's Doug Flutie and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, who beat Washington in his first NFL start and nearly won the second meeting between the clubs two weeks later.

Plummer broke his ring finger when it got stuck in linebacker Shawn Barber's face mask in the first game against Washington, won by the Redskins 24-10 on Oct. 17. He returned at halftime two weeks ago to rally the Cardinals over the New York Giants, then last week he engineered his 11th career fourth-quarter game-winning drive as Arizona overcame a 17-7 deficit in the final five minutes in a 21-17 win over Philadelphia.

"I think people around him have a lot of confidence in him, and that makes them play a little bit better, jump a little bit higher, run a little bit harder," Arizona coach Vince Tobin said, "because they believe we've got a chance with him in the huddle."

Even in the mediocre NFC East, there's not much room left for error. Arizona (6-6), Dallas (6-6) and the Giants (6-6) all trail Washington by one game. The Cardinals were 2-6 at one point, while the Redskins have managed to stay in first place despite some awful games.

"As I look at the standings now, we seem to have nine lives," Washington fullback Larry Centers said.

Perhaps the tension got to the Redskins last week as they fomented an officiating controversy that's added an unusual subplot to this game. Michael Westbrook and Centers accused Byron Boston of making bad calls, while pointing out that his son plays for a division rival. David Boston defended his father's integrity.

Both coaches have tried to dismiss the controversy as any kind of distraction. This game is too important. The Cardinals, seeking their first five-game winning streak in 22 years, will be 6-2 in the division if they win -- a huge tiebreaking advantage in the standings.

"Basically, if we beat you, we'll be tied for first," Tobin said. "If we don't, we're pretty much out of it."

The Redskins, after a 4-1 start, are likewise on the ropes. Westbrook gave a Yogi Berra-like assessment of the standings.

"We need to at least win three of these four games," Westbrook said. "We definitely have to win three. Two maybe, but we definitely have to win three. And this week's game is a must."

Simeon Rice, who has 13 sacks, will face a Redskins offensive line that couldn't protect Brad Johnson last week. Washington's offense, a once feared machine scoring nearly 35 points per game through the first seven weeks, has averaged just 21 over the last five weeks.

Some players are grumbling that pass-happy coach Norv Turner is giving up on the run too soon in close games. This week would be a good time to re-establish a ground game, because the Cardinals are ranked 30th in rushing defense.

"I think we can run on anybody," said Stephen Davis, who leads the NFC with 1,146 yards, but has only 122 in the last two games. "We've got to go in and do the things we know we can do."

On offense, the Cardinals are also ranked near the bottom of the league. Once again, Coleman wants everyone to forget that. If it's the fourth quarter and Plummer's in the game, all bets are off.

"At long as there's time on the clock, he feels like he can get it done," Coleman said. "Hopefully, we're in a position that if they've got the ball in the last minute, we're up by two touchdowns instead of one."

ARIZONA Season schedule and results

WASHINGTON Season schedule and results

September 12 @Philadelphia W 25-24 September 19 @Miami L 16-19 September 27 San Francisco L 10-24 October 3 @Dallas L 7-35 October 10 NY Giants W 14-3 October 17 Washington L 10-24 October 31 New England L 3-27 November 7 @NY Jets L 7-12 November 14 Detroit W 23-19 November 21 Dallas W 13-9 November 28 @NY Giants W 34-24 December 5 Philadelphia W 21-17 December 12 @Washington 1:00pm ET December 19 Buffalo 8:20pm ET December 26 @Atlanta 1:00pm ET January 2 @Green Bay 1:00pm ET

September 12 Dallas L 35-41 September 19 @NY Giants W 50-21 September 26 @NY Jets W 27-20 October 3 Carolina W 38-36 October 17 @Arizona W 24-10 October 24 @Dallas L 20-38 October 31 Chicago W 48-22 November 7 Buffalo L 17-34 November 14 @Philadelphia L 28-35 November 21 NY Giants W 23-13 November 28 Philadelphia W 20-17 December 5 @Detroit L 17-33 December 12 Arizona 1:00pm ET December 19 @Indianapolis 1:00pm ET December 26 @San Francisco 8:20pm ET January 2 Miami 4:15pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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