Cardinals-Commanders Game Preview

Who: Arizona Cardinals at Washington Commanders
What: NFL Regular Season, Week 1
When: Sunday, September 10 at 10:00 AM Arizona Time
Where: FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
Spread on SI Sportsbook: Commanders -7.5

The Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders take the field in just about two hours to begin the 2023 NFL season.

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Five Questions With Commanders

A big thank you to Commander Country's Jeremy Brener for taking time to answer our five questions on this matchup.

To read our thoughts on the Cardinals/answers to their questions, click here.

Q: We'll start with the quarterback position. Sam Howell was named the starter and has one game of experience under his belt. What are your overall feelings on him as a quarterback?

A: There's a lot of excitement for Howell in Washington, and for good reason. In the team's "dress rehearsal" preseason game against the Ravens, he threw for 19 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns while adding three rushes for 17 yards. It's easy to look at a fifth-round pick and ask why the Commanders would want him over the long list of options they could have had earlier in the year.

But don't mistake his draft position nor his inexperience for being bad. We saw Brock Purdy, last year's Mr. Irrelevant, shine in a backup role and lead a team to the NFC Championship. Then, he unseated the prospective starter, a former No. 3 overall pick.

Q: If you could, highlight the biggest strength in this Washington offense along with its biggest weakness.

He has mobility, which Bieniemy loves. He's a true dual-threat quarterback and he can find the first down marker with his legs just as much as he can with his arm. His biggest weakness is his pocket awareness. Sometimes he may try and hold onto the ball too long. But in reality, it's hard to tell what his biggest weaknesses are given his lack of NFL tape.

Q: On the defensive side of the ball, Washington will face either Josh Dobbs or Clayton Tune on Sunday - both being fairly mobile. How confident are you in the Commanders' ability to control the game on that side of the ball?

The Commanders have one of the best pass rushes in the league. That pocket will collapse quickly for Dobbs or Tune, and whoever is under center is going to have to make quick decisions. It's also a group with a lot to prove. Chase Young and Montez Sweat are both in contract years, while Daron Payne hopes to prove he was worth every penny of his major extension he just signed.

Q: Terry McLaurin and Chase Young's status for the game are both unknown at this point in time. What would their respective absences mean?

McLaurin is a big loss for the offense should he sit. As a top target, he opens the game for everyone else. But the Commanders also have depth at the position. Jahan Dotson will see an uptick in targets, as will Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown, Howell's college teammate.
As for Young, the Commanders played 14 games without him a year ago. It means they're familiar for what life looks like without him. However, having him there means you have to give him attention. You simply cannot ignore him, which is why not having him out there would be a big loss for the defense.

Q: The Commanders are favorites to emerge victorious. In your mind, what needs to unfold for either side to walk out of FedEx Field with a win?

This game will be won and lost under center. Both teams' quarterbacks have a lot to prove, so whoever steps up and rises to the occasion will likely be leading their team to 1-0 on Sunday.