NFL Schedule: Cardinals vs. Commanders Could 'Potentially Decide' No. 1 Pick for 2024 Draft?
The Washington Commanders hope to kickoff their season with a win against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field. It will likely be Commanders quarterback Sam Howell's second-career start and it will be the first game since 1998 that Washington plays without owner Daniel Snyder.
Sports Illustrated ranked the 10 best games of the 2023 NFL season and Washington vs. Arizona in Week 1 is the No. 7 best game.
Why? This matchup could be an early decider on NFL Draft order for 2024, a rookie class that touts potential franchise-altering passers.
"While there are a number of different matchups that could fill this role on my list, let’s focus on the point here: Two very bad teams are going to play against each other this season and, as a result, potentially decide who gets the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft," SI writes. "Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are on the line, and if you thought that this year’s class presented an attractive buffet of quarterbacks, wait until you hear the clamoring for Williams and Maye, which has already started."
The Cardinals will be lead by new head coach Jonathan Gannon. If Arizona is without quarterback Kyler Murray, who is rehabbing an ACL tear, Colt McCoy is next in line for the start.
In what is largely considered a make-or-break season for Commanders coach Ron Rivera, Washington has the lowest win projection in the NFC East Division. However, as six-point favorites, Washington has a chance for a strong start to the season against a rebuilding Cardinals team.
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