Experts Heavily Favor Commanders Over Cardinals

Who will win between the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders? Experts make their picks.

The Arizona Cardinals hope to shock everybody tomorrow and upset the Washington Commanders as road underdogs.

The Commanders - sitting at 7.5-point favorites over Arizona - received good news when WR Terry McLaurin (toe) was removed from the injury report on Friday. However, DE Chase Young (neck) is not expected to play. 

For Arizona, WR Marquise Brown (hamstring) is listed as questionable but reportedly will suit up. The status of TE Zach Ertz (knee) is still up in the air.

Will QB Josh Dobbs - who has just two weeks of experience in Arizona - lead the Cardinals to a surprise win to begin the 2023 season?

We scattered the internet for the best opinions - and they all seem to be on Washington:

NFL.com Staff: Commanders

"Arizona opens the season with a 2,300-mile road trip to FedExField. Don't think anybody will be taking the bus," said Gennaro Filice. 

"But what can we expect from a stripped-down Cardinals roster in Jonathan Gannon's head-coaching debut? Well, the Commanders' calling card these days is a ferocious defensive line. In related news, Arizona's O-line projects as something between turnstile and TURN-OFF-THE-GAME. Washington kicks off the post-Daniel Snyder era with a rollicking beatdown in front of its rejuvenated fan base."

ESPN FPI/Staff: Commanders

"Washington's defensive line is anchored by Pro Bowl tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne -- who combined for 19 sacks last season. This group will face a Cardinals offensive line with an inexperienced center in Hjalte Froholdt, who has four career starts, and includes three new starters," wrote John Keim. 

"If the Cardinals want any chance to win this game, they'll have to somehow control this front -- and do so with an inexperienced quarterback, regardless of whether it's Joshua Dobbs or Clayton Tune."

Bleacher Report Staff: Commanders

"The Cardinals have a bottom-tier roster—perhaps the worst in the league," Maurice Moton said. 

"They released or lost wideout DeAndre Hopkins, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and defensive end Zach Allen in free agency, but the front office didn't replace them with notable additions.

"Sure, Howell has a lot to prove with only one start on his pro resume, but Washington's stout defense may not allow a touchdown in this contest. Dobbs will struggle to move the ball with his career 58.8 percent completion rate.

"The Commanders win a low-scoring battle, but they'll do just enough offensively to win by 10-plus points."

New York Times Staff: Commanders

"It would not prove much to win at home against a struggling team like the Cardinals, but in this new era of Washington football, in which the Commanders have Eric Bieniemy running their offense and Daniel Snyder not owning the team, a big win would go a long way to keeping up their fan base’s enthusiasm." - Benjamin Hoffman