Commanders Hosting Cardinals in Week 1: Moneyline, Spread, Total, and Storylines

In what is perhaps not the most intriguing opening-week NFL matchup, the Arizona Cardinals will head to east in Week 1 to battle Chase Young and the Washington Commanders.

This will be the Cardinals' first trip to Maryland's FedEx Field since 2017, as they are entering a new era under head coach Jonathan Gannon. For Washington, they are looking to build off a year where they narrowly missed qualifying for the postseason.

All NFL Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Cardinals vs. Commanders Week 1: Moneyline, Spread, and Total

• Moneyline:
  • Cardinals: +200
  • Commanders: -245
• Spread: Commanders -6 (-110)
• Total: 40.5

Cardinals vs. Commanders: Super Bowl Odds and Win Totals

According to the Super Bowl odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Cardinals (+18000) are tied with the Houston Texans as biggest long shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this coming season. For Washington, their odds are +6000 to win the next Super Bowl, which reflects the fourth-longest price in the market.

Arizona has a win total of 4.5, with the pricing set at -120 for the under. The Commanders' win total sits at 9.5, with the under paying out at even-money.

Cardinals vs. Commanders Week 1: Storylines to Follow

• Cardinals
  • What will Arizona look like on offense?
    • After tearing his ACL last year, Kyler Murray looks like a longshot to be healthy enough to play in Week 1, although some reports say he has a good shot to return before midseason. In addition to likely being without Murray, Arizona released DeAndre Hopkins this offseason and fired offensive-minded head coach Kliff Kingsbury, bringing in defensive-minded Jonathan Gannon to take over. Arizona is going to look a lot different on both sides of the ball, especially on O. Going by win total odds, the Cardinals are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this coming year, and facing a solid Washington defense on the road is a tough opening assignment for this new-look offense.
  • What are Arizona's areas of strength?
    • Truthfully, I am having a tough time finding the best position group in Arizona. In recent years, All-Pro safety Budda Baker led an athletic secondary, but the unit has lost some of its sting. In 2022, the Cardinals allowed 29 touchdowns, which was tied for second-most in the NFL. On top of that, as we just touched on, Arizona's offense seems to have a lot of holes going into the campaign. Am I the only one struggling to identify Arizona's strongest room in 2023? It might be a rough year in the desert.
• Commanders
  • Who will start at signal-caller in Week 1?
    • Last season was a bit of a quarterback carousel in the nation's capital, but Taylor Heinicke wound up taking a majority of the snaps. Notably, Carson Wentz was also ineffectively involved. With Heinicke now on the Atlanta Falcons, the Commanders seem ready to turn the franchise over to former UNC-standout Sam Howell. Playing in only the final week of the regular season, Howell threw for 169 yards and a touchdown to defeat the Dallas Cowboys. Still, Washington does have Jacoby Brissett waiting in the wings. If anything, you know Brissett can take care of the football; he boasts an incredibly low interception rate of 1.5% over 1,577 career pass attempts. Personally, I can't rule out Brissett starting more games than Howell this season, but we shall see. If anything, at least whoever the starter is for Washington come Week 1 won't have to deal with the recently retired J.J. Watt.
  • What will Chase Young look like after a healthy offseason?
    • Chase Young has had his share of injury woes since being named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. The explosive pass rusher tore his ACL in November of 2021, keeping him out of all but the final three games in 2022. In those three appearances (two starts), Young was unable to register a sack, collecting only five total tackles. However, Young playing 70% of defensive snaps in the win over Dallas was definitely a step in the right direction. At the ripe age of 24, Young can still have a decorated NFL career, but this upcoming season will likely cement his trajectory. Remember: this is a player who produced 7.5 sacks and forced 4 fumbles as a rookie. If he can stay healthy, Young can take Washington's defense to the next level, and this unit was good without him in 2022.

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