3 bold predictions for the Arizona Cardinals heading into Week 1 of 2023
By Sion Fawkes
3 - Game is won on Nolan Cooney’s leg
You know how obsessed I am with punter Nolan Cooney, and how convinced I am that the Cards could “overachieve” this season because of his leg. Cooney showed us in the preseason that he not only can boot the ball deep, but he has a special talent for consistently pinning his opponents inside their own 20.
If the Arizona Cardinals are punting as often as the critics think they will be, you may as well have a punter who can give the team an edge in winning the field position battle every time he steps onto the field. And this week, he’s averaging 49.0 yards per on six punts, three of which will land inside the 20.
Sam Howell and the Commanders will more than have their work cut out for them, and mistakes will be made thanks to the relentless pass rush (see Section 2). Look for the defense to hold against what could be a pedestrian offense. And when Washington is pinned deep, the Cardinals D might just force Howell into a mistake or two.
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(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)