Cardinals vs. Commanders prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Week 1
Can the Arizona Cardinals cover in Week 1?
Things are looking bleak for the Arizona Cardinals this season. They have the lowest win total of the season and we have no idea when Kyler Murray is going to return to the lineup.
With that being said, they're 0-0 just like everyone else in the NFL. Crazier things have happened, and they don't have the toughest matchup in the world in Week 1 when they take on the Washington Commanders.
In this piece, I'm going to break down my full betting preview for this game including everything you need to know to wager on it. If you want my best bet for the other 15 games, be sure to check out this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets", which you can read here.
Before you place your bets for Week 1, be sure to do it over at FanDuel Sportsbook. For a limited time, you will be given $200 in bonus bets and $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket just by clicking the link below and placing a $5 bet on any game!
Cardinals vs. Commanders odds, spread, and total
Cardinals vs. Commanders betting trends
- Cardinals went 8-9 against the spread last season
- Commanders went 8-8-1 against the spread last season
- The OVER went 8-7-2 in Cardinals games last season
- The UNDER went 11-5-1 in Commanders games last season
- Cardinals are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against Commanders
- Cardinals are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against NFC East opponents
- The UNDER is 9-1 in the Commanders' last 10 games against NFC West opponents
Cardinals vs. Commanders injury reports
Arizona Cardinals injury report
- Zach Ertz - TE - Questionable (knee)
Washington Commanders injury report
- Chase Young - DE - Questionable (neck)
- Terry McLaurin - WR - Questionable (toe)
- Logan THomas - TE - Questionable (calf)
Cardinals vs. Commanders how to watch
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 10
- Game Time: 1:00p.m. EST
- Venue: FedEx Field
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Arizona Cardinals Record: 0-0
- Washington Commanders Record: 0-0
Cardinals vs. Commanders key players to watch
Arizona Cardinals
James Conner: With Joshua Dobbs at quarterback and not much to write home about at receiver, the Cardinals success in Week 1 and later on in the season is going to rely on their running back, James Conner. He had a bit of a bounce back season last year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He's well poised to have another solid campaign in 2023.
Washington Commanders
Sam Howell: The Commanders coaches and executives seem to have a lot of faith in Sam Howell. They seemed to not even explore the option of signing a quarterback in the offseason or selecting on in the NFL Draft. So, now it's time to see what he's made of. He has a favorable matchup in Week 1. Can he live up to expectations?
Cardinals vs. Commanders prediction and pick
We've heard nothing but how the Cardinals are going to be bad this season. They're the betting favorite to finish with the worst record and some sportsbooks have their win total set at just 3.5. That means the Commanders are the obvious pick in Week 1, right?
Wrong.
Week 1, as underpredictable as it is, is a spot where you should underreact to overreactions and overreact to underreactions. I love zigging when everyone else zags in the opening week and this game is a prime example of that.
Will the Cardinals win? Who knows, but we're talking about a point spread of a touchdown. Does a team that's led by Sam Howell and Ron Rivera deserve to be touchdown favorites against any team in the NFL? I don't think so.
I'll take the points with the Cardinals on Sunday.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!