Pick of the week: Washington Commanders will be too much for the Arizona Cardinals
Illustration by Soli Santoyo.
Nathaniel Semunegus, Contributing Writer
The Arizona Cardinals will face off against the Washington Commanders the first week of the NFL season on Sept. 10.
Winning this game would be a huge confidence boost to start the season for either team. Washington will win this game as they have a much more talented roster with more experience and chemistry under their belt.
This will be the Commanders’ first official game without former Commanders owner Dan Snyder, who recently sold the team to an investment group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion.
Washington is uncertain that their star receiver Terry McLaurin will play week one due to a toe sprain that occurred during a week two preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Second-year player Sam Howell was named the starting quarterback for the Commanders, and he hopes to make a strong impression within the NFL after being benched in all but one game his rookie year.
This will also be Eric Bieniemy’s first game as Washington’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, who had previously won two super bowls in his four years as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator.
The Cardinals are not likely to win this game as they are currently undergoing a brand new coaching regime under Jonathan Gannon. Gannon was a massive part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ success, reaching the Super Bowl and turning the Eagles defense into a powerhouse as a defensive coordinator.
Their star quarterback Kyler Murray is out with a torn ACL and will continue to be out for at least the first four weeks as he was added on to the PUP list, or Physically Unable to Play list, according to the Arizona Cardinals website.
The Cardinals have the option of starting either Joshua Dobbs, a newly acquired journeyman in the league or Clayton Tune, a fifth-round rookie who’s had a decent run during the preseason.
