Cardinals vs Commanders Odds: Is Sam Howell The Answer For Washington?

The Arizona Cardinals still haven’t named a starting quarterback for their first matchup of the season against the Washington Commanders.

Kyler Murray tore his ACL in mid-December and cannot play most of the 2023 season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals released Colt McCoy and traded for Joshua Dobbs last week. Therefore, Joshua Dobbs will likely start for the Cardinals this season. He’s currently fighting with rookie Clayton Tune for that starting job.

On the other hand, Washington believes they have something with Sam Howell. Howell will be in his second year in the NFL. He played in last year’s final regular season game and helped push the Commanders to a 26-6 win over the Cowboys. Howell completed about 58% of passes and added one touchdown and an interception in that game. However, his head coach, Ron Rivera, admitted that he wished he knew how good Howell was earlier last year.

Can Howell keep winning as Washington’s quarterback?

Here’s a look at the Cardinals vs Commanders odds for the Week 1 matchup.

Can Sam Howell Break Through in Year 2?

The Washington Commanders fought for a playoff spot late in the regular season last year. However, head coach Ron Rivera refused to start Sam Howell over Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke until the regular season finale.

Washington lost out on the playoffs but won against the Cowboys with Howell under center.

Analytically, Howell didn’t do anything special in that game. He threw for 169 yards, added two total touchdowns, and completed just 57.9% of passes.

But he’s developed and matured since that first start. The Commanders believe in him and want him to be their franchise quarterback.

Howell completed over 75% of passes in two games in the preseason. He finished with three passing touchdowns and added 265 yards on 28 completions. Those were some respectable NFL stats out of Howell.

He’ll have a nice mixture of playmakers this upcoming season. Brian Robinson Jr. had an entire preseason to prepare for the season. He’ll start alongside Antonio Gibson, who will be a great third-down back.

Although Terry McLaurin could be absent in Week 1 with an injury, McLaurin and Jahan Dotson are two terrific wide receivers that made many plays last season for Wentz and Heinicke. Howell also has some speed at receiver, with Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, and Byron Pringle in the mix at the slot.

The Washington offensive line wasn’t good. However, the playmakers are. If Howell can escape pressure, the Commanders will be a much better offense this season.

On the other hand, the defense was fantastic in coverage and should be solid in the pass rush once Chase Young is fully healthy. They didn’t miss many tackles, but the run defense will need to improve this season.

Still, my NFL predictions include the Commanders going to the playoffs. I think Howell will be the big breakout quarterback for quarterbacks in Year 2.

Kyler Murray or Caleb Williams

Kyler Murray won’t be available for the start of the season due to an ACL injury. However, even when he’s healthy, he still might not play.

The Cardinals will likely start Joshua Dobbs. While he’s a solid veteran quarterback, he has never put together a quality season in the NFL.

The Cardinals have an exciting decision to make this year. They can hold onto Kyler Murray and rebuild around him. Or they can move on from Murray and grab Caleb Williams, the USC quarterback and Heisman winner, in the NFL Draft after a full tank this year.

The Cardinals have decisions to make.

Murray hasn’t helped the Cardinals win games. Sometimes, he looks unengaged and is forgetful on the field. These are reports. It’s not me just guessing.

Scouts suggest the USC quarterback, Caleb Williams, will be the “next” Patrick Mahomes. Arizona likely won’t miss out on a generational prospect like Williams.

The Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon as head coach for this upcoming season. Now, they can get him “his” quarterback and build behind the head coach and quarterback of the future.

Arizona doesn’t have much talent offensively. They’re already thin at quarterback with Dobbs starting. But at wide receiver, they’re stuck with Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, and Greg Dortch as their top three guys.

The offense wasn’t terrible last year. But it won’t be any better this year.

Meanwhile, last year’s defense was terrible against the run and didn’t execute tackles at a high rate. The pass rush will no longer have J.J. Watt, either.

Don’t expect the Cardinals to be near the top of the NFL team standings this year.

Arizona Cardinals vs Washington Commanders

The Cardinals vs Commanders odds have the Commanders sitting at 7-point favorites for Sunday’s matchup. You can find Washington at about -310 on the moneyline, and the total is currently at just 38, with each side of the odds at -110.

The Commanders were excellent outside of quarterback play last year. They’ll likely run a lot of Brian Robinson Jr., But they can also use Antonio Gibson in the passing game and on third downs.

Meanwhile, Washington could be without Terry McLaurin for this game. That’s another reason why Washington could run the football a lot. Still, Jahan Dotson has made a name for himself after earning 523 yards receiving for seven touchdowns on 35 receptions.

Dotson was a touchdown magnet last season. If he gets more reps throughout the season, Dotson could become one of the NFL’s best No. 2 wide receivers.

On the other hand, Washington’s defense wasn’t elite last season. But it was good enough. The secondary played incredibly well, and the pass rush was good enough. The Commanders could struggle to stop the run against James Conner and the Cardinals. But eventually, Washington will have a lead of seven or more points, and Arizona will start to pass a bit more.

That’s when Arizona collapses against the Commanders.

Fade Arizona!

The Cardinals won’t try to lose on purpose. But the team looks terrible on paper this year. The Cardinals’ offensive line was awful when blocking in the run game. Meanwhile, the run defense for the Cardinals wasn’t any better.

Washington has multiple reliable running backs on the roster. Also, don’t forget Sam Howell is a capable runner and added 35 yards in his lone start in Week 18 for the Commanders.

In Week 1, it’s always a guessing game. There are no concrete stats. But I guess that Arizona will be the worst NFL team, and Kyler Murray won’t play a single game for this team this year.

After reviewing the Cardinals vs Commanders odds, I suggest taking the Commanders against the spread at -7.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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