Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders Prediction, Pick, Odds: Is It Brian Robinson's Time to Shine?
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders Prediction, Pick, Odds: Is It Brian Robinson's Time to Shine?
The Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders will play for the first time since 2020, with the Commanders laying seven points at most online sportsbooks entering Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. Sam Howell is now QB1 in Washington, flashing a lot of talent with a blend of mobility and big-arm ability that has a lot of us excited to see the Commanders in action this year.
Meanwhile, Arizona is also turning over a new page, but it's a bit more grim, at least on paper. Kyler Murray's torn ACL isn't fully rehabbed yet, so it's an unknown mixture of rookie quarterback Clayton Tune and Josh Dobbs. First-year head coach Jonathan Gannon, previously the Philadelphia Eagles DC, has a big task in front of him, with oddsmakers giving the Cardinals 4.5 total wins in NFL futures markets.
NFL handicapper Matt MacKay has his best bet to place in this Week 1 matchup, along with analysis and a prediction of the outcome between the Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders.
Cardinals vs. Commanders Start Time, Where To Watch, and Odds
- Date: Sunday, September 10
- Game Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: FOX
Cardinals vs. Commanders Odds
- Spread: Cardinals +7 (-108), Commanders -7 (-110)
- Total Odds: O 38 (-110), U 38 (-109)
- Moneyline Odds: Cardinals (+275), Commanders (-300)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders Injury Report
Cardinals
Questionable: WR Marquise Brown (Hamstring), TE Zach Ertz (Knee), OL Kelvin Beachum (Hand)
Out: QB Kyler Murray (Knee)
Commanders
Probable: TE Logan Thomas (Calf), CB Benjamin St-Juste (Ankle)
Questionable: DE Chase Young (Neck), WR Terry McLaurin (Toe)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders Prediction
As gloomy as it looks for the Cardinals entering this game, they have managed to cover the spread against NFC East opponents in seven consecutive matchups. The defense ranked 31st in points against last season, so the addition of Gannon should help improve this unit, at least marginally. The biggest question is what will Arizona's offense look like. First-year OC Drew Petzing is not Kliff Kingsbury, who deployed the Air Raid offense, plus his quarterbacks are far from experienced, proven assets.
Washington's defense is front-loaded with talent, although edge rusher Chase Young is still tagged questionable with a neck injury. The Commanders ranked seventh in fewest points allowed per game in 2022, surrendering 20.2 points per game, while Arizona's offense was still a bottom-12 unit in points per game (20) with Murray for the majority of the 2022 season.
The weapons in Washington are definitely more talented, but WR1 Terry McLaurin is dealing with turf toe, which could unleash Jahan Dotson as the targeted alpha in this rejuvenated offense. New OC Eric Bienemy arrives from Kansas City, where the Chiefs deployed a run-centric spread scheme, scheming up plenty of valuable touches for running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson. Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel are also quality skilled players for Howell to lean on during his first start as QB1, so against one of the worst pass defenses in the league last year, expect the Commanders to shine bright in this game.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, we're getting +130 odds on Brian Robinson Jr.'s anytime touchdown scorer prop. The second-year running back dealt with adversity early last year, rehabbing a gunshot wound, but came back in Week 5 and wound up recording three total touchdowns while handling a lot of goal-line touches as the preferred back. He recorded 20 carries in five of 12 games, only handling single-digit carries in two games, which both came right after his return from injury.
Bienemy will lean on the running back tandem in Washington to help out his young quarterback, plus the Commanders offense will have plenty of red zone trips to cycle touches between its backfield and wide receiving corps. At +130 odds, Robinson's anytime touchdown prop at FanDuel feels like a lock, and we're avoiding vig at plus odds, so this feels like a win for us.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders Pick
- Pick: Brian Robinson Jr. Anytime Touchdown Scorer +130 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
NFL Odds
Article Author
Matt is an avid writer, editor, and researcher. He enjoys analyzing the game within the game which is fantasy sports and sports betting. Music is another constant in his daily life. Matt loves spending time with his wife and three pets. He likes to read, listen to podcasts, and is constantly motivated to create the most accurate and engaging content in the sports betting industry.