3 reasons the Commanders must dominate Cardinals in Week 1

Commanders have superior talent

This is by far the most talented roster - on both sides of the ball - since Ron Rivera took over as Washington Commanders head coach in 2020. The defense has a chance to be one of the top units in the entire NFL and will be matched up against an Arizona Cardinals offense that hasn’t officially named a starting quarterback, but will likely go with veteran journeyman Joshua Dobbs, who was signed just two weeks ago.

It will be Dobbs’ third career start in the NFL and the Cardinals don’t have a bevy of weapons to beat Washington’s dynamic defense. Their top wideout is Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown, who hasn’t produced much throughout his career.

Arizona will likely turn to a run-heavy approach and give a heavy workload to James Conner. The Commanders are built to stop the run and they could escape this game without giving up a single point.

Offensively, this is the perfect game for Sam Howell and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to gain confidence. The Cardinals finished 2022 with the No. 31 defense in the NFL and recently traded Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants.

It clearly appears like the Cardinals are tanking in 2023, though their front office has denied reports alluding to that fact. Either way, Howell and Washington’s offensive success is going to determine how far this team goes in 2023, so the Commanders need to light up the scoreboard and make a statement in Week 1.