4 lingering questions for Washington Commanders heading into Week 2

4. Is Washington's defense legit?

Let me repeat: the Cardinals are not a good football team.

But, the Commanders' defense played a strong game, as they should have. They did exactly what they were expected to do against an abysmal offense featuring Joshua Dobbs at the helm. Dobbs was held to just 132 yards passing with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Washington did force three Dobbs fumbles, though, two of which the Commanders recovered. When it came to the ground game, the Cardinals went for 96 yards on 25 carries, so Washington did a decent job in that respect.

It's not like the Commanders are going to be heavily tested by a potent offense in Denver, this weekend, though. That is assuming Russell Wilson doesn't revert back a few years in terms of his play.

But, we want to see a continued effort on this side of the ball. Allowing the Cardinals 210 yards of offense was to be expected if this defense is going to be a solid unit in 2023. Against the Broncos, we would like to see this defense hold Denver under 260 yards or so. If they can do that, maybe they are on their way to being a legitimate, top-10 defense in this league.