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It took seven months, but NFL football finally returns with a treasure trove of marquee matchups. Unfortunately, the Arizona Cardinals-Washington Commanders matchup is not one that oozes intrigue.
The Cardinals are down Kyler Murray, who remains on the PUP list while he rehabs a torn ACL suffered late last season. The Commanders begin their new era with new ownership after disgraced former owner Daniel Snyder finally sold the team to an ownership group that includes Josh Harris and Magic Johnson. Competency has long eluded this Washington franchise, and that's the baseline for this new ownership group.
Competency is likely all that is required for the Commanders to take this game against the Cardinals. The Cards are without Murray and don't project to be one of the better teams in the NFL this season. It still isn't known who the starting quarterback will be for the Cardinals. So while this isn't the most marquee matchup of the weekend, there is still some intrigue with this matchup. And with that, that means some bold predictions are warranted.
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2) Joshua Dobbs is named Cardinals' starting QB and throws for at least 250 yards
The Cardinals drafted Clayton Tune in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Houston. Tune was solid as a Cougar. In his last two seasons as a starter, Tune threw for 7,620 yards and 70 touchdowns to 20 interceptions.
With Kyler Murray rehabbing, Tune entered a quarterback competition with the veteran Colt McCoy. With only McCoy and journeymen around him, Tune was able to get plenty of action in Arizona's preseason games.
Over three games, Tune completed 34-of-59 passes for 353 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Tune was largely fine in the preseason, but there were times where the game looked a bit too fast and his processing didn't catch up. It would be a big ask for a fifth-round rookie to start right away. He has been with the Cardinals far longer than Joshua Dobbs has, but Dobbs does have experience with this offense. And that should give him the edge in this quarterback competition.
Dobbs was in Cleveland with Drew Petzing. Petzing was Cleveland's QB coach last season and was named Arizona's offensive coordinator this offseason. Familiarity with what Petzing wants to do as well as the emergence of rookie Dorian Thompson-Thompson created a perfect storm that allowed the Browns to get a fourth-round pick back for Dobbs from the Cardinals.
Dobbs doesn't have much starting experience; he's made two starts in his career and both came with the Tennessee Titans at the end of last season. But he's been in the NFL for a while and has played serviceable ball in the few starts he has made. That, along with his familiarity with the offense, should be enough to make him the starter for the Cardinals and allow him to have a productive day against a formidable Washington Commanders defense.
1) The Cardinals lose by at least two touchdowns
The Commanders are seven-point favorites against the Cardinals. Even if Dobbs has played amicably in the few starts he's made in his career, he still has only two starts to his name and 85 career passes. The Cardinals are short on veterans on both sides of the ball. This is a young, rebuilding team that will take time to develop.
Winning won't necessarily be their priority either. To make matters worse, they're a West Coast team traveling east and playing at 1:00 eastern time. That's not a great combination. That could make for an ugly game against a rising Commanders team with an underrated defense.
