Cardinals at Commanders Betting Pick: Week 1

Kickoff for this matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders is set for 1:00 PM ET. The game will be played in Landover, MD at FedEx Field with FOX carrying television coverage.

In a matchup between two NFC teams, the Commanders are 7 point favorites at home. Are they they best bet against the spread? Check out my breakdown and analysis of this matchup below.

Betting Odds for Commanders vs. Cardinals

Spread: Cardinals +7 | Commanders -7
Total: 38
MoneyLine: Cardinals +247 | Commanders -318

Why You Should Bet on the Commanders

The Commanders are gearing up for the season, looking to improve on their last place finish in the NFC-East which put them 9th in the NFC. Washington’s cumulative record stood at 8-8-1, which included going 4-3-1 on the road and 4-5 when playing on their own turf. When facing divisional opponents, the Commanders achieved a 2-3-1 record.

Washington ended last season with an over/under record of 5-12 and finished with an average scoring differential of -1.3. Against the spread, the Commanders went 8-8-1, including 4-4-1 ATS at home and 4-4 on the road. For the season, Washington was favored eight times.

Sam Howell is coming off a season in which he threw for 169 yards on a completion percentage of 57.9%. Howell is the top returning quarterback, but Jacoby Brissett actually finished last season with more passing yards (2608) while playing for the Browns. Brissett will start the season backing up for Howell.

In the backfield, the Commanders are welcoming back Brian Robinson who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 797 rushing yards and averaged 3 yards per attempt. Robinson is entering his 2nd season in the league.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the Commanders are returning last year’s two most productive players. Terry McLaurin caught 77 balls for 1191 yards last season. Curtis Samuel finished with 656 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Why You Should Bet on the Cardinals

Following a season where they wrapped up with a total record of just 4-13, the Cardinals are gearing up for their season opener. In the NFC-West, Arizona finished 4th and posted a 1-5 record against their division opponents. On their home field, the Cardinals concluded with a 1-8 record, and when away from home, they went 3-5.

Last season, the Cardinals had an overall ATS record of 8-9 which included going 4-4 on the road and 4-5 at home. For the season, their games were 11th in total points with an average of 46.4 points per game, leading to an over/under record of 9-7-1.

Joshua Dobbs comes over to the Cardinals after playing for the Titans last season. In the 2022-2023 season, he finished with a passer rating of 73.8 and threw for 411 yards in two games. Dobbs’ touchdown to interception ratio for the season was 2/2.

In the backfield, the Cardinals are welcoming back James Conner who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 782 rushing yards and averaged 4 yards per attempt. Conner is entering his 7th season in the league.

Greg Dortch will need to take on an even bigger role in the Cardinals’ passing attack this season as DeAndre Hopkins led the team in receiving yards last season and is no longer on the team. <__main__.WideReceiver object at 0x7fb2115db8b0> caught 52 balls for 467 yards last season.

Final Prediction & Where To Bet

The Commanders opened as 5.5 favorites at home and since then, the oddsmakers have shifted the lines to -7 in their favor.

As road underdogs, I’m like the value of taking the Cardinals. Right now, they are at +7, and I’ll be locking them in at this number while I can.

BetByState Expert Pick: Cardinals +7

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