Week 1: Arizona Cardinals home 1-0
It sounds like the Cards are starting Josh Dobbs at QB. Nuff said? Washington continues their preseason good vibes, and the defense shows what it’s made of - we start the season with a dub.
28-7 Commanders.
Week 2: Denver Broncos away 2-0
The Broncos are less of a mess compared to last year, but still figuring things out - also, Javonte Williams and Jerry Jeudy still won’t be in full form by Week 2. The Commies squeak by against a good Denver D.
17-13 Commanders.
Week 3: Buffalo Bills home 2-1
The Commanders get a good reality check in this one. The offense can't get it going against a solid all-around defense that can stop the run, and the Bills pass rush is able to pressure youngster Sam Howell. Meanwhile, the Commanders defensive unit can only do so much to slow down the imposing force of Josh Allen and company.
27-10 Bills.
Week 4: Philadelphia Eagles away 2-2
Washington is in for another tough week, especially playing away at the Linc. The weakest part of this Commanders team is its offensive line, and the Eagles have a pretty daunting front four with the likes of Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, and rookie Jalen Carter. Sam Howell is a rookie for all intents and purposes and gets a little rattled and we take a second straight L.
36-13 Eagles.
Week 5: Chicago Bears home 3-2
It’s a short week but we fly home with a chip on our shoulder and correct course against Chicago. It’s not pretty but the Commies get it done with the run.
20-13 Commanders.
Week 6: Atlanta Falcons away 4-2
Coming off a Thursday night win, the Commanders get rested with the mini-bye and come down to Atlanta and secure a clean win by 10, suffocating the Falcons on the defensive side of the ball.
27-17 Commanders.
Week 7: New York Giants away 5-2
The fact that we couldn’t beat these guys at least once last year was abominable - Danny Dimes isn’t a real quarterback. With Chase Young fully back and with a more consistent signal caller (sorry Heinicke) manning the helm, we’ll come out on top against the Giants in any stadium.
23-17 Commanders.
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles home 5-3
The Eagles drop into town and stop our momentum dead in its tracks. It pains me to say it, but I don't think this will be a one-score game either. Philly’s got chips on both shoulders after we broke up their perfect season last year, and then, of course, the Super Bowl loss.
30-14 Eagles.
Week 9: New England Patriots away 5-4
Things will have gotten a little chilly in Foxborough by about this point, and Bill Belichick has always got something up his sleeve. Two strong defenses going head-to-head will make this a slow game, and Belichick always seems to know how to get to opposing younger QBs. The Commanders take the L here in hard fought, low-scoring game.
14-10 Patriots.
Week 10: Seattle Seahawks away 5-5
Do I think Geno Smith will repeat his last year's successes? No way. But the Seahawks are no joke - they’ve got weapons everywhere on offense and they rebuffed their defense this offseason too. Washington loses in a nail-biter to Pete Caroll and the 12th man.
27-21 Seahawks.
Week 11: New York Giants home 6-5
Re-read Week 7. There’s no reason to lose to these scrubs.
24-16 Commanders.
Week 12: Dallas Cowboys away 7-5
Dallas is going to be tough this year. They're going to trot into this game on Thanksgiving Day at about 7-3 feeling pretty good about themselves and Washington’s going to punch them in the mouth. The Commanders D keeps the Cowboys ground game in check and Washington steals one at Arlington in a close game.
24-21 Commanders.
Week 13: Miami Dolphins home 8-5
It’s December in the DMV - sure the Fins have flashy players like Tyreek and Waddle, but I don’t see these Miami boys holding up in the cold. Tua folds under the pressure of our rock-solid d-line and we come away with a win in a game that will come down to the wire.
21-17 Commanders.
Week 14: BYE
Week 15: Los Angeles Rams away 9-5
This one might be a shoot-out. The Commies are rolling into Los Angeles fresh off the bye and Bienemy’s got some moves to try out on Sean McVay and Aaron Donald. I think we just edge out the Rams in SoFi Stadium.
28-24 Commanders.
Week 16: New York Jets away 9-6
Last season, the Jets' defense allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the league (15) and had almost as many interceptions (12). Washington is well aware of these facts, so I don’t anticipate Howell will be pulling up to MetLife guns a blazin’ - Bienemy is going to have to get creative with the rush attack here. Unfortunately, I think Rodgers and crew will have figured it out for the Jets by this point in the season, and I think we get bested in a “bet the under’ kind of game.
20-10 Jets.
San Francisco 49ers home 9-7
The Niners are probably the best team in the NFC at full strength - McCaffrey, Kittle, and Deebo are impossible to stop if they have a QB under center who can actually throw. Their defense also allowed the fewest points in the NFL last season. It won’t be as ugly as last year, but we’ll need to make great strides on both sides of the ball before we can truly compete with these S-tier teams.
30-17 49ers.
Dallas Cowboys home 9-8
The backend of the Cowboys’s schedule gets a bit dicey so they’ll be riding into Landover with a vengeance and needing this one to make the playoffs. We're going to see Dallas' edge defenders Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence bringing it at full tilt from both ends. When it comes down to crunch time, having battle-tested vets gets you over that hump and that’s one area where Dallas beats us.
33-13 Cowboys.
Image source: Pro Football Focus
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