Washington Week 1 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals

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June 23, 2023

by David Earl

Arizona Cardinals Offseason

The remake of Arizona Cardinals is headlined by the hire of Jonathan Gannon, former defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, as the new head coach. He will surely bring much of the philosophy of Eagles head coach, Nick Sirianni, with him to the Cardinals. With such a disappointing season in 2022, ending with a 4-13 record, Gannon certainly has plenty of work to do over these next couple of years. As for the 2023 season, specifically week 1 against Washington, he will have to enter this matchup without star quarterback Kyler Murray, who suffered an ACL injury in week 14 last season, or recently released wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. I’ll discuss these 2 key missing pieces below. As as the Cardinals’ offseason goes, here are their key moves thus far during free agency:

The Cardinals did very well for themselves through the draft as well, drafting one of the top offensive linemen in Paris Johnson from Ohio St. and LSU edge rusher BJ Ojulari in the first 2 rounds, but the one player of intrigue here is University of Houston quarterback Clayton Tune, who Arizona drafted in round 5. Tune is talked about like a player Washington had the last couple of years, Taylor Heinicke, in that he has limited arm strength but is a smart quarterback with a certain moxie for the game. His inconsistencies will certainly be prevalent and his inexperience at the pro level will be an advantage for Washington but, if not careful, Tune could make for a few tense moments for Washington’s defense. Does Tune give Arizona a real shot to win? I’m not saying that at all, as a loss in week 1 will most likely be on Washington’s Ron Rivera more so than Arizona being the better team that won. The Clayton Tune aspect will be intriguing to potentially watch, if he wins the starting job in place for Murray, after reading his profile being similar to that of Heinicke.  That’s the extent of the Arizona offseason I will discuss.  What is Washington looking to face in week 1 of the season?

Washington Defense vs Cardinals Offense

Last season the Cardinals’ offense ran the ball 38% of the time, averaging 4.3 yards per carry ranking 18th in the league. Kyler Murray accounted for 418 yards on 67 rushing attempts (5.2 yards per carry) and, without those rushing numbers, the Cardinals rank near the bottom of the league at 3.9 yards per carry. When looking at the Cardinals’ pass protection numbers, they ranked 23rd and allowed 2.7 sacks per game. They allowing a sack percentage of 6.8%, which placed them middle of the pack in the league. It is clear the Cardinals have much to work on in the trenches and Paris Johnson certainly goes a long way to help but the vulnerabilities will most likely be prevalent. With a healthy defensive front and what looks to be an improved secondary plus a potential 5th round rookie at the helm in Clayton Tune, Washington should effectively control the line of scrimmage and generate plenty of pressure on the quarterback.

When looking at the offensive scheme, new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is looking to design an offense that best suits his player’s talents. While they do not possess the same level of skill position talent as the Eagles, Murray certainly emulates the skill sets of Jalen Hurts. Considering that aspect and the fact that Gannon has  a firsthand understanding of how Nick Siriani utilized their star quarterback, it can be assumed the scheme could very well emulate that of Philadelphia to some extent. Seeing how the Eagles’ play calling was a near 50:50 ratio of the pass to run (49.74% were designed running plays), Washington could see a heavy dose of James Conner, who averaged 4.3 yards per attempt last season. Last season Washington ranked 15th in allowing 4.4 yards per carry but, with the absence of Murray and his effect on the running game, Washington can afford to be more aggressive defensively against the run as the inexperience of Clayton Tune could allow for looser coverage.

Matchup Edge: Washington

Washington Offense vs Arizona Cardinals Defense

Last season Arizona’s defense gave up 348.9 yards per game, which was ranked 21st, and 5.5 yards per play, but while being a bit better in 3rd down conversion, ranked 18th. Their defense gave up 4.5 yards per carry against the run, which was ranked 21st, and gave up an average of 118 total rushing yards per game. They were even worse against the pass, surrendering a league-worse 69.81% completions; however, they held opposing offenses to 9.5 yards per completion, which was ranked 5th. The Cardinals struggled to apply  pressure on the quarterback. They averaged 2.1 sacks per game, which was in the bottom half of the league, and had a sack percentage of 5.72%, which was ranked 23rd. In all this defensive unit is in major rework with a couple of playmakers in linebacker Isaiah Simmons and safety Budda Baker still on the roster. Their struggles against the pass should allow a great opportunity for Eric Bieniemy to get his young quarterback, Sam Howell, starting off on the right foot. What does this translate to for Washington?

Considering what the offensive line brings in protection schemes in both the pass and run games, Bieniemy will certainly need to be creative in play design to protect his young quarterback this season. He will have to work with an offensive line that allowed the 25th-worst sack percentage, at 7.97%, and 4.0 yards per attempt, which was ranked 28th, during this past season, among other deficiencies you can read here. That said, this week 1 matchup against Arizona may actually play in Washington’s favor, considering the lack of pressure Arizona’s defense generated last season. While last year the running scheme was far from dynamic under Scott Turner, the running back usage projected for Washington under Bieniemy can potentially take advantage of a weaker defensive unit in Arizona.

Matchup Edge: Washington

Conclusion

Week 1 of the 2023 season will be one of the few matchups in Washington will have distinct advantages across the board and makes for a perfect start for Sam Howell. The defense should generate a heavy pass rush against an inexperienced Clayton Tune which will potentially create turnovers and a shorter field for the offense. Eric Bieniemy should scheme a more dynamic run game, especially with Curtis Samuel.  This will create opportunities for Washington’s wide receiver group against a league worse pass coverage defense in Arizona. The cards are laid out very well in this matchup and so much so that Washington has already opened up as 6-point favorites. If I had to predict a score right now I’d go Washington over Arizona 24-13.