We made it. I don’t just mean to the beginning of the season either. For the first time since 1999, Dan Snyder will not be in the owner’s box at Fed Ex Field as the Washington Commanders open a regular season. There will be a sellout crowd and unlike in recent years, most fans will be cheering for the Burgundy and Gold.
The week one game against the Arizona Cardinals is crucial to the success of the season. Arizona may well be the worst team in the NFL, as of early this week, it has yet to name a starting quarterback and it has a rookie head coach coming across the country to play its first game. Win, and everything is fine; lose, and the season could spiral out of control quickly.
If you want to keep an eye on some key players, here are three who could determine the Commanders’ Week 1 fate.
1. WR Jahan Dotson
Surprised Terry McLaurin isn’t listed here. Don’t be. McLaurin is still dealing with a turf toe issue; maybe he plays, maybe he doesn’t. Either way, Dotson has been getting rave reviews this preseason and is on just about everyone’s list to be a breakout player.
Teammates and coaches talk about the second-year receiver the same way they do McLaurin; professional, perfectionist, let his play do the talking. If McLaurin can’t go, Dotson will probably be the number one receiving option.
2. QB Sam Howell
The Commanders have tried the veteran free-agent route for the last three seasons, and it hasn’t worked. In Howell, they have a former preseason Heisman Trophy contender who had the luxury of watching and learning for a year.
Hopefully, he learned well, because he’s playing behind a suspect offensive line.
Howell showed in college he could carry an offense but -obviously- this is a different zip code.
3. DE Chase Young
Is it a stinger or something else?
Young has been on the sidelines since the first week of the preseason, to say nothing of most of 2022. The former second-round pick is supposed to be a wrecking machine, but he’s been anything but since his rookie year.
If the former Ohio State star is truly back to his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year form, the Commanders may have the best defensive line in the league. If not, Young could very well find himself looking for a new team in the offseason.