Best Bets for Commanders in 2023: Building for the Future

Minor Miracle Needed

Our sportsbook has the Commanders at +300 to make the playoffs, which we’re not entertaining.

With former North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell playing with just one NFL game under his belt, we can’t see them having much of an effect in the win column.

Howell could mature into a handy QB, but it’s not like he’s slotting into a team with a plethora of quality receivers. He could have a tough time finding open receivers, which could hurt his year and his career.

“We feel pretty comfortable, pretty good about the guy this year. We feel very strongly — I know I do — going into this season that we’ve got a guy,” head coach Ron Rivera said.

“For three seasons, I’ve always felt that I had a question mark and now it feels like, ‘OK, this is pretty good.’ I mean, I’m pretty comfortable, pretty confident and I look forward to seeing it.”

Sam Howell is that DUDE! pic.twitter.com/zIAa8Gy2QV

— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) August 22, 2023

We would have loved to have seen Washington sign a standout receiver, but as the team stands, making the playoffs would be a huge shock.

Our NFL expert predictions have the Commanders having an awful year, so the -400 to miss the playoffs looks like a sure wager.

Under 6½ Wins Is the Smart Play

Current NFL lines have Washington’s win total at 6½, and the under has been backed into -140, which isn’t surprising.

Despite winning eight games in 2022, the situation is different this time around, and we expect them to struggle to win most games.

The NFC East hasn’t suddenly become an easier division, especially with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys being two of the favorites for the Super Bowl.

Winning division games doesn’t even look easy against the New York Giants, so that leaves the Commanders on the outside looking in.

We expect their defense to keep them in the contest, but come crunch time, we can’t see Howell leading his offense down the field for the win.

For that reason, we see the Commanders winning either five or six games.

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Points Hard to Come By

The field goal kicker and punter for the Commanders could have a sore leg when it’s all said and done.

We can’t see them scoring many touchdowns, which could result in them scoring the least number of points.

The current NFL betting favorites are the Arizona Cardinals at +450, and that’s a fair assessment, but we’re not overlooking Washington at +1000.

It’s a value price for a team that scored only 321 points last season. Sure, the defense held up its end of the bargain, allowing just 343 points, but that won’t have an effect on this betting market.

It’s one of the options with higher value, so lock it in before the Commander’s firm.

NFC East Struggles

The NFC East is stacked with quality teams, and the Commanders aren’t one of them.

We think they will struggle to keep in touch with the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants, which should see them finish in last place.

They couldn’t manage to get off the bottom of the vision last year when winning eight games, so with our expectations even lower in 2022, we think it’s a safe bet.

standing room only tix just released for Week 1

get ’em before they’re gone » https://t.co/vfGwQ8g069 pic.twitter.com/15YFK91Roo

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 30, 2023

They are +1200 to win the division, and we would need at least +6000 NFL odds to entertain their chances. However, the -125 to finish fourth is the better wager.

The Commanders have an easy start against the Cardinals and Broncos, but once they start playing the likes of the Bills and Eagles, the season could come unstuck, and that’s providing they are competitive against Arizona and Denver.

Checking the Vegas NFL odds and NLF lines before placing your bets is always a smart move for informed decisions.