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July 20, 2023The Washington Commanders come off a .500 season in 2022, finishing with an 8-8-1 record that saw the franchise miss out on the playoffs a second straight year and sixth time in the last seven. Even so, Ron Rivera still coached this team over its win total odds for the second time throughout his three-year tenure in D.C. If he had a competent quarterback at his disposal, it’s entirely possible Washington became the fourth team from the NFC East to punch a ticket to the second season. That’s how good the defense was throughout the 2022-23 NFL betting season with it ranked No. 3 overall in allowing fewer than 305.0 yards per game while surrendering just over 20 points a game (No. 7). Armed with a fantastic wide receiver corps and a deep backfield, the hope is that new offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy can light a fire under either Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett to allow for the offense to be more of a boon than Achilles heel to one of the finest stop units in the game. With a new season ahead, let’s take a deep dive into the team’s strengths and weaknesses and make some predictions on their season win total, NFL betting odds, and futures.
Washington Commanders: The Unknown Commodity of the NFC East
The Washington Commanders made a few key offseason moves to improve the roster’s overall makeup. They turned over parts of their offensive line, signing Nick Gates to start at center and adding Sam Cosmi and veteran RT Andrew Wylie. The hope is that the additions paired with holdovers Charles Leno Jr. and Chris Paul can turn the front wall into at the very least a league average pass blocking unit after chiming in at No. 26 per PFF a season ago. Should that come to fruition, Brissett and or Howell will be in line for some magical fantasy production as talented the Commanders wide receiver corps looks to be heading into the regular season. It seriously might not get much better than Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel, and NFL bettors and fantasy footballers deserve to see these guys go HAM every passing week!
The Commanders get a healthy Chase Young back for the 2023 season. Hopefully he can stay healthy. Even without him, the unit finished No. 1 in success rate, No. 10 in pressure rate, and No. 5 in EPA (Expected Points Added). Against top-10 QBs, The Commanders also ruled the roost in EPA letting it be known they didn’t just flex their muscles against the patsies. DC Jack Del Rio has one heck of a defense at his disposal. Fingers crossed the offense can actually do some things consistently this season and not force the stop unit to fade late due to its incompetence.
Bet the Washington Commanders Season Wins Total at PointsBet Sportsbook
Washington Commanders Season Wins Total: 6.5
The Washington Commanders have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season, facing eight teams ranked amongst the top-10 with the shortest Super Bowl odds. They also play the NFC West and AFC East, making for a difficult road ahead. Sharp Football Analysis ranks their schedule strength as the ninth toughest in the league a year removed from running up against the sixth easiest. What kind of sense does that make with it finishing fourth within the division and the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants all playing against lighter schedules?! As it is, Washington’s season win total odds clock in at 6.5 over at PointsBet Sportsbook with heavier -125 vig attached to the under. Other futures odds include +285 to make the playoffs, +1300 to win the NFC East, +4000 to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and +8000 to win it all.
If the Washington Commanders’ defense can replicate or better their performance from last season, and their offense can improve under new OC Eric Bieniemy, they have a chance to exceed their season win total. As dominant the stop unit was last season, it’s almost unbelievable that it was able to attain all those upper tier stats while only forcing a grand total of 18 turnovers. To address the issue, upper management selected Miss St CB Emmanuel Forbes with its lone first round pick in the NFL Draft with the hope of him becoming the playmaker at the next level he proved to be throughout his collegiate career after setting an FBS record with six pick-sixes!
Should Sam Howell falter in his attempt to lead the offense, the Commanders possess an excellent back-up in the form of Brissett who’s made a killing backing quarterbacks up throughout his seven-year professional career. While Taylor Heinicke came up with some big plays throughout his time in D.C., you never knew what you were going to get with him anytime he stepped onto the gridiron. Though he threw 12 touchdowns in his nine overall starts, he also threw six interceptions and had potentially seven more dropped by defenders. Brissett owns a 48:23 TD/INT ratio over the course of his career. That likely means more pigskins hit the hands of his receivers than opposing defenders should he get a bulk of the starts.
Case for the Under
Washington’s biggest weakness – or unknown – comes in the quarterback room. Howell’s lone NFL start occurred in a meaningless game against the Dallas Cowboys, and he didn’t do much to impress in completing 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards and a 1:1 TD/INT ratio. If the game proves to be too fast for the second-year signal caller, his lack of experience at the NFL level might force a quick hook. It however isn’t a given that Brissett shines with the vet likely not to receive the same type of protection he received in Cleveland with the Commanders new makeshift line a work in progress. Should the offense fail to improve upon last year’s poor outputs, it’s tough to bank on the defense being able to make up for it once again.
The schedule is extremely bothersome as well. In the first month alone, Washington will run up against two teams heavily favored to qualify for the playoffs (Philadelphia/Dallas) and a third (Denver) that’s expected to be dramatically better under the new competent coaching staff. They also don’t get their bye week until Week 14, which is the latest of all but one other team this season.
Washington Commanders Schedule
Week 1: vs. Cardinals
Week 2: at Broncos
Week 3: vs. Bills
Week 4: at Eagles
Week 5: vs. Bears (TNF)
Week 6: at Falcons
Week 7: at Giants
Week 8: vs. Eagles
Week 9: at Patriots
Week 10: at Seahawks
Week 11: vs. Giants
Week 12: at Cowboys (TNF)
Week 13: vs. Dolphins
Week 14: Bye Week
Week 15: at Rams
Week 16: at Jets
Week 17: vs. 49ers
Week 18:vs. Cowboys
Washington Commanders Season Win Total Analysis
The Washington Commanders have a lot of work to do if they want to make a push for the playoffs in 2022-23. The defense is about as solid as it gets, but the other side of the ball is a huge question mark mainly due to the unknowns at the quarterback position. It’s been a struggle for the franchise ever since making the decision to let Kirk Cousins bolt for the Twin Cities. That being said, I’ll buy the discount here on a team I believe oddsmakers and NFL bettors are selling short. Even with it known Carson Wentz would lead the offense into battle a year ago, Washington sported a 7.5-game win total and still managed to exceed it even though he only started seven games. I think there’s enough talent on this roster to at the very least mimic that feat if not take it to a new level should it finally get above average quarterback play.
Washington Commanders Season Win Total Prediction: Over 6.5 +100
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