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The Washington Commanders are coming off a season in which they nearly qualified for the NFC playoffs. Even after coming so close to a rare season above .500, massive changes were in order in the offseason, as Eric Bieniemy was brought in from the Kansas City Chiefs to be the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. This might be the most unique quarterback room in the league, with Sam Howell set to land the starting job in Week 1. Howell will be backed up by Jacoby Brissett, a floor-raiser of a quarterback, but one who can’t win your team many games. With the team finally rid of longtime owner Dan Snyder, can the Commanders overachieve this season? Let’s take a look at some of the odds and best bets to be made on the Washington Commanders in 2023.
Washington Commanders breakdown
2022 record: 8-8-1
2022 ATS record: 8-8-1
2022 O/U record: 5-11-1
Key players in: Jacoby Brissett (QB), Andrew Wylie (OT), Nick Gates (OL)
Key players out: Carson Wentz (QB), Taylor Heinicke (QB)
2023 NFL Draft class: Emmanuel Forbes (CB), Jartavius Martin (DB), Ricky Stromberg (C), Braeden Daniels (OT), KJ Henry (EDGE), Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB), Andre Jones (DE)
Washington Commanders 2023 NFL season odds
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Washington Commanders Super Bowl odds
At +6500, the Washington Commanders are not expected to contend for a Super Bowl title in the slightest.
Washington Commanders NFC Championship odds
The Cowboys currently sit at +3000 to win the NFC. This puts them at 11th in the conference according to the oddsmakers.
Washington Commanders NFC East odds
The Washington Commanders are +1300 to win the NFC East, putting their odds at last in the division behind the Eagles, Cowboys and Giants.
Washington Commanders win total odds
The Commanders’ win total is 6.5 games. Over 6.5 is at +105, while the under comes with -125 odds.
Washington Commanders 2023 schedule
Week 1: vs Arizona Cardinals
Week 2: at Denver Broncos
Week 3: vs Buffalo Bills
Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 5: vs Chicago Bears (Thursday)
Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 7: at New York Giants
Week 8: vs Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9: at New England Patriots
Week 10: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 11: vs New York Giants
Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys (Thanksgiving)
Week 13: vs Miami Dolphins
Week 14: BYE
Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 16: at New York Jets
Week 17: vs San Francisco 49ers
Week 18: vs Dallas Cowboys
Washington Commanders 2022 NFL season recap
The 2022 season was a rollercoaster for the Commanders. Their defense was unsurprisingly very strong once again, keeping Washington in the majority of its games, even as the Commanders suffered from continuously poor quarterback play. Taylor Heinicke showed some flashes throughout the season, but those moments were largely overshadowed by his inconsistency and propensity to turn to the ball over (21 interceptions over the last 2 seasons). Washington still nearly qualified for the playoffs in a dismal NFC, finishing with a record of 8-8-1 and falling just short of its second playoff appearance in 3 seasons.
Washington Commanders 2023 NFL season predictions
As the odds indicate, the Commanders are certainly not expected to be a playoff team. Washington is currently listed at +310 to make the playoffs, which has them trailing most of the NFC, including the Rams, Bears, Panthers, Giants and Packers. It’s hard to disagree with the oddsmakers on this one, especially once you take a look at their schedule. Let’s get into our predictions for the Washington Commanders this season.
Best bet: Washington Commanders under 6.5 wins (-125)
In all honesty, I want to be higher on the Commanders this year than I am. This could be the feel-good story in the NFL this season, especially with the addition by subtraction of finally getting rid of Dan Snyder. The team can finally move on and potentially feel good about the direction things are headed. However, much like I’ve said for the other NFC East teams, this is an absolutely brutal schedule. Drawing the AFC East is an absolute buzzsaw through any hopes that this team had of contending for a playoff berth, plus they’ll face the NFC West out of division. Washington’s ceiling to me seems like 6 wins this season, so even though I love the Bieniemy hire and think he’ll work wonders down the road, it’s hard to forecast anything but an under this fall.
Washington Commanders season record prediction: 5-12
The Commanders’ schedule features a number of surefire losses, including a combined 10 games against playoff teams from a season ago. It’s a tall task for any team, but factor in the largely unproven Sam Howell at quarterback and the challenge just gets more difficult. I could see Washington winning anywhere from 4-6 games by the time January rolls around, so I split the difference and marked them down for a 5-12 campaign. They’ll be in a fair amount of close games, but I don’t see the Commanders winning most of those contests.