Commanders can't afford to become 'trap game' victims in Week 1

Everything has gone right so far for the Washington Commanders in 2023. They have a new owner, a new culture and a new optimism. They went 3-0 during the preseason, including ending the Baltimore Ravens' historic 24-game exhibition streak.

Now they get to open up the regular season on Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals, who figure to be one of the worst teams in the NFL without QB Kyler Murray. What could go wrong?

The answer is a lot of things, and judging from the Commanders' recent early-season history, they can't take any opponent lightly.

In three seasons under Ron Rivera, Washington has started 1-4, 2-3, and 1-4 in its first five games. The Commanders are 2-1 in Week 1 games in that span, however, those wins were against an Eagles team in 2020 that finished 4-11-1 and a Jaguars team in 2022 that began 4-8 before getting hot at the end of the year.

Both of those wins also required fourth-quarter comebacks, representing a common theme of the Rivera era in that the Commanders have often played their best after falling behind, both on the scoreboard and in the standings. Last season they went from 1-4 to 7-5. In 2020 they went from 1-5 to division champions.

The resilience is admirable, no doubt about that. However, if the Commanders are going to take the step into being a serious NFC playoff contender, they must also learn to be the hunted. They must be held to higher expectations than grind-it-out wins against bad teams -- they need to show they can be dominant.

Week 1 brings a prime opportunity to do just that. This is a Cardinals team that Washington can dominate. They have a much better roster on paper, and more importantly, they have an established identity. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are led by first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon and are starting QB Joshua Dobbs, who is new to the organization.

The Commanders should have no issues beating the Cardinals. They should win by multiple scores, and hang at least 30 if not 40 points on them. They should leave no doubt who the better team is, and they should look like a squad that doesn't need its backs held against the wall in order to play its best.

The level of optimism surrounding Washington's proud NFL franchise hasn't been higher in years, if not decades. Now the team must justify it on the field, or else it will quickly unravel.