2023 NFL season, Week 1: What We Learned from Sunday's games

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Michael Baca's takeaways:

1. Washington's defensive front closes the show. Holding the Cardinals to three points and 93 yards in the second half, the Commanders' defense pinned its ears back and thwarted any idea of an upset. Montez Sweat (1.5), Jonathan Allen (1.0) and Abdullah Anderson (0.5) combined for three sacks, but Daron Payne's constant disruption of Arizona's backfield won't show up on the stat sheet. Sweat added two forced fumbles to his great day. Jack Del Rio's defense is off to a great start, and it figures to grow even stronger once star pass rusher Chase Young gets back on the field. 
2. Don't sleep on Arizona's defense. It was no shock that the Cardinals' quarterback play eventually caught up with them in the second half, but Jonathan Gannon's defense showed it could be the guiding light for the team. The unit played with great energy, posting six sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and seven passes defensed, although they did commit a few penalties in the first quarter to extend a scoring drive for Washington. The Cardinals had a 13-10 lead at halftime thanks to the second of Dennis Gardeck's two sacks, which led to Arizona's first touchdown of the afternoon -- a scoop and score by Cameron Thomas. The Cardinals' defense kept them in the game, but the offense ultimately prevented them from getting Gannon a win in his debut as head coach.
3. 2023 could be a rollercoaster ride in Washington. It wouldn't have been such a close game if the Commanders' offense hadn't given Arizona so many chances. Sam Howell made plenty of mistakes (interception, fumble lost) but he seemed to shake off the miscues, continuing to throw the ball downfield. Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy deserves credit for getting creative and dialing up different looks against a game Arizona defense. Howell's offensive line didn't make life easy, but the second-year quarterback pulled out a gutsy performance (sacked six times). Howell made a slick toss to Brian Robinson for the game's first score and gave Washington the lead with a six-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Coupled with a solid defense, Howell's gunslinger mentality figures to make for some exciting contests in 2023. 

Next Gen stat of the game: Montez Sweat (6 QB pressures, 1.5 sacks, TO forced by pressure) and Jonathan Allen (6 QB pressures, 1 sack) combined for 12 of the Commanders' 17 QB pressures in Week 1.

NFL Research: The Commanders allowed 210 total yards and zero offensive TDs to the Cardinals, the fewest total yards allowed by Washington in Week 1 since 2005 versus Chicago (allowed 166 total yards, won 9-7).