The Josh Harris era will start with a challenging schedule. The Washington Commanders have two conference heavyweights in the NFC East, Philadelphia and Dallas, and face two tough divisions: the AFC East and NFC West. The Commanders’ slate is projected to be the ninth-most difficult in the NFL, according to Inpredictable, a sports betting analysis website. Sportsbooks generally have forecast that the Commanders will have six or seven wins.
But Coach Ron Rivera wants to do something he has never done in Washington: Start fast. His teams opened 2-7 in 2020, 2-6 in 2021 and 1-4 in 2022. This year’s first game is at home against Washington’s weakest opponent, which could help. Another positive: The team doesn’t have backloaded divisional games, as it did in 2021 and 2022, and it has one of the best rest edges in the league. One challenge, though, will be a Week 14 bye.
Here’s a week-by-week breakdown of Washington’s schedule:
Week 1: Sept. 10 vs. Arizona Cardinals
1 p.m., Fox
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It’s by far the most winnable game. Arizona’s new regime is tearing down the roster by trading away key pieces and cutting quarterback Colt McCoy, who was the presumed starter without star Kyler Murray (ACL). The Cardinals have a new head coach and a first-time offensive coordinator and probably will start journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs, whom they traded for Aug. 24. Washington was favored by eight points before Arizona cut McCoy, according to Inpredictable, and should become a steeper favorite.
Week 2: Sept. 17 at Denver Broncos
4:25 p.m., CBS
After a disastrous first year, Denver’s new ownership group hired Coach Sean Payton to resurrect Russell Wilson’s career. If the duo are successful — a big question after an uneven preseason — Denver could be a problem. The offense is getting explosive running back Javonte Williams back from a devastating knee injury but could be without several other key players, including wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (hamstring).
Week 3: Sept. 24 vs. Buffalo Bills
1 p.m., CBS
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They’re juggernaut Super Bowl contenders with an MVP-caliber quarterback in Josh Allen. Washington should be better than the last time they played — a 43-21 shellacking at Buffalo in 2021 — and there seems to be simmering discord between Allen and star wideout Stefon Diggs. But unless Washington’s defense starts much faster than it has in years past, the Commanders’ best hope is for the Bills to beat themselves.
Week 4: Oct. 1 at Philadelphia Eagles
1 p.m., Fox
Maybe the best win of Rivera’s tenure came at Lincoln Financial Field last year. The Commanders knocked off the then-undefeated Eagles, 32-21, on “Monday Night Football.” It’ll be difficult to pull off another upset with the Eagles reloaded and hoping for another Super Bowl run. Philadelphia addressed the weakness Washington exploited in that game, the interior defensive line, by picking the best player in the draft: Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Week 5: Oct. 5 vs. Chicago Bears
8:15 p.m., Prime Video
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Amazon can’t get enough of Commanders-Bears. For the second straight year, the two teams will play on a Thursday night, this time at Washington. Chicago is in the second year of a rebuild and should be better on defense with the addition of middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The regime is betting big on continued development from dynamic quarterback Justin Fields, who is a devastating threat as a runner but has been limited as a passer.
(Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post. Interim CEO Patty Stonesifer sits on Amazon’s board.)
Week 6: Oct. 15 at Atlanta Falcons
1 p.m., CBS
Barring injury, this won’t be a revenge game for Taylor Heinicke. Atlanta’s starting quarterback is Desmond Ridder, the 2022 third-round pick out of Cincinnati. But the Falcons’ avant-garde, run-first offense minimizes the quarterback and highlights an elite trio of rushers: Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and 2023 first-round pick Bijan Robinson. Atlanta’s defense, anchored by tackle Grady Jarrett and new safety Jessie Bates III, should be competitive.
Week 7: Oct. 22 at New York Giants
1 p.m., CBS
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The last time the Commanders played the Giants on the road, their game finished 20-20. This year, the Giants doubled down on quarterback Daniel Jones and are trying to prove their surprise surge to the divisional round of the playoffs was no fluke. Coach Brian Daboll remains one of the brightest offensive minds in the league and is complemented by an aggressive defensive coordinator in Don “Wink” Martindale.
Week 8: Oct. 29 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
1 p.m., Fox
A potentially major milestone for Washington’s new ownership. If the season is going well and attendance is strong, this game could be a statement return for Commanders fans to FedEx Field after years of Eagles fans flooding the seats to create what they called “the Linc South.” If the season isn’t going well and the Birds are soaring, it could be just another Sunday when good plays by the home team are booed.
Week 9: Nov. 5 at New England Patriots
1 p.m., Fox
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The most interesting storyline of this game: how Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, who crafts defensive game plans as Rembrandt used paint, attacks quarterback Sam Howell. Young passers have always struggled against Belichick, and the Patriots’ defense should be one of the best in the league with a strong, deep rotation of hybrid safeties/linebackers. New England also should be better on offense after scrapping the odd offensive coordinator tandem of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia in favor of veteran coach Bill O’Brien.
Week 10: Nov. 12 at Seattle Seahawks
4:25 p.m., Fox
This is the second game in the toughest four-week stretch of the season. In November, the Commanders have two road games against tough teams — one of which is a six-hour flight away — and then two divisional games, including the second on the road on a short week. Spirited septuagenarian Pete Carroll and born-again quarterback Geno Smith lead the Seahawks. The defense includes cornerback Devon Witherspoon, whom the Commanders liked in the draft before he was selected fifth.
Week 11: Nov. 19 vs. New York Giants
1 p.m., Fox
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Last year in Week 15, the Commanders needed a win over the Giants to all but seal a trip to the playoffs. Instead, the offense melted down and scored just 12 points in a loss that hastened the season’s demise. Washington will probably need to capitalize on its weakest division rival at home if it’s going to push for a postseason spot this year.
Week 12: Nov. 23 at Dallas Cowboys
4:30 p.m., CBS
The last time the Commanders played on Thanksgiving at Jerry World, in 2020, Washington earned the most lopsided win of Rivera’s tenure with a 41-16 thumping that included running back Antonio Gibson waving goodbye to a defender on the way to one of his three touchdowns. The Cowboys’ defensive front could be a matchup nightmare for the Commanders’ budget offensive line.
Week 13: Dec. 3 vs. Miami Dolphins
1 p.m., Fox
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The team, like the animal it reps, is flashy and fast. Miami Coach Mike McDaniel orchestrates a high-octane offense led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and elite wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. In the offseason, the Dolphins also landed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the most in-demand coach on the market. Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey went down early in camp with a knee injury but could be back by this matchup.
Week 15: Dec. 17 at Los Angeles Rams
4:05 p.m., CBS
Though the Rams still have stars left from their Super Bowl win — quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald — the team is paying the price for going all-in. The Rams started to tear down the roster in the offseason by trading Ramsey and are now expected to be one of the league’s worst teams. Coach Sean McVay has in the past strongly considered leaving NFL coaching for TV broadcasting, and Stafford’s wife, Kelly, recently said the influx of youth on the Rams has made it hard for her husband to connect with his teammates.
Week 16: Dec. 24 at New York Jets
1 p.m., CBS
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New decade, same story. The Jets are the darlings of the NFL after acquiring a gray-bearded former Green Bay Packers franchise quarterback who’s nearing 40. Aaron Rodgers hopes to do New York better than Brett Favre did; in 2008, Favre threw 22 touchdown passes with a league-leading 22 interceptions as the Jets finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Rodgers historically has shredded Washington — he has 16 touchdown passes to one interception — and he should quickly settle into the offense led by new coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who coached him in Green Bay.
Week 17: Dec. 31 vs. San Francisco 49ers
1 p.m., Fox
San Francisco Coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the many young, talented coaches Washington let get away in the past decade. In last year’s matchup, he twisted the knife by getting into heavy personnel packages and shredding Washington through the air and on the ground. The big questions for the 49ers are at quarterback (Can Brock Purdy continue the magical run he began last year?) and on defense (Can the unit keep it up after replacing its coordinator for the second time in three years?).
Week 18: TBD vs. Dallas Cowboys
The NFL loves scheduling Dallas at Washington late in the season. For the second year in a row, the NFL left the day and time “TBD,” in case the historical rivals are battling for playoff positioning and it can put them in prime time.
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