Rewind: Dobbs, Cardinals come up short vs. Commanders

The Washington Commanders hosted the Arizona Cardinals in a Week 1 NFL game on Sunday, Sept. 10.

Look back at our game updates from the season-opener.

Dobbs, Cardinals come up short vs. Commanders

The Arizona Cardinals had two chances to put together a game-winning drive and both times were disappointed by their chosen quarterback.

They fell to the Washington Commanders 20-16 in the first game of the regular season.

Joshua Dobbs got the start for Arizona and serviceable for most of the game. Late in the game, with the Cardinals trailing, 17-16, Dobbs fumbled away a possession when all the team needed to go ahead was a field goal. Kicker Matt Prater had already made three.

The Commanders turned that possession into a field goal that put them up 20-16.

Arizona then got another chance with the ball and needing a touchdown for the win.

Dobbs, who didn't play for the Cardinals during the preseason after being acquired in a trade, finished 21-for-30 for 133 yards. The offense produced just 211 yards while the team was penalized nine times for 122 yards.

Penalties AND turnovers

In the first half, Arizona was hampered by penalties, while the Commanders were hurt by turnovers.

It's been a different story in the second half as the Cardinals have been hurt by both penalties and turnovers.

Both Arizona fumbles were by quarterback Josh Dobbs. The second came with just 4:38 left in the game with the Cardinals trailing by 1. After that play, the Cardinals were also hit with a penalty that put the Commanders inside the Arizona 25.

The Commanders were able to get a field goal off the turnover to put them up by four with 2:25 to play. The Cardinals were only able to move the ball 12 yards on six plays. One of those plays was a sack on Dobbs for a loss of 8 yards.

Scramble puts Washington on top

Quarterback Sam Howell scrambled 6 yards for a touchdown to tie the game and the point after gave the Commanders a 17-16 lead over the Cardinals with 11:48 to play.

The Commanders entered the game as a 7-point favorite.

The Cardinals lone touchdown was scored by the defense. Matt Prate has accounted for the other 9 points with fields of 28-, 54- and 37-yards.

Cardinals end third on down note

Quarterback Josh Dobbs was sacked for a 10-yard loss and fumbled the fall. It was recovered by Washington.

The Commandeers ran one play before the end of the third quarter. Arizona leads 16-10, but Washington is at the Arizona 5.

The fumble was Arizona's first turnover of the game and the season.

Rain, rain

The Cardinals kept the momentum going in the second half. They added a field goal on their first possession to go up 16-10.

Matt Prater kicked it from 37 yards.

The rain has picked up.

The Commanders have kept the ball on the ground with some success in the third quarter.

End of the half

Arizona leads 13-10 at the half.

The Cardinals have been hampered by penalties, while the Commanders have struggled with three turnovers

Let's look at some more stats.

Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs is 8-for-12 for 63 yards. It's first first start for the Cardinals. He has targeted six different receivers with tight ends Zach Ertz (6) and Trey McBride (2) seeing the most balls go their way.

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown leads rushers with 29 yards, which all came on a single play. James Conner has six carries for 22 yards.

Commanders QB Sam Howell is 15-for-24 for 169 yards with an interception and a touchdown. He has been sacked four times and fumbled once.

Defense winning game for Cardinals

The Cardinals lead 13-7 thanks to their defense.

With 55 seconds left in the first half, Dennis Gardeck sacked Commanders quarterback Sam Howell for a 14-yard loss. Howell fumbled and Cameron Thomas scooped the ball up and lunged across the goal line for the go-ahead score.

It was the third turnover forced by the Arizona defense.

Again, the penalties

The first half isn't over. The Arizona Cardinals already have 97 penalty yards.

For comparison, they have 59 passing yards and 59 rushing yards for 118 yards of offense.

Meanwhile, the Commanders have three penalties for 29 yards.

Takeaways giving Cardinals opportunities

Zaven Collins intercepted a pass at the Commanders 37. While the Cardinals weren't able to do much offensively, they didn't lose ground. Matt Prater was able to kick the ball through for a 54-yard field goal.

They moved Arizona to within a point, 7-6.

On the Commanders next possession, the Cardinals got another takeaway.

This time it was a fumbled forced by Victor Dimukeje and recovered by Collins on the Cardinals 16. The fumbled halted a promising drive by the Commanders.

Arizona was not able to get any points off that turnover, but it could be said they kept points off the board for the Commanders since they were already within field goal range.

Cardinals get on the scoreboard

They had a couple shots at a touchdown, but in the end, the Cardinals had to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Matt Prater.

The drive saw quarterback Josh Dobbs complete a 31-yard pass to Rondale Moore. Hollywood Brown gained 29 yards on the ground with a reverse.

The possession was certainly a positive for the Cardinals.

The first quarter ends with the Commanders leading 7-3.

Cardinals penalty problems lead to Commanders TD

The Cardinals have been assessed a pair of penalties — one for a late hit and the other for contact to the head. Both 15-yard penalties came on the same drive.

A third penalty on the drive for pass interference was also assessed against the Cardinals. That was the most costly as it set the Commanders up with a first down on the Cardinals 13.

The three penalties added up to 66 yards.

Two quick plays later, the Commanders were in the end zone. They lead 7-0 with 4:15 left in the first.

One of the officials who threw a flag on the first penalty had to leave the game. He was wrapped up in the play that ended with a late hit along the sideline. The official fell to the ground, where he threw his flag wall seated. He got to his feet, but left the field before the next play.

Cardinals kickoff the season

The Arizona Cardinals literally kicked off the season with the Commanders receiving the ball to start the game.

After picking up a pair of first downs, the Commanders were forced to punt to end their first possession. A penalty against Washington for an illegal block, sets the Cardinals up on their own 17 to start.

There was light rain as the game began. How much of a factor that will be, we shall see.

Josh Dobbs to start for Cardinals?

The Arizona Cardinals had to tip their hand at some point, right?

During warmups, quarterback Josh Dobbs was working with the first team. That indicates that he will get the start against the Commanders. Dobbs did not play during the preseason after being acquired by Arizona.

Cardinals-Commanders inactives

How to watch NFL Week 1 game between Cardinals, Commanders

The game can be seen at 10 a.m. MST time on FOX.

It can be streamed on several streaming services, including FUBO (free trial) and Sling.

Adam Amin will provide the play-by-play for the game and Mark Schlereth will be the analyst.

Cardinals vs. Commanders picks, predictions

Most sites are predicting a Commanders victory over the Cardinals in Sunday's game.

The Arizona Republic's Jose M. Romero previewed and predicted the outcome of the game in his Cardinals vs. Commanders scouting report.

ESPN gives Washington a 73.1% chance to beat Arizona in the contest.

Cardinals vs. Commanders odds

The Commanders are a 7-point favorite over the Cardinals in the game.

Washington is -255 on the moneyline, while Arizona is +210.

The over/under (point total) is set at 39.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals can't over come penalties and turnovers