NFL Week One: Under the radar games to watch

Week One of the 2023 NFL season is now just days away, and there are an abundance of mouth-watering ties lined up. The Chiefs and Lions promise an offensive feast of football as the season kicks off on Thursday and matchups between the Giants and Cowboys, and Bears and Packers could set the tone for the rest of the season in their respective divisions.

The best part of opening week, however, is the intrigue surrounding each and every game. All teams are starting with a clean slate and have a chance to make amends for a disappointing 2022 season. Let’s take a look at three overlooked games between teams desperate for improvement this year.

Arizona Cardinals @ Washington Commanders, Sunday 18:00 BST

Clayton Tune has finally given Cardinals fans reason to have some optimism for the 2023 season following his impressive showing in preseason. Showing poise in the pocket and solid accuracy, the fifth round pick has seemed like a solid addition for Arizona even his career trajectory ultimately ends up as a back-up in the league.

The team are not announcing their starting QB in the run up to Week 1 in an attempt to gain a competitive edge over Washington. We’ll have to keep an eye on practice reps this week as an indication to whether Tune will be starting ahead of veteran Joshua Dobbs.

The Commanders will be starting with an inexperienced quarterback. Sam Howell will play in just his second career game in Week 1, beating out Jacoby Brissett (who had a fine 2022 season) to the starting role in DC. Howell’s only preseason outing saw him throw a clean game, completing 19/25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns as the Commanders ended the Ravens’ incredible 24-game preseason win streak. 

Many, including myself, were eyeing up the Cardinals as a potential 0-17 candidate this season in the absence of Kyler Murray, but I fancy this game to stay fairly close throughout.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints, Sunday 18:00 BST

This contest between two 7-10 teams from the 2022 season has obvious added intrigue as Derek Carr suits up for the first time at the Superdome. The NFC South was the tightest division in football last year, with all four teams finishing within just one game of each other. The solid play we’ve come to expect from Carr under centre could be just what New Orleans needs to edge ahead of the rest of the division.

The Saints will also receive a major boost in having a healthy Michael Thomas available for the first time in a number of seasons. If the receiver can return to a similar level that we saw at the start of his career, he’ll surely be a top contender for Comeback Player of the Year.

The Titans on the other hand completely collapsed through the second half of the 2022 season. Sitting at 7-3 and in total command of the NFC South, Tennessee lost their final SEVEN games and ultimately the division title to a resurgent Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ryan Tannehill has retained his starting job and now has a massively upgraded receiving corps with the arrival of DeAndre Hopkins, finally filling the void left by AJ Brown’s departure. Peter Skoronski is already showing huge promise at left guard, and the upgraded offensive line should give Tannehill the protection he needs to throw – when Derrick Henry isn’t carrying this team on his back.

This one is very close to call, but I think home field advantage will swing this for the Saints.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos, Sunday 21:25 BST

There will be few people happier to have last season firmly behind them than Russell Wilson. Russ played the worst football of his career in his first season in Denver following the blockbuster trade from the Seahawks. 

Nathaniel Hackett became the scapegoat for the Broncos’ poor form last season and was replaced by offensive mastermind Sean Payton. Wilson is arguably under more pressure than any quarterback this season, and only a drastic improvement would prevent Payton from looking elsewhere for a signal caller next season.

We saw very little from Jimmy Garoppolo in preseason, understandably not being risked by the Raiders due to his past injuries. Keeping Jimmy G on the field will be the biggest concern for the Raiders, as the 49ers made it at least as far as the NFC Championship Game in the three seasons that Garoppolo started at least 11 games.

Las Vegas has undoubted talent on the offensive side of the ball, with the receiving trio of Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow providing a plethora of options for their new quarterback. Josh Jacobs deservedly received his first All-Pro honour after leading the league in rushing yards in 2022. Defensive play makers in Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones and rookie defensive end Tyree Wilson round out this balanced roster as the Raiders look to close the gap to the Chiefs atop the AFC West.

I think we’ll see a marked improvement on the offensive side of the ball for Denver, but the Raiders will have more than enough to keep up. I’m taking the road team in a high-scoring shoot-out.