Winners and losers from Arizona Cardinals loss to Washington Commanders

We take a look at the players who stood out in the Arizona Cardinals close loss to the Commanders.

It wasn’t the outcome the team wanted, but many fans are okay seeing the Arizona Cardinals be competitive while losing games.

We will see if that trends continues but here are the winners and losers from week one.

Winner – Dennis Gardeck

Gardeck only played 28 snaps on defense, but led the way with two sacks, a forced fumble that was scooped up and scored by Cam Thomas.

Gardeck is a perfect example of what Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis want in their defense. Max effort while on the field all the time.

Loser – Josh Dobbs

I don’t even blame Dobbs. He is what he is at this juncture and then to expect him to be able to start on a couple weeks notice, you get what you get. He’s in this section because he’s in a bad situation as long as there are any high expectations of him.

His lack of ability in the pocket or to recover a fumble cost the Cardinals the game in the end, but it wasn’t completely on him.

Winner – Zaven Collins

He didn’t do a great job off the edge bringing pressure, but he was good in coverage and made plays. Something the Cardinals need.

Losers – Discipline early

The Cardinals defense beat up the Washington Commanders offense, and in the beginning it was literally.

The Commanders offense was mostly impotent (a little more effective than a lackluster Cardinals offense) but their scoring drive was aided by two helmet-to-helmet shots and then a pass interference.

They calmed down for the most part, but if they don’t start poorly they probably win.

Winner – Nick Rallis

The talent disparity between the Cardinals defense and Commanders is stark… and yet the Cardinals defense made more plays in the game and had chances to make even more.

Rallis and Gannon in their first game look like they know how to design and execute a game plan.

It was a contrast from the last regime, especially at the end.

Who you got?