NFL expert picks: Commanders remain heavy underdogs

It’s surprising to see so many picks in favor of Arizona.

When the betting lines opened for Week 4 last week, the Arizona Cardinals opened as favorites over the Washington Commanders. However, when the Commanders upset the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, the Cardinals remained the favorite, but those lines narrowed.

Arizona remains the favorite over Washington on Sunday, as the Commanders will be without the services of one of their best offensive players. Running back Austin Ekeler will miss the game as he’s in concussion protocol. Ekeler was injured in the third quarter of Monday’s win at Cincinnati.

The Cardinals will also be without a key offensive starter, tight end Trey McBride, who is also in concussion protocol.

The good news for Washington is that rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is healthy and will be under center. Daniels was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over the Bengals. He was also named Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks.

So, while oddsmakers favor the Cardinals, who do the experts pick?

According to NFL Pickwatch, 76% of this week’s picks favor the Cardinals. Considering last week’s results, seeing so many pick Arizona is a bit surprising. Washington is probably happy about that since nearly 100% of the so-called experts picked the Bengals last week.