Where do the Commanders fit in SI’s 100 predictions for the 2023 season?
So, if you had to make 100 predictions, 100 days prior to the start of the 2023 NFL season, what do you think you would predict?
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated took to the task last week and listed his top 100 predictions for the 2023 NFL season.
Before we get to the Commanders, here are five of Orr’s predictions. 1) Bengals and 49ers in the Super Bowl, 2) Offensive Rookie of the Year will be Anthony Richardson, 3) Colts’ Shane Steichen will win the Coach of the Year award, 4) Christian McCaffrey will surpass 20 rushing touchdowns, 5) Kyler Murray will play fewer than seven games this season, and it will be his last year in Arizona.
Where did the Commanders fit into his 100 NFL predictions for 2023? Well, mostly not favorably, with a couple of exceptions. So, in the interest of Commanders fans, here is what Orr predicted for the Commanders in 2023.
Orr stated initially, he thought of predicting “two teams that I absolutely don’t want to see there” (Super Bowl), so he suggested the Commanders and the Browns.
At No. 32, Orr predicts, “Chase Young will not finish the season as a member of the Commanders“. He pointed to Young not doing anything since his rookie season and how the Commanders did not offer him the fifth-year option. He then takes a jab at the organization, stating, “Leaving the Commanders is a bit like getting out of the dentist’s office. Your whole perception on life changes.”
Some good news for the Commanders comes in at No. 60 when he predicts, “Commanders rookie Emmanuel Forbes will have multiple pick-sixes.” He explains his prediction:
Forbes is so fast off the line of scrimmage and despite his slender frame will be ideal at picking off bubble screens and other quick throws. The No. 16 pick has explosive speed (4.35 in the 40 at the combine) and—bonus prediction—on one of those pick-sixes he will become the fastest ballcarrier of the year in terms of miles per hour (tracked by NFL Next Gen Stats).
Orr gives the Commanders offense some good vibes at No. 95 when he predicts, “Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. will rush for more than 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns.”
Robinson, who was a third-round pick in 2022, played in 12 games after recovering from a gunshot wound before the start of his rookie season. He managed 797 yards and three total touchdowns.
