Commanders 24–6 Cardinals: Score, Stats & Recap | Week 1, 2018

Q: How did the quarterbacks play in Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals?

A. Smith (Washington Commanders), 53.8% completion, +1.4% CPOE, +0.30 EPA per dropback, +11.88 total passing EPA. S. Bradford (Arizona Cardinals), 51.3% completion, -12.8% CPOE, -0.34 EPA per dropback, -13.36 total passing EPA.

Q: Who was FantasyHQ's player of the game in Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals?

A. Smith (Washington Commanders) was FantasyHQ's Game MVP with +11.88 total EPA on Passing plays. across 39 snaps. Their top snap (-3.26 EPA): (10:29) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left [20-D.Bucannon]. PENALTY on WAS-11-A.Smith, Intentional Grounding, 12 yards, enforced at ARI 29..

Quick answer

Winner: Washington Commanders
Final score: Washington Commanders 24–6 Arizona Cardinals
Halftime: Washington Commanders 21–0 Arizona Cardinals at halftime
FantasyHQ MVP: Arian Smith
Top passer: Arian Smith
Biggest EPA play: (10:29) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left [20-D.Bucannon]. PENALTY on WAS-11…
Game date: 2018-09-09

Game summary

The Washington Commanders beat the Arizona Cardinals 24–6 on 2018-09-09. Arian Smith posted a game-high +11.88 total EPA in the passing.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 21 combined points.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

	Q2	Q4	—	—	—	T
Washington Commanders	21	3	0	0	0	24
Arizona Cardinals	0	6	0	0	0	6

Scoring Map

Each pin marks where a score occurred on the field — yard line from play-by-play.

WASWashington Commanders

ARI 1

ARI 4

WAS 2

ARIArizona Cardinals

FantasyHQ Analytics

Scoring timeline

8 scores

Chronological scoring plays — scroll to follow the game.

WASWashington Commanders
Q2 15:00TD
Cody Thompson
Points+6
Yard line
ARI 13
Score
6-0
(15:00) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short left to 25-C.Thompson for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN [90-R.Nkemdiche].
WASWashington Commanders
Q2 14:54XP
Dustin Hopkins
Points+1
Yard line
ARI 15
Score
7-0
3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
WASWashington Commanders
Q2 4:12TD
APA. Peterson
Points+6
Yard line
ARI 1
Score
13-0
(4:12) 79-T.Nsekhe and 52-R.Anderson reported in as eligible. 26-A.Peterson up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
WASWashington Commanders
Q2 4:10XP
Dustin Hopkins
Points+1
Yard line
ARI 15
Score
14-0
3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
WASWashington Commanders
Q2 0:12TD
Joe Reed
Points+6
Yard line
ARI 4
Score
20-0
(:12) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 86-J.Reed for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
WASWashington Commanders
Q2 0:08XP
Dustin Hopkins
Points+1
Yard line
ARI 15
Score
21-0
3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
WASWashington Commanders
Q4 12:16FG
Dustin Hopkins
Points+3
Yard line
ARI 13
Score
24-0
(12:16) 3-D.Hopkins 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
ARIArizona Cardinals
Q4 5:51TD
Dyontae Johnson
Points+6
Yard line
WAS 2
Score
24-6
(5:51) 31-D.Johnson up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA).

1Arian Smith · Washington Commanders · Passing · +11.88 total EPA · 39 snaps · +0.30 EPA/play
2Cody Thompson · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +6.18 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.88 EPA/play
3Joe Reed · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +5.91 total EPA · 5 snaps · +1.18 EPA/play
4Cody Thompson · Washington Commanders · Rushing · +3.89 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.78 EPA/play
5Jamison Crowder · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +3.87 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.97 EPA/play
6L. Fitzgerald · Arizona Cardinals · Receiving · +2.10 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.21 EPA/play
7Dyontae Johnson · Arizona Cardinals · Rushing · +1.46 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.16 EPA/play
8V. Davis · Washington Commanders · Receiving · +1.27 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.27 EPA/play

FantasyHQ Game MVP

Highest total EPA with the player's top snap and the game's biggest single play when different.

FantasyHQ Game MVP

Arian Smith — WAS · Passing

Arian Smith posted the highest total EPA (+11.88) in the game, the strongest overall impact for Washington Commanders. Across 39 counted snaps, they averaged +0.30 EPA per play.

Arian Smith's top snap (-3.26 EPA): (10:29) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left [20-D.Bucannon]. PENALTY on WAS-11-A.Smith, Intentional Grounding, 12 yards, enforced at ARI 29.

Quarterback report card

Arian Smith led all passers in efficiency for Washington Commanders, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

Arian Smith (Washington Commanders) · 39 dropbacks · 53.8% completion · +1.4% CPOE · +0.30 EPA/play · +11.88 total EPA
S. Bradford (Arizona Cardinals) · 39 dropbacks · 51.3% completion · -12.8% CPOE · -0.34 EPA/play · -13.36 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency.

Stat	Washington Commanders	Arizona Cardinals
Offensive EPA/play	+0.113	-0.172
Offensive success rate	52.6%	37.5%
Pass EPA/play	+0.305	-0.343
Rush EPA/play	+0.056	+0.177
Defensive EPA/play	+0.172	-0.113
Defensive success rate	62.5%	47.4%

Drive & efficiency notes

Despite the final score, Washington Commanders generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.11 vs -0.17), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

Season benchmark context (offensive EPA per play):

Washington Commanders: +0.11 EPA/play (78th percentile vs. 2018 team-game averages)
Arizona Cardinals: -0.17 EPA/play (14th percentile vs. 2018 team-game averages)

Arizona Cardinals: 10 drives, -10.98 total EPA, 1 scoring drives
Washington Commanders: 10 drives, +10.75 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal from official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

Washington Commanders — Cody Thompson (Arian Smith pass) (Q2 15:00)
Washington Commanders — A. Peterson (Q2 4:12)
Washington Commanders — Joe Reed (Arian Smith pass) (Q2 0:12)
Arizona Cardinals — Dyontae Johnson (Q4 5:51)

Field goals

Washington Commanders — Dustin Hopkins (Q4 12:16)

Quarter by quarter

Quarter-by-quarter recap from live scoring plays.

The second quarter: Washington Commanders won the period 21–0. Washington Commanders found the end zone from the ARI 13 (Q2 15:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short left to 25-C.Thompson for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN [90-R.Nkemdiche].; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the ARI 15 (Q2 14:54) — 3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.; Washington Commanders found the end zone from the ARI 1 (Q2 4:12) — (4:12) 79-T.Nsekhe and 52-R.Anderson reported in as eligible. 26-A.Peterson up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the ARI 15 (Q2 4:10) — 3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.; Washington Commanders found the end zone from the ARI 4 (Q2 0:12) — (:12) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 86-J.Reed for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Washington Commanders added 1 points from the ARI 15 (Q2 0:08) — 3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way..

The fourth quarter: Arizona Cardinals won the period 6–3. Washington Commanders connected on a field goal from the ARI 13 (Q4 12:16) — (12:16) 3-D.Hopkins 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.; Arizona Cardinals found the end zone from the WAS 2 (Q4 5:51) — (5:51) 31-D.Johnson up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most.

Washington Commanders (Q1 10:29) — (10:29) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left [20-D.Bucannon]. PENALTY on WAS-11-A.Smith, Intentional Grounding, 12 yards, enforced at ARI 29. [WPA -9.6% · EPA -3.26]
Washington Commanders (Q1 14:19) — (14:19) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 86-J.Reed to WAS 44 for 16 yards (36-B.Baker). PENALTY on ARI-33-T.Boston, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at WAS 44. [WPA +7.8% · EPA +2.47]
Washington Commanders (Q2 15:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short left to 25-C.Thompson for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN [90-R.Nkemdiche]. [WPA +6.8% · EPA +2.40]
Washington Commanders (Q2 11:59) — (11:59) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short middle to 25-C.Thompson to WAS 41 for 11 yards (43-H.Reddick). [WPA +6.2% · EPA +1.94]
Washington Commanders (Q1 3:08) — (3:08) 26-A.Peterson right tackle to ARI 30 for 13 yards (41-A.Bethea). [WPA +5.1% · EPA +1.08]

Impact plays

Highest EPA snaps that flipped field position.

Washington Commanders (Q1 10:29) — (10:29) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left [20-D.Bucannon]. PENALTY on WAS-11-A.Smith, Intentional Grounding, 12 yards, enforced at ARI 29. [WPA -9.6% · EPA -3.26]
Arizona Cardinals (Q3 2:03) — (2:03) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 9-S.Bradford pass deep left intended for 86-R.Seals-Jones INTERCEPTED by 23-Q.Dunbar [96-P.McPhee] at WAS 27. 23-Q.Dunbar to WAS 24 for -3 yards (86-R.Seals-Jones). [WPA -0.8% · EPA -3.10]
Washington Commanders (Q4 14:09) — (14:09) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short middle to 80-J.Crowder to ARI 17 for 17 yards (33-T.Boston). [WPA +0.4% · EPA +2.89]
Washington Commanders (Q2 0:12) — (:12) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 86-J.Reed for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -0.6% · EPA +2.78]

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with play-by-play context.

Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q2 15:00 · ARI 13 · Score 6-0
(15:00) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short left to 25-C.Thompson for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN [90-R.Nkemdiche].
Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q2 14:54 · ARI 15 · Score 7-0
3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q2 4:12 · ARI 1 · Score 13-0
(4:12) 79-T.Nsekhe and 52-R.Anderson reported in as eligible. 26-A.Peterson up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q2 4:10 · ARI 15 · Score 14-0
3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
Washington Commanders TD (+6) — Q2 0:12 · ARI 4 · Score 20-0
(:12) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 86-J.Reed for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Washington Commanders XP (+1) — Q2 0:08 · ARI 15 · Score 21-0
3-D.Hopkins extra point is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
Washington Commanders FG (+3) — Q4 12:16 · ARI 13 · Score 24-0
(12:16) 3-D.Hopkins 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-57-N.Sundberg, Holder-5-T.Way.
Arizona Cardinals TD (+6) — Q4 5:51 · WAS 2 · Score 24-6
(5:51) 31-D.Johnson up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research and follow-up box score digging.

Washington Commanders earned the result — use the box score for snap-level context.
Arian Smith (Washington Commanders) led total EPA — start here for highlight and prop research.
S. Bradford (ARI) finished below expected efficiency despite volume.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals on 2018-09-09?

The Washington Commanders beat the Arizona Cardinals 24-6 in Week 1, 2018.

What was the score by quarter in Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals?

Q2: Washington Commanders 21, Arizona Cardinals 0; Q4: Washington Commanders 3, Arizona Cardinals 6; Final: Washington Commanders 24, Arizona Cardinals 6.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals in Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals?

Washington Commanders touchdown — C. Thompson (A. Smith pass) (Q2 15:00) Washington Commanders touchdown — A. Peterson (Q2 4:12) Washington Commanders touchdown — J. Reed (A. Smith pass) (Q2 0:12) Arizona Cardinals touchdown — D. Johnson (Q4 5:51) Washington Commanders field goal — D. Hopkins (Q4 12:16, 3 pts) Extra points followed each touchdown unless noted in the play-by-play.

How did the quarterbacks play in Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals?

Arian Smith (Washington Commanders), 53.8% completion, +1.4% CPOE, +0.30 EPA per dropback, +11.88 total passing EPA. S. Bradford (Arizona Cardinals), 51.3% completion, -12.8% CPOE, -0.34 EPA per dropback, -13.36 total passing EPA.

Who was FantasyHQ's player of the game in Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals?

Arian Smith (Washington Commanders) was FantasyHQ's Game MVP with +11.88 total EPA on Passing plays. across 39 snaps. Their top snap (-3.26 EPA): (10:29) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left [20-D.Bucannon]. PENALTY on WAS-11-A.Smith, Intentional Grounding, 12 yards, enforced at ARI 29..

Season records after this game

Washington Commanders

Now 1-0 W

Arizona Cardinals

Now 0-1 L

Washington Commanders vs. Arizona Cardinals: 2018 Week 1 Recap

Top fantasy performers · Commanders

Top fantasy performers · Cardinals

Quick answer

Game summary