The Eagles just know how to win football games. Even with the Commanders driving for a possible game-tying score, it felt like Philadelphia would make the play to put the game away.
They eventually did.
It came on a Washington two-point conversion attempt that would have put the game into overtime. Jayden Daniels flipped the ball to tight end John Bates, who was immediately wrapped up by Moro Ojomo well short of the end zone, sealing a 24-22 home win to open the season.
The game didn’t feel as close as the score implies. The Eagles offense generated most of the big plays in the game, and they had their way with a new Washington offense. It was less of a statement and more of a reminder that the NFC East still goes through Philadelphia.
Here are my takeaways:
1.
The highs were certainly high.
Jalen Hurts threw three touchdowns and hit a couple deep balls to lead the Eagles on four scoring drives, but the offense stalled out for the stretches in between those big plays. The new offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion didn’t feel all that different from the offenses we’ve seen in Philadelphia the past few seasons.
The first touchdown drive was sparked by Mannion’s play calling. Hurts threw a beautiful deep ball to Dontayvion Wicks off play-action, beating Washington’s busted coverage for 64 yards.
Wicks beat Mike Sainristil for a second time on Philly’s second touchdown. Sainristil was cheating inside, allowing Wicks to cross him up badly. Hurts just had to float the ball to the back corner of the end zone.
Hurts connected with Smith on another deep ball and found Goedert up the middle for a catch-and-run that extended the Eagles’ lead in the fourth quarter. Outside of those plays, Hurts struggled to find open receivers downfield. If not for a few miracle scrambles by Hurts, the Eagles offense may have stalled out completely in the second half.
Philadelphia’s new run game — built around outside zone run plays from under center — needs more work. Barkley’s runs from under center produced just 2.3 yards per pop, and his one explosive run came on an inside zone run from the gun, a staple of the old offense.
It wasn’t effective on its own, but the run game served another purpose against Washington. It took the teeth out of the Commanders’ pass rush and kept Hurts in clean pockets, which he used to hit those downfield shots. Those were nice, but the run game was concerningly inefficient outside of Barkley’s 42-yarder, and the big plays came on coverage mistakes by Washington.
The big plays were enough to grind out a close win against a mediocre team, but will it be enough going forward? We need to see how this new Eagles offense looks against a playoff-level defense to get a true sense of their capabilities. That first real test won’t come for a few more weeks, with matchups against the Titans and Bears, who gave up 35 to Carolina, up next on the schedule. The Rams will visit them in Philly in Week 4.
2.
Maybe that’s an overreaction after a game against an elite defense, but the season-opening loss in Philadelphia confirmed what many had speculated about Washington’s offense all summer: the Commanders haven’t put enough around Jayden Daniels. And with the third-year quarterback hitting his extension window, he won’t be playing on a discounted rookie contract for much longer, making it even more difficult to surround him with talent when he’s taking up a bigger chunk of the cap.
Daniels could have been better himself, but Washington’s offense provided him with no margin for error. He was on the run for most of the game. When the Eagles weren’t getting quick pressure, Washington’s receivers were struggling to separate from Philadelphia’s secondary. He was pressured on half of his dropbacks and averaged just 1.7 yards per play under duress, per Next Gen Stats.
New offensive coordinator David Blough was expected to install a new offense, built around heavier personnel and fewer spread formations, but the Commanders couldn’t move the ball without resorting to tactics from the old offense. The offense started to produce once Blough put Daniels in the gun, spread things out, and let him play up-tempo. But even when things were “working,” Daniels had to grind.
Daniels didn’t get much help, but he’s not totally blameless for the disappointing performance of the offense. He did little to elevate his teammates on Sunday. Outside of one ridiculous scramble, that featured a double spin move, Daniels didn’t make many plays with his legs. He scrambled for only one first down. Before getting hot in the fourth quarter, Daniels squandered the few downfield opportunities his receivers gave him. If this Washington offense is going to be better, its quarterback will have to be better. But he sure could use some help.
3.
Even if the offense has plenty of room for improvement, Philadelphia showed why it still belongs on any shortlist of contenders. The Eagles defense has been one of the best units of the past two seasons, and it might be even better in 2026. It looked the part in Sunday’s win over Washington.
I’m giving general manager Howie Roseman the credit for the improvement. He added cornerback Riq Woolen, who had been cast off by the Seahawks, in hopes of patching up the one hole that remained on the unit. Based on the first game of Woolen’s Philly tenure, the hole at the CB2 spot is officially patched. He surrendered just one catch for a single yard in his debut. The rest of the Eagles secondary played to its lofty standards, as well.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter dominated the trenches and spearheaded an Eagles pass rush that made Daniels’ life miserable. There’s a lot of pressure on Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr. to produce on the edges, and they responded with 13 combined pressures in the opener. Philadelphia did that without its other big defensive addition, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who missed the game with an injured pectoral.
We haven’t even gotten to the best player in Sunday’s game, linebacker Zach Baun. The All-Pro linebacker made plays all over the field.
The Eagles can dominate a game at all three levels of the defense, which will come in handy in January.
3 ½. What’s Next?
The Eagles get a bit of a reprieve from the NFC grind with a trip to Tennessee next week. The Titans looked first-overall-pick bad on Sunday, and their defense could be exactly what this Philadelphia offense needs to break out. It needs to sharpen up quickly, with games against the Bears and Rams rounding out the first month. By the end of that stretch, we’ll know if this team is ready to compete for a title or if it’s due for another roller-coaster season.
Washington’s season may already be on the brink of collapse with a trip to Dallas next week and a visit from the Seahawks following that. Teams rarely climb out of an 0-2 hole to make the playoffs. An 0-3 start, and it might be time to start looking toward the draft.