The Eagles open Week 1 at the Linc against Washington, and the first thing that jumps out is how many of the key battles tilt toward Philadelphia. From the line of scrimmage to the middle of the field, this game has plenty of spots where the Eagles can press an edge early.
Start up front, where Philadelphia’s defensive line is set up to attack a Washington offensive line that looks vulnerable on paper. The Commanders are without Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who is on IR with a torn triceps, and they’ve had to reshuffle everything around him.
Brandon Coleman has moved over to left tackle after competing for a starting guard job, Nick Allegretti is in at center after Washington released Tyler Biadasz following camp, and Allegretti missed most of training camp with a calf injury. The projected line from left to right is Brandon Coleman, Chris Paul, Nick Allegretti, Sam Cosmi and Josh Conerly.
Cosmi is the strongest piece of that group, but the Eagles still hold the clear advantage overall. Jalyx Hunt against Coleman is one spot to watch, especially after Hunt’s huge training camp.
The interior matchup matters too, and Conerly is coming off an uneven rookie season. There’s also a chance Jonathan Greenard could be able to play in the game.
The Eagles’ cornerback group also gives them a real chance to control Washington’s passing game. Quinyon Mitchell, Riq Woolen and Cooper DeJean give Philadelphia one of the league’s best trios, and this is not the deepest receiving group the Eagles will face all season.
Still, Washington did make a real effort to help Terry McLaurin. The Commanders drafted Antonio Williams in the third round out of Clemson, signed tight end Chig Okonkwo and eventually landed Stefon Diggs in free agency after months of talk about Brandon Aiyuk.
McLaurin is about to turn 31 and played only 10 games last year, but he had topped 1,000 yards in each of the five seasons before that. Diggs is 32 and is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Patriots last year.
Williams is the rookie wildcard who could find room if the Eagles shade attention toward the veterans. Washington also has a new offensive coordinator in David Blough, so the structure of what they run could look different.
Another place the Eagles can put pressure on Washington is with Saquon Barkley against a Commanders defense that struggled badly against the run last season. Washington finished 30th in yards allowed and 27th in yards per attempt, and Barkley has already made life miserable for them.
His second-best game of last season came against Washington in December, when he ran for 132 yards on 21 carries, with 117 of those yards coming after contact. Since joining the Eagles in 2024, Barkley has faced the Commanders four times and averaged 136.5 yards per game against them.
Those outings included 146 yards and two touchdowns in Week 11 of 2024, 150 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 of 2024, 118 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game in 2024, and 132 yards and one touchdown in Week 16 of 2025. The big question now is whether the Eagles’ offensive line is healthier in 2026, because that could make the wide-zone rushing attack even more dangerous.
The Commanders do have a quarterback who can stress a defense with his legs. Jayden Daniels, in his second NFL season, played only 7 games last year but showed what he could do in 2024.
He rushed for 39.7 yards per game last season after averaging 52.4 two years ago. Philadelphia was at times shaky against running quarterbacks last season, and three passers went for more than 50 rushing yards against the Eagles: Justin Herbert with 66, Patrick Mahomes with 66 and Jaxson Dart with 58.
Daniels has faced Philadelphia three times in his career and is 1-2 against them; in the win, he ran for 81 yards. The Eagles should be fine against Washington’s backs, but Daniels is the kind of runner who can swing a game by himself.
Washington’s backfield is a little split in style. Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White are the top names, with Croskey-Merritt coming off a season in which he rushed for 805 yards to lead the Commanders.
White, who spent his first four years with the Buccaneers, brings dual-threat ability that Croskey-Merritt does not. That difference may also make the offense easier to read.
There’s also a matchup on the outside that could be available for Philadelphia if the Eagles want to test it. Washington’s top corner Trey Amos is starting the season on IR, which leaves Mike Sainristil, Amik Robertson and Rasul Douglas as the expected starters.
Douglas, a former Eagles draft pick, has carved out a solid career with the Panthers, Packers, Bills and Dolphins, but he’s 31 now and does not profile as an ideal starter in 2026. That could be a spot the Eagles target, especially with their receiver room in a different shape this season.
DeVonta Smith is now the WR1 with A.J. Brown gone, while Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon are expected to be the other starters.
Smith and Lemon both missed significant time in camp with hamstring injuries.
Dallas Goedert is another player who could matter in the middle of the field. Washington added safety Nick Cross and used its first-round pick on linebacker Sonny Styles to work alongside Frankie Luvu, and those players will be responsible for trying to slow him down.
Goedert is 31, but he’s back as the Eagles’ top tight end after a season in which he caught a career-high 11 touchdowns. Washington gave up 1,040 yards to tight ends last season, the seventh-most in the NFL, and allowed 12 touchdowns to the position, behind only the Bengals’ 16.
Goedert caught 3 passes for 32 yards and a touchdown against Washington last year, and he has 4 career touchdown catches against the Commanders, matching the 4 he has against Dallas.
Even with all those individual matchups, the biggest unknown for Philadelphia may be the Commanders’ new defensive setup. Washington brought in Daronte Jones from Minnesota, where he worked under Brian Flores, so the Eagles are preparing for a defense with a new voice and a new structure. Dan Quinn is a defensive head coach, but the Commanders still have a fresh coordinator in place, which makes the prep a little less straightforward.
“You don’t really know what you’re going to get,” Hurts said. “You try to dig into their background and where they come from, the tree that they’re in.
That’s something that you honor. Ultimately, I think just going into a Week 1 in general, it comes down to playing clean football.
Playing with good fundamentals, playing together, everybody being aligned and everyone trying to keep a focus on those things, the things we can control.”
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