The Eagles enter Week 1 with more to prove than their résumé might suggest. Philadelphia still looks like the team to beat in the NFC East, but there are real questions hanging over this opener, especially now that A.J.
Brown is gone to New England. The Commanders, meanwhile, are trying to climb back out of the wreckage of a 2025 season that sent them right back to square one.
That’s what makes this NFC East matchup so interesting right away: the Eagles have the better overall case, but the number still asks you to trust them before they’ve answered a few key questions. Philadelphia was knocked out by the San Francisco 49ers in the opening round of the playoffs after its Super Bowl defense in 2025 fell short, and now it has to show it can stay in contender mode without Brown in the passing game.
Washington is banking on a healthier version of Jayden Daniels to change the conversation. The Commanders took Daniels No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, and he rewarded them with a historic rookie year.
He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, finished seventh in MVP voting, and led Washington to the NFC Championship Game. Then came 2025, when an injury limited him to seven games and he looked like a shell of that rookie version.
The hope now is simple: with his health back, Daniels can get back to the form that made him look like one of the league’s fastest-rising stars.
The Commanders have also addressed some roster holes and enter this season healthier than they were a year ago. That matters in a matchup like this, especially when the gap between these teams may be tighter than the name value suggests.
The one-score angle is worth noting, too. Philadelphia’s 8-4 record in those games stands out, and it’s part of why the Eagles remain the safer side in the bigger picture. But for this game, the case for Washington is that the points still have value if Daniels looks closer to his 2024 self and the Commanders’ improved health shows up early.
In other words, the Eagles are still the class of the division until proven otherwise. But in Week 1, there’s enough uncertainty around Philadelphia and enough upside in Washington to make taking the points the sharper play.
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In Other News...
Eagles Head Into Week 1 With Clear Offseason Winners And Losers
The Eagles head into Week 1 against Washington after an offseason that reshaped parts of the roster and the coaching staff, with the kind of changes that tend to leave a few clear beneficiaries. Sean Mannions promotion to offensive coordinator stands out as one of the more notable internal moves, while contract extensions for defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter gave the front of the defense a firmer long-term foundation. The 2025 draft class also appears to have moved the needle, adding another layer to a spring and summer that was anything but quiet in Philadelphia.
Not every part of the picture looks settled, though. Injuries have already complicated the outlook for players such as Jonathan Greenard and Makai Lemon, and the cornerback spot remains a concern as the team moves into the season opener. For a roster with playoff expectations, the offseason winners are easy enough to identify, but the unresolved questions are the ones that will matter once the Commanders arrive and the early September pressure starts to feel real. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Still Have One Unsettled Decision Behind Jalen Hurts
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Nick Sirianni has said the backup job is still a competition between Dalton and McKee, which keeps the situation very much alive even with the opener drawing closer. For a team built around Hurts, it is the kind of behind-the-scenes decision that can fade into the background until it suddenly matters, and Philadelphia still appears to be sorting out which veteran or developmental option it trusts most if the starter ever has to miss time. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Just Got A Brutal Warning About Paying Their Young Corners
Christian Gonzalezs new deal with New England has changed the top of the cornerback market in a way the Eagles cant ignore. The Patriots locked up their young star on a four-year, $135 million extension, and with that, the price of elite coverage talent just jumped again at exactly the kind of position Philadelphia has invested in heavily over the last two seasons.
For the Eagles, the timing matters almost as much as the dollar figure. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are both trending toward major contracts of their own in the not-too-distant future, and the front office now has a fresh reminder of how expensive it can be to keep young corners together once they start stacking strong seasons. Managing those decisions while keeping the rest of the roster intact is going to be one of the tougher cap balancing acts ahead. [Read more 🡒]