The Eagles opened the season with a tight 24-22 win over the Commanders, and while the offense still has some sorting out to do, the defense came through when it mattered most. Philadelphia held Washington under 300 yards of total offense, and the home crowd at the Linc had plenty to feel good about by the end.
There were plenty of players who left Week 1 with their stock moving in opposite directions. Some looked ready to carry this team early. Others left a little too much on the table.
Dallas Goedert set the tone in the passing game. He finished with four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns, turning in the kind of performance that felt straight out of his best stretches in Philadelphia. It was the kind of game that makes Eagles fans forget about Eli Stowers.
Saquon Barkley also looked like the version Eagles fans saw in 2024. He was efficient and explosive with the ball, piling up 83 yards on 15 carries in the win. The only real gripe is that he probably deserved more touches, especially with the passing game still finding its rhythm.
Jalen Hurts did what he usually does: he won. But this time, he also gave Philadelphia more on the ground.
Hurts completed 14-of-25 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 46 rushing yards on seven carries. It wasn’t a flawless outing, but it was a big one.
The Eagles also got a major boost from Riq Woolen in his debut. Targeted four times, he didn’t allow a catch and finished with one tackle. For a team that already had strong corner play, that kind of debut makes the secondary look even more dangerous.
Zack Baun was everywhere. He racked up 12 tackles, two pass deflections, and a tackle for loss, looking every bit like the Pro Bowl-level player Philadelphia believes he is. If this keeps up, he could be headed for another season that looks a lot like his 2024 All-Pro campaign.
Not everything went smoothly, though. Cooper DeJean had a rough one in the slot, where he allowed too many completions and gave Washington too much comfort underneath and beyond it, including a touchdown. He still finished with eight tackles and a quarterback hit, but the Eagles will want cleaner work there.
Tank Bigsby’s role was limited again, and that’s a problem. He was involved in the return game, but on offense he managed just one carry for three yards. Third-string back Will Shipley had two carries for four yards, and Bigsby’s talent seems too good to keep this far down the pecking order.
Makai Lemon’s regular-season debut was one to forget. He caught three passes for minus-5 yards, and the Eagles clearly need a better way to get him involved than the screen-game looks that didn’t pay off here.
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