The Eagles didn’t cruise past Washington so much as survive it, and that’s exactly why this Week 1 win felt like such a useful early snapshot. Philadelphia came away with a 24-22 victory over the Commanders in the 2026 regular-season opener, and the story was as much about the defense holding the line late as it was about a few timely offensive sparks keeping the day from looking too familiar to 2025.
Start with the back end, because that’s where Philadelphia looked every bit like a team that knew what it had. Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Riq Woolen were every bit the trio fans had been talking up.
DeJean had a couple shaky moments in coverage, but the overall picture was strong, and Jayden Daniels managed only 65 passing yards through three quarters. That kind of performance will have people wondering just how high the ceiling is for this secondary, maybe even enough to start talking Pro Bowl.
The defense, though, didn’t have it all easy. The one glaring issue was the lack of pressure on Daniels.
Philadelphia got to him just once, and that sack came from the linebackers, not the edge rushers. With Jonathan Greenard ruled out because of a pectoral injury, the Eagles clearly missed him.
It left more on the secondary’s plate and made the front look lighter than it needed to be.
That said, Zack Baun was all over the field. He capped off the final Commanders drive with a critical tip pass and finished with 12 tackles, two pass deflections, and one tackle for loss. It was the kind of outing that makes another Pro Bowl run feel very much in play.
On offense, there were encouraging signs, but not a complete cleanup job. The run game looked effective with Saquon Barkley getting his touches and Jalen Hurts being used more as a runner.
Barkley turned 15 carries into 83 yards, including a 43-yard burst, and looked like the 2024 version fans have been waiting to see again. Hurts, meanwhile, added 46 yards on seven carries and looked more athletic than he has in a long time.
That part of the offense felt like a real step forward.
The passing game was a different story. It still had too many of the same inconsistencies that showed up in 2025, even if Hurts did hit a couple of big ones downfield. His deep ball was sharp on completions to Dontayvion Wicks and DeVonta Smith, and those explosive plays helped keep the offense afloat.
Wicks, in particular, made the most of his chances. He finished with two catches for 73 yards, including a 64-yard gain in the first half that set up a touchdown.
For a player acquired in an offseason trade that cost just two Day 3 draft picks, that’s exactly the kind of return the Eagles were hoping for. He looked like a steal.
Dallas Goedert also made a loud case for a new contract, and he did it in the fourth quarter when the game was hanging in the balance. His second touchdown of the day came after a spin move that created the score, and he finished as Philadelphia’s leading receiver with four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He was a major factor all afternoon.
Not everything was clean up front, either. Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens combined for three penalties, and neither was fully sharp in pass protection. For a team this talented, those are the kinds of mistakes that can’t keep piling up.
And then there was Makai Lemon, who again struggled to make much of an impact. He had three catches for minus-5 yards, and the bigger issue was the play-calling around him. The Eagles kept sending him on wide receiver screens that weren’t going anywhere, and the current setup clearly isn’t working.
Still, the bottom line is simple: Philadelphia found a way to win a hard-fought opener, and the pieces that mattered most gave the Eagles enough to feel good about. The defense made the big plays late, the running game looked far more alive, and a few explosive throws gave the offense just enough juice to finish the job.
In Other News...
Eagles Fans Are Losing A Familiar Game Day Voice This Season
Ron Jaworski will be a familiar voice no longer on Eagles game days next season, after announcing he will not return to ESPN or NBC Sports Philadelphia for the 2026 NFL season. The former Eagles quarterback spent four years on the teams pregame and postgame shows, bringing the perspective and polish that come with a long broadcasting career built after his playing days.
Jaworski said the decision comes from a desire to spend more time with family, closing a run that stretched well beyond Philadelphia and into national NFL coverage. NBC Sports Philadelphia acknowledged his departure and praised what he brought to its coverage, leaving the Eagles broadcast setup facing a noticeable change as another season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Very Different Week 4 Problem
For much of the week, the Eagles were preparing for a familiar kind of headache, the sort that comes with lining up against Myles Garrett and everything he can disrupt off the edge. Instead, Garrett is expected to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and land on injured reserve, which removes him from the Rams Week 4 matchup and changes the conversation in a hurry.
Philadelphia now has to redirect its attention toward the rest of a Rams defense that still has plenty of bite, with Aaron Donald looming as the obvious central concern. The Eagles game plan will look different without Garrett in the picture, and while the broad strategic adjustments are easy to imagine, the real question is how much this sudden shift alters what had been a very specific week of preparation. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Finally Showed Their Hand Behind Jalen Hurts
The Eagles spent the week keeping their backup quarterback plan under wraps, and on game day they finally revealed who would be behind Jalen Hurts. Andy Dalton will serve as the No. 2 quarterback against the Washington Commanders, a choice that had been intentionally left open as Nick Sirianni tried to preserve a competitive edge.
Dalton and Tanner McKee both worked as possible options throughout the week, so Philadelphia was able to keep Washington guessing until shortly before kickoff. It is a small detail in the larger game plan, but one that shows how carefully the Eagles are managing even the spots behind Hurts as they head into a divisional matchup. [Read more 🡒]