The Commanders left Philadelphia with a 24-17 win in the season finale for both teams on Jan. 4, 2026, even though the game meant far more to Washington’s draft position than to the Eagles’ record.
Washington trailed 17-10 going into the fourth quarter, but Josh Johnson pulled the Commanders even with a two-yard touchdown pass to John Bates with 9:35 left. Then Johnson finished the comeback himself, scoring from one yard out with 2:32 remaining to give Washington the final margin.
The result landed in strange territory for Commanders fans. Some were happy to beat an NFC East rival, while others were rooting for the opposite outcome because Washington entered the day with the No. 5 draft pick in reach.
Losses by the Giants, Cowboys and Browns had set up a simple equation: if the Commanders lost, they would keep the No. 5 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, the win pushed them to No. 7, where they selected Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
Washington leaned on the ground game throughout, running 41 times for 143 yards and averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Chris Rodriguez paced the backfield with 65 yards on 16 carries, and the Commanders controlled the clock 34:09 to 25:51.
Terry McLaurin led the receiving group with four catches for 57 yards, while Tress Way delivered one of the big hidden plays of the afternoon with a 71-yard punt. He finished with three punts for 159 yards.
Jeremy Reaves also made his mark in a big spot. In his 81st NFL game, the safety picked off a pass at the goal line in the second quarter for the second interception of his career.
Washington’s first-half closing drive included a Jake Moody 56-yard field goal that gave the Commanders a 10-7 lead at the break. It was the longest field goal of Moody’s NFL career, topping his 55-yarder for the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
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Eagles Lose Expected Week 1 Option Right Before Commanders Opener
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For Washington, it removes one more wrinkle from a division matchup already packed with early-season intrigue. Stowers now has to sit out at least four weeks, which means the earliest he can rejoin the Eagles is Week 5 against the Jaguars in London, leaving Philadelphia to sort out its tight end rotation without a player it had counted on for the opener. [Read more 🡒]
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Diggs gives the Commanders another proven pass-catching option, though there may be some adjustment time as he settles into the offense and learns where the targets will come from early on. For fantasy managers, that creates a tricky balance between ceiling and certainty, especially with Daniels presence likely to affect how the passing game is distributed. It is the kind of opening-week decision that can feel simple in theory and messy in practice, with Washington offering enough name value to tempt starters but enough uncertainty to make some managers think twice. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Opener Roster Move Says Plenty About Their O-Line Trust
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It also offered a small clue about the teams trust level at tackle, where depth has become a bigger issue than it looked on paper. Rookie Matt Gulbin locked down the backup center job through camp and the preseason, which pushed Good-Jones off the active roster and onto the practice squad, but the Commanders still chose him for the opener over Esa Pole, their only practice-squad tackle, leaving one more layer of the line puzzle for later. [Read more 🡒]