Eagles Sloppy Play In Opener Leads To Tight Battle Vs Commanders; Birds Able To Squeak Out Week 1 Win
Dallas Goedert #88 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a touchdown against Quan Martin #20 of the Washington Commanders in the second quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on September 13, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell Leff, Getty Images
Philadelphia Eagles football has returned, but it didn’t look good.
It’s been over eight months since the Eagles were embarrassed on their home field against the 49ers in the playoffs last season, ending what was a disappointing 2025 campaign. The team was going for back-to-back Super Bowl victories, but poor offense and drama in the locker room ended any chance of making NFL history.
The Eagles moved on and flipped the page to a new chapter of their franchise, bringing in new fresh faces on offense, new fresh playmakers on both sides of the ball, and a date with a division rival in Week 1 set the stage for the start of a new season.
The Washington Commanders, a team the Eagles have had epic battles with the past few seasons, came into town and once again battled down to the final minute of play. The Eagles managed to stop the Commanders on what would’ve been a game-tying two-point conversion to pick the 24-22 win, winning their sixth consecutive season opener.
The 2026 season quest for another Super Bowl began on the side of the ball that has been their dominant force for the past few seasons. Defense.
The defense had its hands full during the opener, taking on a quarterback that has a history of putting up great performances against the Eagles: Jayden Daniels. Daniels is the ultimate wildcard player, as his dynamic playmaking ability makes him one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
On the opening drive of the game, Daniels managed to find an open Stefon Diggs for one down, and an 11-yard run from Jacory Croskey-Merritt gave them another. Despite getting across midfield quickly, an incompletion and two stuffed runs from the Eagles’ front line managed to hold Washington to a field goal, a 55-yarder from rookie kicker Drew Stevens.
The Eagles got their first touch on offense following the field goal, but managed to gain only one first down on a Jalen Hurts scramble, eventually punting. Both teams would trade three-and-out punts, with the Commanders’ offense not being able to get the ball moving at all through the first quarter.
With the ball back just before the end of the first quarter, Hurts hooked up with one of his brand-new wide receivers, Dontayvion Wicks, for a 64-yard deep ball to get down inside the 10.
A holding penalty on Cam Jurgens moved them back 10 yards, and a blown-up run on first down made it 2nd-and-goal from the 18 heading into the second quarter. A one-yard run opened the quarter, but on third down from the 17, Hurts dropped back and found ol’ reliable Dallas Goedert in the back of the end zone for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the season.
With the lead, the Eagles managed to force back-to-back punts, just missing out on a few turnover opportunities but still managing to prevent the Commanders from extending drives.
Halfway through the second quarter, Saquon Barkley managed to break off an eight-yard run for his longest run, and then immediately one-upped it with a 42-yard burst down inside the 15. After a three-yard run from Tank Bigsby, Hurts dropped back and, on one leg, found Wicks open in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, making it 14-3.
Up 11, Washington needed points quickly to keep themselves in the game with the first half winding down, and Daniels managed to put together the first long and successful drive of the evening.
Croskey-Merritt burst for 11, and Diggs grabbed a pass over the middle for 15, putting Washington instantly over midfield. On a 3rd-and-15, Daniels managed to scramble for 14, setting up a 4th-and-1 that they went for and got.
A 16-yard catch from rookie Antonio Williams set the Commanders up at the one-yard line for a goal-to-go situation, and Croskey-Merritt managed to find his way into the end zone for the touchdown. Thankfully, Jalen Carter blocked the extra point, keeping it a five-point game heading into the half.
Out of the half, offense was at a premium for both teams. The first three drives combined resulted in three straight three-and-outs. Washington got the first first down of the half on a 15-yard catch from Chig Okonkwo, setting up a 54-yard field goal for Stevens. While Stevens managed to hit a 55-yarder earlier, the rookie tailed the kick right, keeping it a five-point game.
The Eagles didn’t do much with the good field position, going three-and-out again. Following another punt from Washington, the Eagles offense finally put a drive together. DeVonta Smith caught a beautiful 31-yard catch, setting them up for a 35-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to make it an eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Still down just a touchdown, Daniels and co. worked their way down the field, hooking up with Williams for a 33-yard catch-and-run. Three plays later, Daniels fired a ball over the middle into the hands of Diggs for the touchdown, but a 15-yard celebration flag from Diggs forced the Commanders to kick the one-point extra point.
Up 17-16, the Eagles needed to answer Washington’s touchdown drive with one of their own, and Hurts and co. did just that. Small runs from Barkley got them going, and a 22-yard scramble from Hurts crossed them over midfield. Three plays later, Hurts found Goedert over the middle of the field, and the tight end broke through the tackles into the end zone, putting the Eagles back up by eight.
With six minutes to go, the Commanders weren’t done yet as Daniels began leading a potential game-tying drive down the field. Williams and Diggs hooked up with Daniels for big gains, but smothered run plays eventually brought up a 4th-and-2 from the 10-yard line for the game.
Daniels dropped back and found Terry McLaurin for just his second reception of the day for the first down. After two failed runs, Daniels found Williams open in front of the goal line and into the end zone for a touchdown. Needing the two-point to tie, Washington went with a shovel pass to Jake Bates, but he was tackled by Moro Ojomo before scoring, essentially putting the game away for Philadelphia.
An unsuccessful onside kick from Washington officially ended the game with the Eagles pulling out the 24-22 victory to open the season. It’s the sixth straight Week 1 victory for Hurts and Nick Sirianni as a quarterback and head coach duo, setting the franchise record for most consecutive Week 1 victories.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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