Sean Mannion Offense Shows Sparks in Week 1 Win over Commanders: ‘I Could See the Joy on His Face’
The Eagles' offense put up 24 points in their first game with Sean Mannion as offensive coordinator. (David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
It may be a tale of two seasons for this Philadelphia Eagles offense.
Sean Mannion was hired this past offseason to help Philly move past the woes of the Kevin Patullo-led offense of last season. A unit that seemed like it never could get past midfield is showing sparks in its first game of the NFL season.
The Eagles came out on top 24-22 over their NFC East rival Washington Commanders, and while 24 points may not be an eye-popping number, it was the overall togetherness of Mannion’s crew that helped lead the Eagles to victory on Sunday.
The Jalen Hurts hate-train went rampant in the offseason like it always does, with reporters, fans, and the NFL body as a whole all coming to the conclusion that Hurts is not an elite quarterback in this league. But a combination of poise in the backfield, quick runs, and a cannon of an arm shut down any opinions that Hurts can’t compete with the best.
Hurts’s arm was on full display on Sunday afternoon, specifically on two bombs to newly acquired receiver Dontayvion Wicks, as well as DeVonta Smith.
His ability to be able to open up the field and throw up a deep ball to a speedy receiver made it almost impossible for Washington to defend the Philadelphia offense from all angles.
In addition to his deep ball, Hurts’ precision was as good as it’s been in Week 1. Hurts, who has had trouble with accuracy in the past, was dotting up his X’s and O’s all game long against Washington. In Mannion’s diverse offense, Hurts was able to find his cutting receivers in the middle of the field on multiple occasions, and nothing looked better than his first touchdown throw to Dallas Goedert.
Mannion’s offense did have its occasional struggles, with the team going 3-and-out a multitude of times throughout the game. However, Mannion did adjust throughout the game to prevent this from happening late in the game.
“I thought [Mannion] did a good job of getting the play in,” Nick Sirianni said postgame. “I thought we were pretty balanced in our situations. I thought we were able to be explosive.”
Mannion’s philosophy consisted of West Coast-type plays, but the offense’s diversity of having Hurts air it out and Saquon Barkley take outside runs kept Washington on their toes all game long. There was no “classic” game plan from Mannion, and his choice to use all angles of the playbook kept Philadelphia competitive throughout the game, even when the defense was lackluster.
This diversity was clear with the offense having a mix of deep balls, Goedert hauling in balls 20+ yards downfield, and Saquon getting plenty of carries. This was an offensive scheme that we simply would not have seen last season from Kevin Patullo.
“I think Coach [Mannion] did a great job today,” Hurts said. “I could see the joy on his face. It’s a big deal getting your first win as a playcaller and I am glad to be a part of that.”
Philadelphia moves on to Tennessee next week, where Mannion’s offense will get another opportunity to showcase what it can do against a below-average defense. The team will get the chance to earn more confidence before heading into the tough leg of the schedule where the Birds will take on the Bears, Rams, Jaguars, and Panthers in their next four games. But so far, this offense has absolutely shown signs of positivity.
But at the end of the day, it’s the players that have to execute.
“Even in some tough situations, we got behind the sticks in the red zone on both of our first two scores, and I though he did a good job calling it on that one to try to get us back,” Sirianni said. “Sean’s calling the plays, guys are out there making the plays happen.”
It’s not a bad thing when your quarterback is able to do the things he did on Sunday afternoon, either.
“It’s just about meeting the moment when your opportunity comes,” Hurts said.
Evan Hartenstein
Evan has been a member of the Philly Sports Reports team since March 2023. He is covering the 76ers and wants to pursue a long-lasting career in Sports Journalism.
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