September 14, 2026
The Eagles were left at a 3rd and 18, and were looking dead in the water on a fourth-quarter possession where they were up by just one.
Then Jalen Hurts was Jalen Hurts.
A hole right up the middle opened up at the line of scrimmage. He saw it and took it. He tucked the ball and sprinted into the open field, and thanks to a crucial and aggressive block by rookie Makai Lemon just ahead of him, he hooked a turn right and across midfield, finally tumbling well past the first down marker for a gain of 22 yards.
It reset everything, and a couple of plays later, Hurts audibled, snapped the ball on a visibly confused Washington defense, then threaded a pass over the middle to Dallas Goedert, who spun around to run in for the winning touchdown.
It wasn't pretty, but it was enough.
The Eagles beat the Commanders, 24-22, Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field to open a 2026 season once again full of high expectations. But it was hardly an ideal debut for a new offense orchestrated by rookie playcaller Sean Mannion, who oversaw everything from the booth up top, and had to have seen the same things that just shy of 70,000 fans saw from their own seats.
Jalen Hurts with a BIG gain of 22.
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 13, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/R0Fh8cdbXS
Protection is an immediate concern, which stemmed into quickly collapsing pockets for Hurts and, outside of his 42-yard break, running back Saquon Barkley often running into walls at the line of scrimmage – or even before it.
And on the whole, the Eagles were outpossessed by Washington, 33:20-26:40, and fell way behind in first downs gained at a deficit of 20-10.
Most of their drives didn't last all that long or get much of anywhere, seven out of their 11 in total for the game (not counting the final kneel down) ended in punts (granted, crucial ones by Braden Mann), and on a lot of them, they were falling way too far and too often behind the sticks – and knew full well afterward that it wasn't acceptable.
If you didn't know any better, you could've easily confused the 2026 Eagles offense for the constantly sputtering – and just as constantly frustrating – version from 2025.
But then look at the offensive plays that did ultimately win the Eagles the game on Sunday. Hurts came up clutch on all of them.
Hurts, from under center and on play action, tossed up a 64-yard bomb to Dontayion Wicks on a sequence where the receiver's number wasn't supposed to be called, but the QB recognized the option was open and got the ball there to get the Eagles in goal-to-go territory.
"He trusts you, he'll put it up there," Wicks said of Hurts and that pass afterward. "Once I broke on the out on the deep one, I saw the ball in the air and just kept running. It was put on the money."
Jalen Hurts goes DEEP to Dontayvion Wicks for 64 yards!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 13, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/YWAd95NABQ
On that same drive, which carried into the second quarter and after getting sent as far back to the Washington 18 from a 10-yard Cam Jurgens hold, Goedert ran up the seam on third down, and Hurts lofted him another pinpoint pass between two Washington defenders for the Eagles' first touchdown.
Later on, and capitalizing off of Barkley's 42-yard run inside the Washington 20, Wicks made a cut for the left corner of the end zone that froze Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil in place, and Hurts stayed composed against two crashing in tacklers to get a clean touchdown throw off in time.
Then in the fourth, as Washington was trying to rally and looked to have the Eagles on the ropes for that pivotal 3rd and 18, Hurts ran it for the first to take the wind out of their sails, then lined up that last scoring play to Goedert to give the Birds eight points of breathing room.
Goedert with his second TD of the night 👏
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 13, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/ytYh8raEz6
It wasn't pretty – really, when has it been for the Eagles over these past couple of years? – but it was enough.
Because when it mattered most, Jalen Hurts was Jalen Hurts. He stepped up in the moment, and somehow, someway, led the Eagles past their own early shortcomings.
"It's just playing ball," Hurts told the media postgame through his near-unbreakable stoicism. "Going out there and playing ball."
Maybe sometimes it's just that simple.
Week 1 alone, though, won't decide if it stays that way. It more than likely won't. The NFL schedule is always rife with pitfalls, opponents are always quick to adapt, and Mannion and the offensive staff should already know that the O-line can't be left to get carved up as quickly as it did on Sunday.
Plus, history does show that Hurts stepping up to save the Eagles doesn't necessarily mean they'll be OK for the long haul.
The 2024 Super Bowl run is the ultimate proof that they will be, but that season is sandwiched in between 2023 – mainly that rainy comeback against the Bills – and 2025 just a few months ago, where injury and a lack of creative playcalling in both of the seasons left the Eagles in a tailspin.
But for now, all we have is what was in front of us on Sunday.
It wasn't pretty, but it was enough. Jalen Hurts stepped up and made the throws, plus a clutch run, to make sure it was.
"That's the beauty of having Jalen Hurts as a QB," left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "He's able to make plays when the play isn't there."
Jalen Hurts connected with Dallas Goedert for 2 TDs in the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Commanders.
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
