September 13, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Jalen Hurts connected with Dallas Goedert for 2 TDs in the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Commanders.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 24-22 in their season opener Sunday evening. And, well, it was a classic Eagles game in that they won and there's a lot to complain about.
As always, win, lose, or draw, here are 10 awards...
The offense as a whole struggled to get into a rhythm for most of the evening, but Jalen Hurts made more than his share of big plays. He finished 14 of 25 for 203 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, and a QB rating of 122.2. He also ran 7 times for 46 yards.
• His dime to Dontayvion Wicks on a deep corner route was not the design of the play. Wicks was running a clear-out, but Hurts recognized that it was going to be open, so he let it rip for a perfect over-the-shoulder throw.
• His first TD throw to Dallas Goedert was a "four verts" call, which infamously ended the Eagles' season in 2025, except this time it was open and Hurts gave Goedert a nice high throw to go get over the Commanders' defensive backs. Hurts shrugged his shoulders after that play, seemingly recognizing the irony of the play call and result.
• His fadeaway TD to Wicks was a "just playing ball" type of throw.
• His 22-yard scramble on a 3rd and 18 was a key play in the game. I thought Hurts looked more spry in training camp this summer, and that play was a good example.
• His second TD throw to Goedert was a check at the line. Hurts was able to connect with Goedert on a 3rd and 6, and then Goedert did the rest.
Hurts' first game of the season was an encouraging start.
Goedert finished with 4 catches for 77 yards and the 2 TDs shown above. There was some concern this offseason that he is in decline, since he is 31 years old and coming off a down season.
On Sunday, he didn't look like he's in decline. He looked fast.
It was not ideal that DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon both missed most of training camp. But one positive side effect was that Hurts was able to develop rapport with Wicks, who was his go-to guy all summer and who made two big plays in his Eagles debut.
Dickerson had his worst game as a pro, as he gave up pressure all evening in the pass game and consistently whiffed on blocks in the run game. Video via @ShaneHaffNFL:
It'll take more than one game for the Eagles to bench Dickerson, but if his play doesn't improve drastically — and very soon — they're going to have to make a move.
Cam Jurgens also got off to a bad start. He committed two holding penalties on run plays in the first quarter, but he seemed to settle in and play better as the night progressed.
The Eagles were expected to dominate in the trenches in this matchup, and that didn't happen on either side of the ball.
The Commanders were missing their best player in LT Laremy Tunsil, and the rest of the offensive line just isn't very talented. But the Eagles had just one sack, and they rarely even hit Jayden Daniels.
Daniels is an elusive quarterback, and he was able to scramble away from pressure on some occasions, but this was still an unexpectedly mediocre performance from the Eagles' pass rush.
Although the pass rush didn't have its best night, Ojomo made the biggest clutch play of the night, when he spun off a block, sniffed out a shovel pass, and made a play on a two-point conversion to end the Commanders' threat and all but seal the win.
Great players make big plays, and Ojomo is becoming a great player.
Jalen Carter blocked a PAT (that point mattered!), Jake Elliott made all his kicks, and Braden Mann had a great game in which he hit a 62-yard punt, plus a couple of additional punts that checked up inside the 6-yard line.
The Commanders weren't as sound. They had a kick blocked (duh), and kicker Drew Stevens missed a 54-yarder.
Baun played a hell of a game. He had 12 tackles (one for loss), and a couple of pass breakups, which are good stats, but certainly not otherworldly. But anywhere the ball went, he just seemed to be there.
The Eagles are now 6-0 in Week 1 games under Sirianni.
• 2021: Win at Falcons, 32-6
• 2022: Win at Lions, 38-35
• 2023: Win at Patriots, 25-20
• 2024: Win over Packers, 34-29
• 2025: Win over Cowboys, 24-20
• 2026: Win over Commanders, 24-22
Interestingly, each of their last five Week 1 wins were by one score.
If the Eagles had played a better team, maybe this would have been a loss? We'll never know. The Eagles will get another soft opponent Week 2 to work out the kinks when they travel to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans, who lost decisively to the lowly Jets Week 1.
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