Finally, we're here!
The Eagles' regular-season opener is only hours away and, well, it just can't arrive soon enough. Washington plays the Eagles at 4:25 PM on Sunday (FOX, SportsRadio 94WIP) and it is a classic way to start the season. Philadelphia is 5-0 in season openers under Head Coach Nick Sirianni, is 15-3 to open the regular season since 2008, including a league-best 13-2 record in the NFL's opening weekend since 2011.
But what does all of that mean? Hey, the Eagles know how to open a season, that's for sure. Sunday is a new beginning and that is the way to play it. These franchises have been at it for decades – Washington leads the all-time series 91-88-6.
1. Eagles fans need to bring it!
It's the opening game of the season. It's Washington, an NFC East foe, and a team that generally plays very well against the Eagles. The home crowd needs to make a difference and, as we know, Eagles fans are the best. Don't believe this perspective? How about the facts, ma'am … According to Commercial Acoustics, which ranks league stadiums by loudness each year, Lincoln Financial Field is the sixth loudest in the league (fourth of the non-domed stadiums) with a "loudness index" of 91 out of a possible 100. Also consider this: In the 2025 season, Sharp Football Analytics listed the Eagles as the team with the third-best home-field advantage, with Lincoln Financial Field ranking third in generating pre-snap or holding penalties. So, yeah, everything matters here. The fans, please bring your A game!
2. OK, OK, the offense is a huge storyline
Of the Eagles? Yes! But also of Washington, which features a new offensive coordinator in David Blough. And, for that matter, Washington also brings to town a new defensive coordinator in Daronte Jones, a disciple of Minnesota's Brian Flores and, clearly, one who is working with Washington Head Coach Dan Quinn. Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni said it succinctly on Wednesday: "The defense could be all Dan or it could be all Coach Flores or it could be a mix. The same thing offensively. I know their offensive coordinator has worked really hard, and I've got a lot of respect for him and through the people that he's learned from as well. I think what happens in those situations is that you have to be able to do what you do best. Be fast, be simple. You have to do what you need to do to stop them."
There have been a lot of opinions on what the Eagles' offense will look like on Sunday with Coordinator Sean Mannion likely stationed in the coaching booth, but until we see it unveiled, we won't know for sure. In general, the first 15 plays are scripted in the NFL and then the rest of the offense comes from packages of plays related to situations and anticipated looks from the defense. Adjustments are required, communication is vital, and everyone must be on the same page. That is the challenge facing both coaching staffs this week.
3. Eagles looking to win with their defensive front
The strength of this defense is the depth of great talent at tackle, but the edge room the Eagles bring to gameday is also pretty impressive. Jalyx Hunt looks to take his game to another level in Year 3, and Nolan Smith is healthy and coming off a strong summer. Jonathan Greenard remains an injury question mark, so we'll see how it looks on Sunday morning. A.J. Epenesa and Arnold Ebiketie are being counted on to add to the punch and win off the edge against a Washington offensive line missing left tackle Laremy Tunsil and one that has had some players moving around in the summer.
"I think that you have to game plan for it," Moro Ojomo said of facing a mobile quarterback like Jayden Daniels. "We just have to be a lot more disciplined in rushing lanes. Guys can't be individual rushers. We have this term called group rush and that's at the end of the day how we're going to approach him and ultimately respect the player that he is, which is a great player."
4. Run, Saquon, Run
He has had a lot of success against most teams he has played against in his great career, but Saquon Barkley's numbers against Washington are even more than that. Check out these eye-popping digits: 1,222 yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games, with a 5.56 yards-per-carry average. Those are regular-season numbers. In his lone postseason game against Washington – the 2024 NFC Championship Game – Barkley had 15 carries for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Eagles advanced to Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles have other weapons in the backfield with Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley, but seeing Barkley in this offense and against Washington will be extremely interesting to watch.
"I'm very confident in the run game just because of the work that we put in. Not just our run game, just the offense in general," said Barkley.
"I know what the goal is and every team has the same goal when you start the season. It's a long mountain to climb and you got to take it step by step. The mindset is to go out there and do whatever it takes to win football games. But no matter what, whether it's good or bad, you can't overreact. It's a long season. We're going against a great team. Very familiar with them obviously, but they got a lot of new stuff going on over there. So we got to do a really good job with him and the unknown playing together, following our rules."
5. A key matchup: Washington WRs against Eagles DBs
Take Washington's offense very seriously, even with the offensive line a bit of a question mark. The Commanders have great wide receivers led by Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs and the Eagles, as we know, have a secondary that could be tough to beat with Quinyon Mitchell, Riq Woolen, and Cooper DeJean. Blough, the offensive coordinator, comes from the Mike and Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree (he also played as a backup quarterback in the NFL under Ben Johnson, Kevin O'Connell, and Kliff Kingsbury). He sounds a lot like Sean Mannion, right? So what to expect? There is always some unknown with a new coordinator but we know they will try to get the football to this group of outstanding wide receivers.
6. Oh, what about the defenses?
Yeah, and the special teams, and everything else. Washington built up its edge room in the offseason, adding Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson – both of whom bring a lot of speed. Linebacker Sonny Styles was taken with the team's first-round draft pick and he's in line to start in the middle of the defense. Washington is without cornerback Trey Amos so that's something to watch. The Eagles have some changes as well, with Woolen in at cornerback, Jihaad Campbell starting at linebacker, and likely Marcus Epps playing safety when the team has nickel personnel on the field. How these coordinators adapt and adjust is going to be fascinating to watch. This is a feeling-out period.
And at the end of the day? It's football and the basics speak volumes.
"This game comes down to who blocks better, who gets off blocks better, who tackles better, who protects the football better, who comes after the football better, who catches the ball better, who's more physical and who plays together better," Sirianni said. "Then there's a lot of similarities with a lot of schemes throughout the NFL offensively, defensively. There's some differences as well, but at the end of the day, players go and make plays through those fundamentals and through their talent."
Let the season begin!
