What would a regular-season opener be without the usual ups, downs, heart palpitations, and, ultimately, a Philadelphia Eagles win by the narrowest of margins against an NFC East opponent? Sunday's game against Washington had it all – and maybe more – as the Eagles prevailed, 24-22, running the opening-game record of Head Coach Nick Sirianni to 6-0 and having just enough good things combined with teaching moments to make it suuuuuuuuccccchhhh and interesting way to start the 2026 campaign.
"Last year, I know everyone tried to make something of we won by two points. We're not getting on that this year and that's a beautiful thing," running back Saquon Barkley said. "We came out with a win, we're going to be happy, we're going to celebrate, and we're going to flush it and move on and get ready for next game."
Observations? Oh yes, many, many, and more to come as the Eagles enjoy the tough victory clinched only at the very end when DeVonta Smith pounced on an onside kick to start the celebration at Lincoln Financial Field.
1. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is a great place to start.
How would he respond to the new offensive scheme? More under center to take the snap. More passes over the middle. More ... more ... more. Different ... different ... different. And at the end of 60 minutes, the same from Hurts. Three touchdown passes. Zero turnovers. Timely runs, including a huge 22-yarder (more on that below) that converted a third-and-18 situation. A passer rating of 122.2.
Cool, calm, collected.
"It goes back to all 11 being on the same page and then me taking responsibility and the opportunities I have with the ball in my hand," Hurts said after the game. "When you're playing a position, a lot of it is about making sure you're in the right play, when you're doing the right thing that takes no talent. Are we in the best run? Are we protecting ourselves in protection? Is everybody aligned doing those little things first? That is the most important thing."
Hurts threw a pair of touchdowns in the end zone – one to tight end Dallas Goedert and one to wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks – and the other was a connection to Goedert that Goedert turned into a catch-and-run touchdown to provide the winning points. Great job from Hurts against a Washington defense that brought a lot of blitz pressure, largely bottled up the Eagles' running game, and came after Hurts from all angles.
2. The defense did some really great things.
The elusive Jayden Daniels is a challenge, but the Eagles put pressure on him and also used a disciplined style to mitigate his fabulous running skills. Daniels passed for 164 yards and two scores, completing 18 of 34 passes. He had 31 rushing yards. Washington had it going in the fourth quarter, though, and that will be a teaching point for Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. But the Eagles limited Washington to 5 conversions on 15 third downs. Moro Ojomo sniffed out a shovel pass on the last-minute two-point conversion chance that Washington had. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin had just two catches for 14 yards.
"I got off the ball, took a shot," Ojomo said of the two-point conversion stop. You kind of got to play free and I saw the guard (Samuel Cosmi) pull, spun out of it. The tight end (John Bates who caught the shovel pass) was right there."
3. A big passing play got the Eagles' offense going early in the game after a couple of sluggish series to start things.
A 64-yard pass to Wicks set up the Eagles' first touchdown, the Eagles had three tight ends – Goedert, Johnny Mundt, and E.J. Jenkins – on the field. Wicks lined up on the right side of the formation and got behind cornerback Mike Sainristil, dipped inside for a step, and then went outside to separate from safety Jeremy Reaves to bring in the perfect Jalen Hurts pass for the big play. Unsung hero early? Mundt, as the Eagles had him on the field for much of the first half as an in-line blocker and he delivered.
"With (Jalen Hurts), when he trusts you, he'll put it up there. So, once I broke on the out on the deep pass, I saw the ball and just kept running, and it was put on the money and I was able to run under it," Wicks said of his 64-yard catch to the six-yard line. "I got to score that one."
4. The touchdown pass to Goedert was just a thing of beauty.
It was third-and-goal from the 17-yard line, an extremely tough situation. But Hurts was perfect here, slinging a pass between Reaves and safety Quan Martin to Goedert in the end zone for the second-quarter lead. Goedert lined up in the slot, had a clean release, and caught the well-thrown pass in the back of the end zone for the score.
"Incredible job by Jalen to put a ball in the high back of the end zone where only I could get it," Goedert said after the game. "Obviously Smitty is an incredible player, so the safety was worried about him and their coverage and Jalen put a nice ball and we were able to make it work."
5. Special teams made the difference in this game!!!!!!
The kicking game is oh, so important and we saw it again in this game. Jake Elliott made a 35-yard field goal and all three of his extra points, Braden Mann averaged 51.6 yards on his seven punts (net average 44 yards), with four punts inside the 20-yard line, and there were no breakdowns otherwise. But he is thrilled about the big play from Jalen Carter, who blocked an extra point – and that ultimately forced Washington to go for two at the very end of the game. And Washington's rookie placekicker Drew Stevens missed a 54-yard field goal way wide right, underscoring the importance of every snap on special teams.
"Jalen just has a knack for the ball and he makes great plays," Ojomo said of Carter's blocked PAT. "And there was another one where he missed it, but if you look at that clip, there's no way he would've made it if he kicked it straight."
6. Sometimes, it is the unsung things that matter a lot.
And midway through the fourth quarter, Hurts converted a third-and-18 situation from the Philadelphia 31-yard line by dropping back, surveying the field, and then taking off with a dead sprint through an open middle of field. Great decision, yes. He was also helped immensely by an open-field block from rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon to gain 22 yards and keep the drive going. Great technique and effort from Lemon there. Lemon caught three passes, and this play, this block, is something that Sirianni will likely highlight as one of the ways you win football games. Three plays later, Hurts threw to Goedert in the middle of the field on a third-and-6 play and Goedert made the catch and turned and ran into the end zone to complete a 43-yard catch and run to give the Eagles, after Elliott's PAT, a 24-16 advantage.
7. We didn't see much of the anticipated outside zone running scheme – who knows what to expect, really? – as Washington blitzed and the Eagles' strategy was to run straight at the interior of the Washington defense.
Saquon Barkley gained 83 yards on 15 carries, including a 42-yarder. Tough yards on tough running. Hurts picked up 46 yards on seven carries and the Eagles gained 136 yards on 25 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. Teaching points, teaching points as the offense grows. You didn't expect it all to be perfect in Week 1, did you?
8. Big plays.
Smith made one of those toe-drag swag catches on the sideline to gain 31 yards and set up the Wicks touchdown, a reminder of just how remarkable Smith truly is. Goedert, after catching 11 touchdowns last season, added two on Sunday. Big-play tight end in the red zone and beyond. Wicks had two catches for 73 yards and a touchdown on four targets. Excellent.
9. How about Zack Baun?
He is off to an All-Pro start – 12 total tackles, two passes defensed, one tackle for loss. Just a great football player. The entire defensive line won with power, speed, and discipline. Jihaad Campbell had the lone quarterback sack – a play started by Ojomo – and nine total tackles. The Eagles gave up some plays in the fourth quarter but, hey, that is something to correct. Overall, a lot more good things than not, led by Baun.
"Happy to get a win, especially in a division game," Baun said. "Those games are crucial down the stretch and you never know what position you're going to be at the end of the season and to get one at the beginning is nice."
10. The Eagles gained only 10 first downs, a surprisingly low number with 24 points scored, but made up for that with explosive plays.
The 64-yard completion to Wicks, the 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Goedert, the 42-yard run from Barkley, the 31-yard pass to Smith, the 22-yard run from Hurts, and the 17-yard touchdown pass to Goedert. Philadelphia's defense gave up only one play longer than 20 yards – a 33-yard completion from Daniels to Antonio Williams. And that's how you win football games in the NFL, and the Eagles are 1-0 and on the way to Tennessee to play the 0-1 Titans on Sunday.
