Eagles Week 1 Preview: Philly has the better roster at almost every spot and Sunday should prove it

Eagles football is back, and it’s opening exactly where it should: at home, against a division rival, with a chance to put the January collapse behind them.

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That collapse was real. The 49ers walked into the Linc in the first round, dominated a home playoff game, and ended a repeat bid that Philly spent all last season building toward. Jobs got shaken loose. Fans got understandably cranky. None of that gets fixed by beating the Commanders in Week 1. But it’s a start, and it’s a soft one.

A new voice calling plays, same brutal defense

Sean Mannion is the new offensive coordinator, and yeah, I know, a 34-year-old career backup with zero playcalling experience is not exactly the resume that inspires confidence at first read. But Mannion comes out of the McVay-LaFleur tree, and the West Coast stuff he’s installing, motion, short and quick, getting playmakers in space, is the direction the whole league has been sprinting toward for years. Philly’s been a step behind that trend. Now they’re catching up, and they get to debut it against a defense that has no business stopping the run.

The other side of the ball is the same nightmare it’s been for three years. Fangio is still calling it. Carter and Davis both got paid this offseason and are still the best interior tandem the Commanders will see all year. Baun and Campbell roam behind them, Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt come off the edge, and the only real subtraction is Jonathan Greenard, out with a pec injury and expected back in a few weeks. That’s a real loss, but not one that changes the shape of this defense.

The one true offseason addition of note is Riq Woolen, plugged in next to Quinyon Mitchell with Cooper DeJean inside. Woolen won a Super Bowl in Seattle last year and then got benched there anyway, which tells you the Seahawks had options. The Eagles didn’t need options. They needed a third corner who can actually play, and they got one.

Where the Eagles have the clear edge

Strip away the storylines and just look at the roster sheet. Quarterback, Eagles, Hurts has the rings and the ball security even if Daniels has the bigger scramble drill. Running back, Eagles, Barkley alongside Tank Bigsby is not a fair fight against Washington’s group. Tight end, Eagles, Goedert caught 11 touchdowns last year and Chig Okonkwo hasn’t sniffed that kind of production. Offensive line, Eagles, and it’s not particularly close now that Washington is starting the season without its best player up front. Defensive line, linebacker, secondary: Eagles, Eagles, Eagles.

The one spot where Washington actually has the better names is receiver. McLaurin and Diggs have a real argument over Smith and a receiving corps that’s still figuring out its pecking order. That matchup is worth watching in the first quarter. If Philly’s corners handle it clean, this game is a foregone conclusion by halftime.

The Commanders’ actual plan, and why it probably doesn’t work

Washington knows what it is. They were the fourth-most run-heavy team in football last season despite going 5-12, and every incentive points toward them trying to do the same thing here: shorten the game, lean on Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White, keep Daniels’ legs as the emergency plan instead of the whole plan. The problem is their offensive line is a mess getting into this game. Tunsil’s out with a torn triceps. Coleman is sliding over from guard to cover for him. Allegretti just moved to center full time and is barely back from a calf injury of his own. That’s not a line built to control anything against a Philly front that dominated in camp.

And the run defense, the thing Washington actually needs to be functional if they’re going to slow this game down, has been getting shredded by the Eagles specifically. Across the last several meetings between these two teams, Philadelphia has run for nearly 900 yards and 14 touchdowns combined. Washington’s answer this offseason was spending real money on pass rushers instead of fixing the run front. That’s a bet that only pays off if the game script cooperates. It won’t.

Injury report

• Jonathan Greenard, Eagles (pec) — Out. Expected back within a few weeks.
• Laremy Tunsil, Commanders (triceps) — Out. Sources differ on the timeline; one report says the rest of the season, another says an extended stretch rather than definitively season-ending. Worth confirming before locking that in.
• Trey Amos, Commanders (IR) — Out for Week 1. Rasul Douglas starts in his place.
• Nick Allegretti, Commanders (calf) — Questionable. Just returned to practice after suffering the injury early in camp; game status unclear.

Bottom line

Everything about this matchup points one direction. Better quarterback, better backfield, better front seven, better secondary depth, and a Commanders offensive line that’s improvising its way through Week 1. Washington’s only real path is Daniels turning into 2024 Daniels and McLaurin and Diggs winning enough one-on-ones to make it a track meet. That’s possible. It’s just not the way to bet.

Eagles get this one at home, and it shouldn’t be particularly close.

Get on the road with us

If Week 1 goes the way it should, you’re going to want to keep the good vibes rolling. Phans of Philly has trip packages open now for Eagles at Titans in Nashville, Week 2. Hotel, tickets, private tailgate, and airport transfers all handled, you just get to the airport. The Liberty Line has run with Phans of Philly on the road for four years and gone 7-1 on Eagles trips. Deposits are open now and spots are moving.

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