Eagles vs Commanders Week 1 Recap: Birds win 24-22 after stuffing late 2-point try

The Eagles opened the 2026 season with a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night, sealing it by stopping a two-point conversion with just over a minute left.

Washington scored on a 1-yard touchdown to Antonio Williams to cut it to 24-22, then went for the tie. Jayden Daniels shoveled it to tight end John Bates, and Moro Ojomo dropped him short of the line. DeVonta Smith recovered the onside kick, Jalen Hurts took a knee, and the Eagles are 1-0.

Eagles offense: Hurts carried it, and the box score proves it

Jalen Hurts just threw this ball 40 yards directly in DeVonta Smith’s breadbasket. pic.twitter.com/Rt9FW0HHSS

— Philadelphia Eagles Central (@pheaglescentral) September 13, 2026

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Jalen Hurts finished 14-of-25 for 203 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 122.2 passer rating in Sean Mannion’s first game calling plays. Two of the scores went to Dallas Goedert, including the game-winner — a 43-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter that made it 24-16.

But the stat line undersells what he actually did. The offense did not function smoothly as a unit. Hurts functioned, and dragged the unit with him. The play that defined the night wasn’t a touchdown — it was 3rd-and-18 from his own 31, with the pocket collapsing again, when Hurts scrambled 22 yards up the middle for a first down. Three plays later, Goedert was in the end zone. That’s a quarterback erasing his line’s mistakes in real time.

Dontayvion Wicks had a debut worth remembering. His first catch as an Eagle was a 64-yard deep ball down the right sideline. His second was a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone.

The Eagles offensive line was the problem, and Dickerson was the biggest one

Landon Dickerson is borderline unplayable. Get him off the field. pic.twitter.com/MGDuFHavoJ

— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) September 13, 2026

The offseason story was that Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens were finally healthy after playing through injuries last year. One game in, the issues up the middle are right back.

Dickerson was the worst offender. On a 3rd-and-12 in the first quarter, he watched Frankie Luvu run past him for a sack. He picked up a holding penalty in the third quarter that immediately knocked a drive backward. He allowed five pressures on the night, including a sack — and he wasn’t alone. Jordan Mailata and Tyler Steen each gave up a sack of their own.

The result: three straight three-and-outs to open the second half and a quarterback spending the night cleaning up messes. Hurts masked it Sunday. He won’t be able to mask it every week, and in a new scheme, this line needs to be better fast.

Eagles defense closed the door twice

The defense carried the third quarter and finished the game.

Jalen Carter blocked an extra point in the second quarter, which loomed all night in a two-point game. Zack Baun blew up multiple screens for losses. Jihaad Campbell recorded the first sack of his career on Daniels, who was held to 4.8 yards per attempt and a 52.9% completion rate. And Ojomo made the biggest play of the night on the final two-point try.

Washington also helped. After Stefon Diggs’ touchdown made it 17-16, Dan Quinn said the Commanders wanted to go for two — but Diggs picked up a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for jumping on the goal post, forcing them to kick the extra point instead. In a game they lost by two.

The Eagles are 1-0 with an offensive line problem and a quarterback good enough to hide it for a night. Washington leaves Philadelphia with a loss. Business as usual.