PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles will celebrate on Sunday night after winning 24-22 over the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and his players will say during their post-game interviews that winning an NFL game is a difficult task. Several individuals will point out that the Commanders have outstanding coaches and players. A few people will claim it was a gusty win. They made big plays in critical moments.
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Those points are not wrong to a certain extent, but the Eagles cannot feel great about this win. The Eagles were sloppy on offense, and even more surprising, their defense struggled against Washington’s offense, which does not have a ton of talent.
The Eagles made a goal-line stand with 1:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, escaping with a narrow win.
On a two-point attempt, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a shovel pass to Commanders tight end John Bates, but Bates had nowhere to run. Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo ran through Washington’s offensive line to bring Bates down in the backfield.
On the previous play, Daniels connected with Antonio Williams for a one-yard touchdown to make it a two-point game. Washington just needed to make one more play to force overtime.
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It’s only Week 1, but the Eagles have a ton of areas to fix. There were some positives, too.
Here are NJ.com’s three takeaways from the Eagles’ win over Commanders:
Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s debut went as expected: there was some good and bad.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the good. He saved the Eagles’ offense when it struggled.
With 8:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hurts scrambled for 22 yards to Washington’s 47-yard line on third-and-18. The play looked dead, but Hurts saw the opening in the middle of the field and took off with his explosive legs.
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Hurts was the driving force behind every touchdown, including on the fourth-quarter drive. He capped off that possession with a 43-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert.
Hurts was aggressive pushing the ball in tight spaces and downfield. He looked like a confident quarterback, which was not always the case last year.
Hurts found Dontayvion Wicks on a deep ball for 64 yards to Washington’s 6-yard line with 1:57 remaining in the first quarter. That pass set up his 17-yard touchdown pass to Goedert.
Hurts released the ball on time and fit the ball between Commanders safeties Quan Martin and Jeremy Reaves into Goedert’s hands in the back of the end zone.
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With 8:10 left in the second quarter, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley broke tackles from Commanders defenders Leo Chenal and Nick Cross for a 42-yard gain to Washington’s 12-yard line. Two plays later, Hurts threw a 9-yard touchdown to Wicks in the left corner of the end zone, putting the Eagles up 14-3.
Hurts went 14 of 25 for 203 passing yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 46 yards.
Entering the season, Hurts was considered one of the NFL’s most controversial players. According to a Reddit poll from this past spring, he is the most ‘hated’ player in the NFL among fans. For just one day, he shut up his critics.
The Eagles’ offense started well against the Commanders, putting together two touchdown drives in the first half.
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But then a similar story, one that happened too much last year, played out. Philadelphia’s offensive line was dominated by the Commanders’ front in the second half. The Eagles began the third quarter with three consecutive punts, and the third drive ended when Commanders rookie linebacker Sonny Styles slammed Hurts into the ground for a sack. Hurts was swarmed by multiple defenders before getting sacked.
Hurts and Barkley were hit in the backfield too much. The Eagles’ interior offensive line was the biggest problem.
Left guard Landon Dickerson looked like a shell of his self and is the reason several plays failed.
On the Eagles’ first touchdown drive, Dickerson was beat by Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw for a 2-yard loss. Kinlaw wasn’t even touched.
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Dickerson’s lack of explosiveness made him a liability on that play and many others.
Dickerson was called for a 10-yard holding penalty on Philadelphia’s third scoring drive. He was beaten off the snap and yanked the jersey of a Commanders defense who rushed toward Hurts.
In the first half, Eagles center Cam Jurgens was called for two holding penalties. Right guard Tyler Steen also struggled at times. Washington pressured Hurts with blitzes, too.
Heading into Week 2, Dickerson is a major concern for the Eagles’ offense. He’s borderline unplayable. Once one of the best left guards in the NFL, injuries have hurt Dickerson’s ability.
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Dickerson gave up 4 pressures and 1 quarterback hit against the Commanders. The Eagles could consider benching him if he continues to play this poorly. He also struggled last season and during training camp.
Philadelphia rushed for 136 yards, but Hurts and Barkley made something out of nothing on a lot of those yards.
Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean rarely gets beat from the slot, but Washington surprisingly picked on the All-Pro.
Igniting Washington’s first touchdown drive late in the second quarter, Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs beat DeJean for 15 yards to the Eagles’ 41-yard line.
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Diggs, a savvy route runner, beat DeJean a few times.
With 10:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, Diggs beat DeJean for a 10-yard touchdown. Cooper was a step behind the entire game. Luckily for the Eagles, Diggs jumped on the goal post during his celebration, which cost Washington a two-point attempt. The Commanders settled for an extra point and trailed the Eagles 17-16.
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DeJean was called for illegal contact on Diggs during the third quarter, which gave Washington an automatic first down and set them up in scoring range. Luckily for the Eagles, Commanders rookie kicker Drew Stevens missed a 54-yard field goal.
In the second quarter, Commanders rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams beat DeJean to his inside shoulder and reeled in a 16-yard catch at the Eagles’ 1. On the next play, Jacory Croskey-Merritt rushed for a one-yard touchdown.
DeJean is a talented player with a proven track record, which makes his performance against the Commanders not too concerning. He will need to bounce back next week against the Titans in a Week 2 game at Nissan Stadium. Another bad performance would raise alarm.
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