Commanders Game Pulse: Washington Falls Short in 24-22 Loss to Eagles

The Washington Commanders came up just short in a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, with several encouraging signs emerging from their Week 1 opener.

Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) directs the offense against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Washington Commanders open the 2026 season Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Follow along here throughout the game for live observations and reactions as Washington begins Year 3 with Jayden Daniels.

First Quarter Pulse

• The 64-yard bomb to Dontayvion Wicks appeared to be a miscommunication between Mike Sainristil and someone on the back end (it looked like Nick Cross). Sainristil released Wicks for a split second, and Wicks himself released completely open. I couldn't say 100% whose fault it was, but it was a clear breakdown in coverage for Washington.
• Before that long ball, Washington's defense had been putting in work in the first quarter, only giving up 13 yards. The Frankie Luvu sack was the product of the right side of the defensive line, with Odafe Oweh and Luvu working together off the edge.
• It appears the offense isn't trying to push Daniels to do too much so far. On the broken play/flea-flicker, once the play started to break down, Daniels threw it away instead of trying to play hero ball. That's an accomplishment, as he is trying to work within the system.

Not sure what this was from Mikey Sainristil. He flips his head to find the ball and stopped running.

Gives up a 64 yard bomb. pic.twitter.com/Xs9et083GS

— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) September 13, 2026

Halftime Pulse - Eagles 14, Commanders 9

• Nick Allegretti's first half of the 2026 season opener was not something to be proud of by any means; on back-to-back plays, Jalen Carter tossed him like a ragdoll. On the first play, Daniels was able to barely get rid of the ball; the next play, he escaped the pocket but couldn't find Stefon Diggs downfield.
• From what I've seen, it appears the offense has stayed away from the planned runs with Daniels and let him play field general more, running only when necessary and throwing it away when needed.
• The defense has put good pressure on Hurts and played well despite Mike Sainristil's poor showing in the secondary. Hurts has been able to get good yardage in response, but that doesn't kill the effort Washington has put in during the first half. Leo Chenal missed a tackle that would have likely killed one of Philly's scoring drives.

hitting heavy early

📺 #WASvsPHI FOX pic.twitter.com/jaF5jotS1H

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 13, 2026

Third Quarter Pulse

• The third quarter shall be marked as the moment Sonny Styles officially arrived in the NFL. Luvu went out with an injury around the 13-minute mark; two minutes later, Styles made his first NFL sack. A few minutes after that, he made a tackle for loss, then stopped Hurts at the line of scrimmage.
• Daronte Jones has been as advertised in terms of confusion: on one play, eight players were at the line, and then five of them backed off into coverage when the ball was snapped. Hurts was confused and threw the ball away after thinking about rolling out and seeing several defenders in his way.
• Odafe Oweh got his first sack with Washington. It looked like Kinlaw was very close to sharing it.
• Brandon Coleman has had a bad game with eight pressures and a false start.

Final Pulse

• Washington's defense is going to get better as the year goes on, which should say something about the potential of the group. Hopefully Luvu isn't out for an extended time, but Styles filled in quite well for him. The defense keeping Philly's offense off the field helped Washington's offense, since Philly's defense spent a good amount of time on the field and started to feel gassed deep into the fourth.
• Antonio Williams made two big plays, showing the staff has big long-term plans for him. Once Daniels got going late, the passing game picked up.
• Overall, the game wasn't the best for Daniels stat-wise, but he showed he's committed to the system and kept himself protected in several different circumstances. The final play was a head-scratcher; White appeared open to the left, but the call clearly was for John Bates. Odd that Blough has Okonkwo, Diggs, and McLaurin to draw one up for two points, but chooses a shuffle pass to Bates. My guess is he was going for something they weren't expecting; let's hope next time he sticks to something that will 100% get those two points.
• I felt the officiating was not the best, but that seems to be an every-week thing. Check the video below; no false start was called when clearly more than one player was guilty. The result was a touchdown because several players were out of position post-penalty.

No flag for false start against the Eagles on this touchdown play.

Hmmm. pic.twitter.com/ulV9zOW0da

— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) September 13, 2026

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