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Grading Every Commanders Position Group After Week 1 Loss to Eagles

The Washington Commanders got uneven performances across the roster in a narrow Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Henry Brown|
Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (24) during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (24) during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Washington Commanders

NFL athletes most certainly don't want any losses peppering their results, but teams like the Washington Commanders still know better than anyone that moral victories are just as worthless when coping with an early 0-1 record to start their season.

In order to get as close as a 24-22 defeat that took until the final minute to settle, though, they had to get pretty close, and that's just what they did. Fans of the Commanders had a minute to believe in their storming comeback when star quarterback Jayden Daniels marched his squad right into the gut of the Philadelphia Eagles' territory, finally paying their surprisingly stingy defense back with his second passing touchdown of the day.

Unfortunately, their botched two-point attempt would eliminate any realistic chance of forcing overtime without recovering the ensuing onside kick. Still, the game's first 59 minutes included plenty of standout contributions worth noting, even if the early-season rust never looked entirely shaken off.

Quarterback Grade: B

Daniels seemed destined to catch flak for what looked to be a doomed season debut for the redemption-needy QB. He couldn't get much of anything going downfield through the first three quarters, routinely having to settle for tosses out of bounds in a rush-defined offense.

And who could fully blame him? He faced nary a clean pocket through most of those first 45 minutes, and his improvised throws off the run infrequently connected with his favorite downfield targets in a sluggish showing.

When he had a moment to think, though, he looked as surgical as ever in diagnosing the tired Philadelphia defense, and not a moment too soon. Daniels racked up multiple passing touchdowns over the course of that foiled comeback bid, proving that he just needs a friendlier team-wide context to lean his way for him to look like one of the game's elites- just the conclusion everyone suspected to make, considering his already-battered line of protectors.

Running Backs Grade: B

Daniels' backs capitalized on that third scoring event, with Bill Croskey-Merritt rolling over one Eagles defender to reach into the end zone for his ninth-career touchdown in 18 games. He led the running back room's 101-yard total with 63 of his own, barging through Philadelphia's imposing defensive line when he could for the occasional chunk gem.

He wasn't innocent in the loss, memorably coughing up a fumble on a punch-out. A late-game substitution did open the door for Kaytron Allen's big final series as a go-to back, but Washington's offensive orchestrators still have a long way to go before they've fully ironed out the part-time pass-catchers' roles within their questionably blocking scheme.

Wide Receivers Grade: C+

You wouldn't know it just by looking at the touchdowns that Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams collected to push the Eagles to the matchup's brink, but most of Daniels' primary weapons were less-than-effective through the meat of this game.

Williams, to his credit, produced whenever he received his opportunities, repeatedly getting the better of All-Pro cornerback Cooper DeJean in his isolated routes, but neither of the veterans Diggs nor Terry McLaurin managed to produce many open passing avenues heading into those last-second pushes. Even if they were laboring with their own big-name defenders, the quarterback will need a lot better than six catches for 69 yards from his top two wideouts.

Tight Ends Grade: C

Free agent pick up Chig Okonkwo failed to fully see his DMV homecoming through, recording just two catches before a hamstring injury kept him from finishing the day on the field.

Washington Commanders Tight End Chig Okonkwo
Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) celebrates after getting a first down against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Second-stringer John Bates did his best to mix in the occasional route and reception with his regularly stifling blocking, though it was the Commanders' head-scratching decision to turn to their slowest potential scorer on that fateful game-losing two-point attempt that sealed their afternoon's result. Daniels surely wouldn't say no to more open targets if Okonkwo can return to action in a timely manner.

Offensive Line Grade: D

Most Commanders viewers were already looking at the thin, Laremy Tunsil-less offensive line with a mean side-eye heading into the road trip, and the starting tackles he left behind predictably struggled. Though Josh Conerly Jr. did save a play by reeling Croskey-Merritt's fumble back in, he and Tunsil replacement Brandon Coleman couldn't stop the Midnight Green insurgents from repeatedly crashing Daniels' passing pocket.

And they weren't alone in their joint cave-ins, with center Nick Allegretti, too, missing on some key blocks. Chris Paul wasn't much better at left guard; while Sam Cosmi held his own in pass protection, the offense will require a lot more than one tall, standing offensive lineman to keep the offense from collapsing from the time of the snap.

Defensive Front Seven Grade: A-

The 2025 Commanders weren't known for their defense- at least, in a positive light. They were regarded as an old folks' home, the kind of scheme that regularly tasked less-than-mobile, past-their-prime names like Bobby Wagner and Von Miller with making key tackles and reacting to assignments over a decade their junior.

The franchise made sure to get younger in the offseason, and they seem to have found the right defensive coordinator to harness the deceptive, blitz-heavy attack. Daronte Jones, combined with newcomers like Odafe Oweh, Leo Chenal, and star rookie Sonny Styles, made their presence known by disrupting the Eagles' own streaky offense. They have the fresh legs to meld disguised coverages with wide-spanning versatility, having done more heavy lifting than anyone in their relatively clean joint debut.

Secondary Grade: C-

This mark would be considerably lower had it not been for Nick Cross, another key summertime addition. The safety was stellar in executing his finest Kyle Hamilton impression, sneakily relocating to the line of scrimmage and single-handedly stumping several screen attempts.

Unfortunately for Commanders fans, he can't do everything. Fellow starting safety Jeremy Reaves was less-than-aware in his own deeper coverage assignments, and that's to say nothing of the lacking cornerback room's collective showing. Mike Sainristil particularly floundered out deep, begging the rare breed of long-term sustainability questions that seem necessary after just one weekend of football.

Special Teams Grade: B-

The most crucial element of special teams will always be kicking success, as one player gets a clean shot to punctuate scoring drives and collect extra opportunities from daring field-goal distances.

Placekicker Drew Stevens missed a field goal and had an extra point blocked, enough to sink the postgame grade; the Commanders held their own in preventing the Eagles from taking advantage of them during those punt and kick-related transition phases, and longtime punter Tress Way doing what he does best is nothing new.

Granted, it's not as if primary return man Jaylin Lane made anything particularly magical happen during his attempts at outmaneuvering an entire sprinting defense, but the group's resistance to any funny business helped the Commanders remain in the game throughout a seemingly endless slew of three-and-out punts. Like many other position groups, they contributed a fair share of meaningful highs, though the self-inflicted mistakes ultimately ended up defining the season-opener to forget.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, The Capital Gazette, and The Lead. A Bowie, MD, native, he also handles On SI’s Wizards beat, extending his DMV coverage, and has earned his journalism degree from the University of Maryland.

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