What's Changed for the Eagles Since the Commanders Last Saw Them?

As toxic as the Washington Commanders' relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles has been between fan bases over the years, their on-field dynamic has shifted far more than their separate league-wide perceptions would suggest.

While the Commanders rose from the NFL's dregs before returning to the game's ashes in record time over the last two seasons, the Eagles prepare for their own search for redemption. Their 55-23 throttling of Washington in the 2024 NFC Championship Game may as well be ancient history to the public, who now associate Philadelphia with cunning roster-building that's frequently held back by questionable quarterback play and a mixed bag of sideline coordinators.

Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni, former Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo and Quarterback Jalen Hurts — Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo speak with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the second quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Commanders always seem to give the Eagles a run for their money, splitting their last four regular-season matchups right down the middle, and that trend may very well take on a new chapter with their Week 1 trip to Lincoln Financial Field looming. The pair of NFC East rivals find themselves walking the same road at different paces, but that's never stopped the quarreling neighbors before.

How Have the Eagles Adjusted to Disappointment?

Few of this ongoing decade's contenders have struggled with year-to-year consistency as much as the Eagles.

Just go down the list of their last four playoff results: multiple Super Bowl appearances, the latter of which ended with the team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, were closely followed by unimpressive exits in the Wild Card round. As regularly as their front office injects fresh blood into its defense, their scoring scheme has struggled to put All-Pro-caliber weapons like Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown in positions to succeed throughout their recent contending window.

Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Saquon Barkley — Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Washington Commanders during the second half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

And with a visibly unhappy Brown and a plateauing tush push strategy acting as distractions last autumn, the organization happily re-tooled over the offseason. Out went Brown to the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots, and a few fringe weapons came in to support the Eagles' primary weapons that led the way during that Super Bowl-winning run.

Barkley and DeVonta Smith are quarterback Jalen Hurts' featured players now, and just like Saquon Barkley has Tank Bigsby as his understudy, Smith has Hollywood Brown, rookie Makai Lemon, and Elijah Moore to fill in as clear-cut second-stringers to pad his own ascendance.

More importantly, Philadelphia continued to fortify its defense. Veterans like Riq Woolen and Jonathan Jones will add to a DB room already led by Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, adding more ball-hawks to haunt gunslingers like Jayden Daniels and his hopes of punishing another unhappy Eagles secondary where it hurts.

They're not quite as popular a pick to dominate the upcoming regular season and playoff picture, especially with the Dallas Cowboys angling for their own push back into positive relevance, but they'll be sure to stand tall next to similarly talented NFC forces. That means a squad like the Commanders, who aren't exactly proud of their own 2025 campaign, have to use their season opener as a measuring stick for their fall to come.

How Prepared are the Commanders for a Bounce-Back?

Despite Washington technically winning the last laugh over the Eagles, stealing a 24-17 victory out of a mostly meaningless Week 18 formality this past January, they're facing a considerably steeper precipice than their favored home openers.

Unlike the Eagles, who've already made their mark on the NFL's history books by winning it all with their present core, the Commanders are still attempting to break free of their early "one-and-done" reputation. No one had expected rookie sensation Daniels to recreate his sensational rookie season, a sequence of wild triumphs that was largely chalked up to fortunate scheduling and unsustainably clutch finishes, and the doubters prevailed as their 12-5 advancement flipped right back into 5-12 during an injury-plagued 2025.

Washington Commanders Quarterback Jayden Daniels — Nov 2, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is injured on a play during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Commanders responded to the extraordinary highs with the wrong approach, putting on a team-building showing that diverged sharply from Philadelphia's usually proficient work. They signed far too many past-their-prime contributors to support Daniels' offense and carry out head coach Dan Quinn's defensive vision, leaving the quarterback with few reliable playmakers to lean on while amping up his pressure to hold his own in scoring shootouts.

The new-look roster that's set to debut this week includes many more spry route-runners and pass-catchers with prayers to break out, as well as a slew of pocket-crashers sure to regularly get hands on opposing quarterbacks.

Even if that defense is still lacking in the secondary with a hastily constructed front seven, they have a distributing talent who's younger and arguably more skilled than the Eagles' own field general, as well as go-to receivers like Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs with the hands and instincts to keep assigned cornerbacks on their toes.

The Eagles are going to start the year week 1 trying to run the ball from under center and see if Washington’s new front can set an edge. That is my biggest takeaway from Mannion’s camp work and pressers. He has actually been saying a lot of the same things that David Blough is…
— TheJoesList (@TheJoesList) September 4, 2026

They'll have plenty of opportunities to keep their showdowns interesting, as they have in their energizing wins and tight losses over the past few years, but the Commanders will still need to quickly establish their offensive hierarchy to keep up with the regularly adjusting Eagles as they hunt for their own brand of resurgence.

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