4 Storylines I'm Watching Most in Eagles Week 1 Matchup Against Commanders

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders have a massive battle at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. This is part of the thrill of Week 1 when facing a division foe, an opportunity to make a statement.

The Eagles are 5-0 in season openers under Nick Sirianni, who understands the importance of starting 1-0. This is why the Eagles have made the playoffs in each of the past five years, fast starts are paramount.

"The whole thing is your habits that you build," Sirianni said. "There is no secret to some of these things. The habits that you build every single day are going to be what shows up on Sunday. Our guys work extremely hard at that. Our coaches are very purposeful on that."

What else can the Eagles do to start 1-0 this week? Well, these are the storylines this week worth focusing on.

Is Jonathan Greenard going to play?

Greenard was limited in Wednesday's practice after missing six weeks with a pectoral injury, one that kept him out all of training camp. Since the Eagles activated Greenard from the PUP list, all the news has been positive regarding Greenard.

Is Greenard 100%? Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says he's "day-to-day," so probably not.

The Eagles will want to be cautious with Greenard to make sure that injury doesn't linger, as football injuries obviously can reoccur. Greenard had a shoulder injury that lingered all of last year, and was probably how the Eagles were able to get him for two third-round picks.

If the Eagles don't play Greenard, it's not the end of the world. Jalyx Hunt will play at right end and Nolan Smith at left end, but the pass rushing rotation would be lethal if Greenard is able to go.

This is likely a game-time decision.

Eagles pass rush set for big day

The Commanders offensive line has certainly faced some criticism this summer, especially with Laremy Tunsil out with a torn triceps. With Tunsil's injury, the Commanders were forced to adjust the left side of their offensive line -- with Brandon Coleman as the left tackle and Chris Paul as the left gaurd.

Washington also surprisingly cut center Tyler Biadasz and handed the center job to Nick Allegretti. With Tunsil out, left tackle and left guard are weakened -- and a new center to protect Jayden Daniels. And this season is about keeping Daniels healthy.

The Commanders will get an Eagles pass rush that may have Greenard back, and with Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt coming off good summers. Hunt was the best player in training camp.

Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo, and Jordan Davis are also the defensive tackles -- the real problem for the Comamnders offensive line. This is the mismatch that greatly favors the Eagles.

They should get to Daniels, creating havoc for the Commanders offense all afternoon.

DeVonta Smith's is back as WR1

The Eagles were able to move on from A.J. Brown because they had Smith in the fold. Smith wa sthe WR1 before Brown got to Philadelphia, but is a significantly better player in the four years working with Brown.

Smith had 994 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on pass attempts of 25+ air yards since the start of the 2022 season. He was seventh in the NFL in receiving yards and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns during that span. On throws of 25+ air yards to Smith over the past four seasons, Hurts has completed 46.8% of his passes to Smith with a 106.2 passer rating. On throws of 10+ air yards, Hurts has thrown 11 touchdown passes to Smith with a 106.9 passer rating.

Those numbers indicate Smith was one of the elite deep-ball wideouts in the game, even as a WR2 in the offense.

What's Smith going to do as the WR1? Not just on the deep ball, but Smith never had more than 136 targets in the season, so that will significantly change from 2026 onward.

Even if there are reservations about this offense, Smith is going to see a lot of targets based on how Sean Mannion mimics Matt LaFleur, who mimics Sean McVay. There's going to be a lot of balls Smith's way this season, which is an excellent development in this offense.

Dontayvion Wicks set for big debut as WR2

Wicks earned the WR2 spot early in training camp, well after the Eagles gave their offseason acquisiton $12.5 million for the 2027 season. This was always a two-year tryout for Wicks, to see if he can thrive with more targets in an elevated role.

There's an excellent chance for Wicks to make a strong first impression on Sunday. Commanders starting cornerback Mike Sainristil allowed a 103.2 passer rating and 9 pass touchdowns as the primary defender in coverage last year.

Guess who will see a lot of Sainristil on Sunday? The answer is Wicks.

If Wicks had a big debut for the Eagles, it wouldn't be surprising. The Commanders are going to have to account for Smith, which will free up Wicks as the No. 2 option.

Make sure you bookmark Philadelphia Eagles on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google