From Three-and-Outs to Last-Minute Heroics: Eagles Outlast Washington

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles wanted a statement win. They had to settle for survival.

Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes, Dallas Goedert scored twice, and defensive tackle Moro Ojomo stuffed Washington's two-point conversion with 1:01 left as Philadelphia escaped Lincoln Financial Field with a 24-22 Week 1 win over the Commanders on Sunday.

The win was Nick Sirianni's sixth straight in a season opener, and it was a reminder that the new-look offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion is still a work in progress.

The Eagles led 14-9 at halftime after two explosive plays, then went three-and-out on their first three possessions of the second half. Washington, lifeless for most of the afternoon, woke up, and a game that should have been comfortable turned into a one-score grind.

First-half sparks, second-half stalls

Washington struck first on a 55-yard field goal by Drew Stevens. Philadelphia answered with the kind of big-play offense it will need all year.

Hurts hit Dontayvion Wicks for 64 yards, a career long for Wicks in his first game as an Eagle, then found Goedert for a 17-yard touchdown. Later in the second quarter, Saquon Barkley ripped off a 42-yard run and Hurts finished the drive with a 9-yard scoring toss to Wicks, and just like that it was 14-3.

The Commanders punched back before the half. Jacory Croskey-Merritt scored from a yard out, but Jalen Carter blocked the extra point, and Philadelphia took a 14-9 lead into the locker room.

Then the offense went quiet. Jake Elliott's 35-yard field goal late in the third quarter made it 17-9, but the Eagles could not put Washington away.

Jayden Daniels, who was 6-of-16 for 65 yards through three quarters, finally found a rhythm. He hit Stefon Diggs for a 10-yard touchdown with 9:59 left. Diggs was flagged for celebrating, so Washington kicked the extra point instead of going for two and trailed 17-16.

The sequence that saved the opener

Facing third-and-18 from his own 31, Hurts scrambled up the middle for 22 yards. Two plays later he flipped a short pass to Goedert, who turned upfield and raced 43 yards for the touchdown. Philadelphia led 24-16 with 6:02 remaining.

Daniels answered with a 12-play drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie Antonio Williams with 1:01 left, and Washington went for two to tie. Ojomo read the shovel pass to tight end John Bates and wrapped him up at the line of scrimmage. DeVonta Smith recovered the onside kick to end it.

Who played best

Hurts finished 14-of-25 for 203 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 122.2 passer rating. He also ran for 46 yards. The 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 was the play of his night. He kept the drive alive with his legs, and two plays later Goedert was in the end zone. It was the performance of a proven winner who still has to overcome an inconsistent offensive line.

Goedert was the most reliable target: four catches, 77 yards, two touchdowns. The 43-yard score was the longest of his career and the biggest offensive play of the afternoon.

Wicks made an immediate impression with two catches for 73 yards and a score. Barkley finished with 83 rushing yards, but 42 of them came on one run. The rest of his afternoon was ordinary behind an interior line that struggled.

On defense, Zack Baun was the steadiest presence. He was around the ball all day, with tackles for loss, pass breakups and pursuit, and he might have been the best Eagle on the field not named Hurts. Carter's blocked extra point loomed large in a two-point game, and so did Ojomo's stop at the end.

Special teams helped too. Punter Braden Mann repeatedly pinned Washington deep.

What it means

This was not a clean win. The offensive line had penalties and protection issues. Rookie receiver Makai Lemon caught three passes for minus-5 yards. The defense bent in the fourth quarter and failed to finish several pressures. Both teams' new offenses looked disjointed for long stretches.

But the Eagles found just enough splash plays and one stop when they needed it, and they are 1-0. Hurts is now 6-0 as a starter on opening day.

Next week they visit the Titans. The offense will need to look a lot less like it did in 2025 and a lot more like the version that produced those two first-half touchdown drives.