By admin 
The start of the NFL season is here and with that comes an NFC East clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders to open up the season at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
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The two teams went in opposite directions last season. The Eagles won a second straight division title with an 11-6 record while the Commanders were decimated with injuries resulting in a 5-12 finish just a year after playing the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.
The Eagles are a perfect 5-0 in season openers under Nick Sirianni but face the Commanders for the first time in a season opener since 2020, the last time Philadelphia did not start off a season with a win when they fell to the then “Washington Football Team” 27-17.
Here are five players the Eagles will need to stop against Washington to continue their winning ways in season opening games.
Jayden Daniels
Let’s start with the obvious. Daniels is the engine that runs this offense for Washington. After a stellar rookie season where he was the Offensive Rookie Player of the Year throwing for over 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for nearly 900 yards adding six more scores, Daniels only played in seven games in an injury-laden campaign. He suffered a left knee sprain in Week 2, a right hamstring strain in Week 7 before being knocked out of the game with a dislocated left elbow on a sack in Week 9 against Seattle. He returned in Week 14 but landed on the elbow and was later ruled out for the rest of the season.
He completed 60.6% of his passes for 1,262 yards with eight touchdowns to three interceptions.
On a revenge tour, the 25-year-old has shown he can be one of the most electric quarterbacks in the NFL. In his two regular season games against Philadelphia in 2024, Daniels completed 46 of his 71 passes (64.7% completion percentage) for 449 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 101 yards on 16 carries. He did most of his damage in the second game against the Eagles where he racked up five passing touchdowns and added another with his legs in a 36-33 Commanders win.
Getting in the backfield will be key to slow down Daniels who will be playing behind a shotty offensive line that is without star left tackle Laremy Tunsil (torn triceps) who is on the IR and needs surgery.
Terry McLaurin
The top target for Daniels, McLaurin quietly has been one of the better wide receivers in the league since turning pro in 2019. But like Daniels, the wide receiver missed signifcant time last season playing in just 10 games due to injuries. In turn, it snapped his streak of five straight 1,000-yard seasons for the 30-year-old.
McLaurin is a deep threat that found the endzone 13 times in 2024 and looks to return to that form here in 2026 but will go up against Quinyon Mitchell once again, providing one of the more intriguing matchups in the season opener. Mitchell locked down McLaurin in their meeting in mid Novemeber back in 2024 where the cornerback did not allow a single target for McLaurin and in the 2025 NFC Championship game allowed just one catch for seven yards on four targets against Washington’s top wideout per NextGen Stats.
Stefon Diggs
The Commanders added a legit number two wide receiver to compliment McLaurin this season in the veteran Diggs. Despite being on the other side of 30, the 32-year-old put together a very solid season with New England last year posting his seventh 1,000-yard season of his career and first since 2023 thanks to five 100-plus receiving yard games.
Diggs made the most of his playing time with the Patriots raking 12th in receptions (85) and 16th in receiving yards (1,013) and reports out of camp indicate that he looks very good and impressing head coach Dan Quinn noting how good the former fifth-round pick looks beating zone and man coverage this summer.
Riq Woolen will presumably be tasked with slowing down Diggs in his debut game with Philadelphia, lining up opposite of Mitchell.
Odafe Oweh
The Commanders overhauled their defense after ranking near the bottom of the league in nearly every key category. A new defensive coordinator, spending high draft capital and signing Oweh to a four-year, $100 million deal with $68 million guaranteed were just a few of the notable changes made boost a paltry pass rush from a season ago.
The 27-year-old has 30.5 career sacks with 17.5 of them coming in the past two seasons thanks to a career-best 10 sacks in 2024 and 7.5 last season all coming with the Los Angeles Chargers after he was traded from Baltimore. Overall, he posted the sixth-highest pressure rate at 17.3% last among players with at least 200 pash-rush attempts per Next Gen Stats.
Oweh is dealing with a calf injury so his status for Sunday’s game is still murky, but if he is able to go, he will be someone the offensive line has to account for at all times throughout the game.
Sonny Styles
Styles was the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft and comes in with a ton of expectations. The rookie linebacker is handling the pressure well, reportedly wearing the green dot at practice, indicating the trust the Commanders have in their first round pick. A former safety, Styles has incredible speed and athleticism, he will look to make a splash in his NFL debut.
The Commanders have lacked a reliable leader on the defense and could potentially be the team’s new version of London Fletcher, who was an anchor for Washington from 2007-2013.
The Eagles will look to force some “welcome to the NFL, rook” moments and keep him out of the backfield.
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Today’s best reads
- The Commanders Players The Eagles Need To Stop In Week 1
- The Three Matchups That Will Decide Commanders Week
- 4 Storylines I’m Watching Most in Eagles Week 1 Matchup Against Commanders
- Final Injury Report For Eagles Week 1 vs. Commanders: Philly Plays It Cautious With Jonathan Greenard
- Eagles-Commanders: Five Thoughts With Final Score Prediction
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as 5 Commanders the Eagles Must Stop To Bring Home Week 1 Win.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 4:14 AM.