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PHILADELPHIA – Zack Baun had red welts streaking across the back of one ear and down his neck. On the other side of the Eagles’ locker room after their 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday evening, Saquon Barkley sat on a stool at his locker, shirtless, making it easy to see the blooming bruises on his back.
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They had survived a football war. The Eagles are far from a finished product, to be sure, but isn’t that what we expected after bringing in several new coaches and not seeing them play meaningful snaps in the summer? To think this was going to be a beatdown would be misguided.
“Most importantly, we came out with the win,” said Barkley, who hammered out 83 yards on 15 carries (5.5 yards per carry). “Last year, I know everyone tried to make something of we won by two points and we’re not getting on that this year. That’s the beautiful thing – we came out with a win. We’re gonna be happy, we’re gonna celebrate and we’re gonna flush it and move on and get ready for the next game.”
Here is my 3-for-3 from Sunday’s win:
TOP 3 PLAYERS
Zack Baun. It was an incredible opener for the linebacker, who played all 70 defensive snaps. He played with the urgency of a man who didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do on defense in four years with the Saints. He ended with 12 tackles, three off his career high, two passes defensed, and an interception that didn’t count because he was just out of bounds.
“The first game comes with a lot of unknowns, especially with a new coordinator (for the Commanders’ offense); don’t necessarily know what they’re gonna run, and it comes down to fundamentals and technique,” he said. “There were good things and bad things, and I’m excited to watch the film.”
Dallas Goedert. The tight end caught a pair of touchdowns, from 17 and 43 yards. His 43-yarder required a run after catch that covered about 29 yards. He led all receivers with 77 yards on four catches.
Jalen Hurts. The quarterback wasn’t perfect, but a 122.2 passer rating in his first game in about eight months wasn’t too shabby at all. He totaled 249 yards – 203 with his arm, 46 with his legs – and threw touchdown passes, covering 17, 9, and 43 yards. He did not have an interception.
“He came up big for us,” said Barkley. “He made the throws that need to be made. We all know how great of a passer he is, especially deep passes. You could see that he worked himself into shape to get back to how we know he can run the ball, and his legs came up big for us.”
Rough Opener For Cooper DeJean
TOP 3 DISAPPOINTMENTS
Landon Dickerson. The Pro Bowl left guard’s mind was willing. His body? Not so much. Dickerson has worked hard to keep his body healthy, doing whatever he can to make it work, and the hope is that Sunday was just a one-off and he will round into form.
Cooper DeJean. Some suggested afterward that maybe DeJean bulked up too much this offseason and didn’t move as well as he did last year.
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“I just gotta clean it up, my footwork, things like that,” said DeJean. “…Everybody’s good, so you’re gonna win some of those one-on-one battles and you’re gonna lose some of those one-on-one battles, but it’s a team game and we came out with a win in the end.”
Makai Lemon. It may not be fair to the rookie to be on this list, but that’s the scrutiny that comes with being a first-round pick. You can blame the offensive coaches for not finding better ways to get him the ball, but three catches for -3 yards? Not good at all.
TOP 3 PLAYS
Jalen Hurts’ 22-yard scramble on third-and-18. Washington had scratched to within 17-16 and would’ve gone for the tie with a two-point try if not for Stefon Digg’s boneheaded unsportsmanlike penalty after he scored a touchdown.
The Eagles needed an answer and Hurts found it with his scramble up the middle, a run that required a nice block downfield from rookie Makai Lemon.
Moro Ojomo stuff on PAT. The defensive tackle beautifully read the Commanders’ try to tie the game on a shovel with 61 seconds left.
Tay Wicks’ two catches. The first went for 64 yards, jumpstarting the offense. It led to a 17-yard TD catch from Dallas Goedert. His second was a 9-yard touchdown with a route so nifty he left Mike Sainristil in the dust.
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Today’s best reads
- Grading Each Position After Eagles Win Over Commanders: Jalen Hurts Aces Test; O-Line Fails
- Takeaways From Eagles Week 1 Win Over Commanders: Jalen Hurts Doubters Awfully Quiet
- Predicting Eagles Starters vs. Commanders for NFL Week 1: Offense, Defense, Special Teams
- What Must Go Right For Eagles This Season And What Could Go Wrong
- 12 Winners, 7 Losers From Eagles’ Exhilarating Week 1 Win Over Commanders
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as Eagles 3-for-3: Breaking Down The Biggest Moments, Players And Disappointments from Week 1.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 10:30 AM.