September 16, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
DeVonta Smith #6, Jalen Hurts #1, Dontayvion Wicks #13 and Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrate after a touchdown during a NFL game between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on September 13, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Eagles turn the page to their Week 2 matchup against the Titans knowing they did some nice things on offense on an otherwise choppy afternoon and made some critical spots on defense despite also an inconsistent showing there.
In their 24-22 win against the Commanders, we saw elements of the new offense come through, some old habits that didn't die, an excellent play call made even better by a quarterback's decision, and two All Pros on defense who need to pick it up next Sunday and beyond.
Here are five thoughts on the Eagles:
The Eagles went under center 30 percent of the time – expected given what we wrote all offseason about Sean Mannion's coaching influences and his plan to change the Birds' offensive concepts. For comparison, they were under center on less than 22 percent of snaps last year, and 16 percent in 2024. Both their 2024 and 2025 under center stats are inflated by the Tush Push, which the Eagles didn't attempt Sunday or else their under center percentage would probably have been a tick higher.
The Eagles also were in far more 11 personnel (3WR, 1TE) than 12 personnel (2WR,2TE), which is atypical for them. They were in 11 personnel on more than 70 percent of their snaps against Washington. Last year, they were about 65 percent in 11 personnel. The downtick is probably due to their tight end depth at the moment – Johnny Mundt is really just an inline blocker and E.J. Jenkins played just one snap (more on that later).
But there were good signs of timing and anticipation throws from Jalen Hurts, which is supposed to be a bigger part of this offense. The TD pass from Hurts to Dontayvion Wicks is one of the best examples. Hurts releases the ball while Wicks still has his back turned toward the QB.
Now watch in full speed:
There were also some staples of the old offense, including inside zone runs, Jalen Hurts getting out of trouble with back-breaking scrambles, and the ol' Four Verts play call that this time led to Dallas Goedert's first touchdown.
At some point, we'll surely see a Tush Push.
The 64-yard connection between Jalen Hurts and Wicks was a great example of a well-designed scheme and even better decision by the trigger man.
Mannion put 13 personnel (1WR,3TE) on the field for the only time of the game, with the taller, physical Wicks as the lone wideout. He wanted to make sure the Commanders put their run defense on the field, which they did.
The Commanders were in a 4-3 front, with three linebackers off the ball, and with safety Nick Cross (25) at the top coming closer to the box to be an extra run defender.
The play action worked perfectly. Wicks' route downfield cleared corner Mike Sanristil, who usually plays slot but moves outside in base defense. Goedert easily got open on the right side as Washington linebackers let him slip behind.
So why is Hurts not throwing to a wide open Goedert and targeting Wicks, who doesn't appear to be open?
Simple. One, Sanrisitil's back is facing Hurts, so he has no idea the ball is about to be thrown. He won't be in a good position unless he turns around. He is also four inches shorter than the 6-foot-1 Wicks. Two, safety Nick Cross also has his back turned and his leverage away from Wicks.
Hurts can see that both DBs have no idea the ball is about to be thrown, let alone in their direction. He trusted that Wicks would be the only one who could get to the ball, and Wicks knew that he couldn't just assume the ball wouldn't come even though he was the clear-out receiver.
"With J here, he trust you he'll put it up there," Wicks said after the game, referring to Hurts. "So once I broke on the out, on the deep one, I seen the ball in the air and just kept running, and it was put on the money."
It sure was:
That's just a really good combination of play design, play call and quarterbacking.
Cooper DeJean admitted after the game that he didn't play well enough and that sometimes he lets his eyes deceive him. He was targeted eight times, allowed six receptions for 75 yards, including a Stefon Diggs touchdown that made the game very close in the fourth.
"I wasn't good enough – obviously," the third-year All Pro slot corner said. "I've just got to do better."
"Sometimes my eyes get bad," he later adder, "and that gets me in trouble, so just gotta be better with that. The good thing is, it's Week 1 so gotta lot of games ahead of us."
Something to watch with Titans slot specialist Wan'Dale Robinson up next. Robinson had five receptions for 38 yards with a long of 10 in Week 1.
Landon Dickerson going on IR means the Eagles are already having their depth tested by two weeks into the season. Drew Kendall is the likeliest replacement, and honestly, Kendall is probably better than the injured version of Dickerson we witnessed in Week 1.
But the reality is that Dickerson's injury makes Cam Jurgens the team's most indispensable player. If Jurgens, who played OK in Week 1, were to get hurt, the Eagles would be down to Kendall and Willie Lampkin as two-fifths of the offensive line. Kendall and Lampkin were good camp stories and solid backups, but not an ideal set of starters for a team with Super Bowl expectations.
Kendall has just 89 snaps under his belt from his rookie season. Lampkin has never played an NFL snap. Howie Roseman would have to make a move.
Jalen Carter's blocked point-after attempt was one of the most critical plays from the win over Washington. The irony is that it might have been Carter's best moment.
He didn't play like an elite DT and got stonewalled several times by Commanders RG Sam Cosmi on key Washington pass downs. He wasn't even always double-teamed. I
In the video below, Commanders C Nick Allegretti slides toward the left side stunt side while leaving Cosmi alone on Carter. With no pressure, Daniels completes a 33-yard pass on 3rd-and-14.
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