The play looked dead. Third-and-18, 8:03 left in the fourth quarter, and Jalen Hurts had nothing downfield. He saw the opening in the middle of the field and took off, scrambling for 22 yards to the Washington 47-yard line. It was the kind of play that had been missing from his game last season, the kind that keeps drives alive when the structure collapses around him. He capped that possession with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, and the Eagles held on for a 24-22 win over the Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field.
Hurts completed 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns, adding 46 yards on the ground. He was the driving force behind every Eagles touchdown. With 1:57 remaining in the first quarter, he found Dontayvion Wicks on a deep ball for 64 yards to the Washington 6-yard line, setting up his own 17-yard touchdown pass to Goedert. He fit that throw between Commanders safeties Quan Martin and Jeremy Reaves, hitting Goedert in the back of the end zone. Two plays after Saquon Barkley broke tackles from Leo Chenal and Nick Cross for a 42-yard gain, Hurts threw a 9-yard touchdown to Wicks in the left corner, putting Philadelphia up 14-3.
The context matters. Entering the season, Hurts was considered one of the NFL's most controversial players. A Reddit poll from this past spring ranked him as the most hated NFL player among fans. For one day, he shut that down. He was aggressive pushing the ball into tight spaces and downfield, releasing on time and looking like a confident quarterback, which was not always the case last year.
The win was not clean. Head coach Nick Sirianni and his players will say during their post-game interviews that winning an NFL game is difficult, that the Commanders have outstanding coaches and players, that it was a gusty win. Those points are not wrong to a certain extent, but the Eagles cannot feel great about this one. They were sloppy on offense, and their defense struggled at times against a Washington offense that does not have a ton of talent.
Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's debut went as expected: some good, some bad. The bad was concentrated up front. The Eagles' offensive line was dominated by the Commanders' front in the second half. Philadelphia began the third quarter with three consecutive punts, the third ending when Commanders rookie linebacker Sonny Styles slammed Hurts into the ground for a sack. Hurts and Barkley were hit in the backfield too much, and the interior offensive line was the biggest reason.
Left guard Landon Dickerson looked like a shell of himself. On the Eagles' first touchdown drive, Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw beat him and brought down Barkley for a 2-yard loss without even being touched. Dickerson was called for a 10-yard holding penalty on the third scoring drive, beaten off the snap and yanking the jersey of a defender rushing toward Hurts. He gave up four pressures and one quarterback hit. Center Cam Jurgens was flagged for two holding penalties in the first half, and right guard Tyler Steen struggled at times. Washington also pressured Hurts with blitzes.
Dickerson is a major concern heading into Week 2. He is borderline unplayable. One of the best left guards in the NFL during his prime, injuries have crushed his ability. He struggled last season and was not impressive during training camp. The Eagles could consider benching him if he continues to play this poorly. Philadelphia rushed for 136 yards, but Hurts and Barkley made something out of nothing on most of those. According to Next Gen Stats, 78 of Barkley's 83 yards came after contact.
The other problem was inside the secondary. Cornerback Cooper DeJean rarely gets beat from the slot, but Washington surprisingly picked on the All-Pro. Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a savvy route runner, beat DeJean repeatedly. Diggs took a 15-yard catch to the Eagles' 41-yard line to ignite Washington's first touchdown drive late in the second quarter. He beat DeJean for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Luckily for the Eagles, Diggs jumped on the goal post during his celebration, which cost Washington a 2-point conversion attempt. The Commanders settled for an extra point and trailed 17-16.
DeJean was called for illegal contact during the third quarter, giving Washington an automatic first down and setting them up in scoring range. Commanders rookie kicker Drew Stevens then missed a 54-yard field goal. DeJean was also flagged for illegal contact on the first drive of the game, which ended with a Washington field goal. In the second quarter, Commanders rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams beat DeJean to his inside shoulder for a 16-yard catch to the Eagles' 1-yard line, setting up a rushing touchdown from Jacory Croskey-Merritt on the next play.
The Eagles won, and they will celebrate on Sunday night. But the scoreboard flattered a performance that was messy at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Hurts masked a lot of it with his legs and his arm, and the Reddit poll will have to wait another week for a verdict. The offensive line, particularly Dickerson, remains the open wound heading into Week 2.
According to Yahoo Sports.