Week 1 · Sunday, September 13 · 4:25 PM ET
Why This Game Matters
Nineteen months after the Eagles turned Jayden Daniels' magical rookie season into confetti with a 55-23 NFC Championship beatdown, these two are right back at it to open 2026 — except now it's Washington that thinks it has something to prove. The Commanders limped to 5-12 last season and gutted their coaching staff in response, while Philadelphia traded away A.J. Brown and handed a first-time play-caller the keys to Jalen Hurts' offense, so this divisional grudge match doubles as a referendum on which team's offseason overhaul is actually working. Add in a Washington O-line already missing Laremy Tunsil and an Eagles receiver room banged up all camp, and Week 1 has the makings of an ugly, tone-setting brawl for the NFC East.
Real Player Matchups
- WAS pass rusher Von Miller (9.0 sacks, 15 QB hits in 2025) vs. a PHI offensive line that allowed 35 sacks last season.
- WAS's Deebo Samuel Sr. drew a 23% target share in 2025 (+18 receiving EPA) against a PHI defense ranked #8 of 32 in EPA allowed.
- PHI's A.J. Brown drew a 26% target share in 2025 (+34 receiving EPA) against a WAS defense ranked #30 of 32 in EPA allowed.
Real 2025 season production (nflverse), a prior-season baseline pending real 2026 games.
Key Matchups
- Jayden Daniels, playing behind a line that just lost LT Laremy Tunsil to a torn triceps, against an Eagles front that will test David Blough's new-look protection schemes immediately
- Sean Mannion's Shanahan-style debut as Eagles OC — more under-center looks, motion, and play-action for Jalen Hurts — against Daronte Jones' retooled Washington defense in its first live outing
- Washington's revamped edge duo of Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson (both dealing with camp injuries) trying to disrupt a rebuilt Eagles offensive line under new position coach Chris Kuper
- A hamstring-riddled Eagles receiver corps — DeVonta Smith, rookie Makai Lemon, and Britain Covey all banged up — against a Washington secondary already down CB Trey Amos
Injury Report
Laremy Tunsil · WAS LT
Out
Suffered a torn triceps in training camp practice; injury could keep him out for the season.
Jerzhan (Johnny) Newton · WAS DL
Out
Underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and saw a specialist; expected to miss extended time.
Nick Allegretti · WAS C
Injured
Projected starting center sidelined by a calf strain suffered early in camp.
Trey Amos · WAS CB
Injured
Suffered an ankle sprain on the same leg as last year's broken fibula upon returning to practice.
Odafe Oweh · WAS EDGE
Limited
Held out of practice with a calf injury.
K'Lavon Chaisson · WAS EDGE
Limited
Held out of practice with a knee injury.
Jordan Magee · WAS LB
Injured
Missed practices with a shoulder issue from the preseason game/joint practice against Miami.
River Cracraft · WAS WR
IR
Placed on injured reserve during camp.
Jerome Ford · WAS RB
IR
Placed on injured reserve during camp.
Elijah Mitchell · PHI RB
IR
Placed on injured reserve, ending his 2026 season.
DeVonta Smith · PHI WR
Injured
Dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp.
Makai Lemon · PHI WR
Injured
Rookie dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp.
Britain Covey · PHI WR
Injured
Dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp.
Danny Grey · PHI WR
Injured
Dealing with a concussion in camp.
Quinyon Mitchell · PHI CB
Questionable
Slow to get up after a collision in 1-on-1 drills; did not visit the medical tent, seen as an encouraging sign.
Series History
All-time: Washington leads the all-time regular-season series 91-88-6 in a rivalry dating back to 1934; the two clubs' postseason record is tied 1-1.
Last meeting: The teams last met on January 4, 2026, in the Week 18 regular-season finale at Lincoln Financial Field, where journeyman QB Josh Johnson rallied a shorthanded Washington team from a fourth-quarter deficit to a 24-17 upset over an Eagles club that had little left to play for. That win capped a lost 5-12 season for the Commanders — and came just over eleven months after Philadelphia routed Washington 55-23 in the 2024 NFC Championship Game at that same stadium, ending Jayden Daniels' rookie playoff run and sending the Eagles on to a 40-22 Super Bowl LIX win over Kansas City.
- · The 2024 NFC Championship (Eagles 55, Commanders 23) was Philadelphia's third conference title game in five seasons and set up their Super Bowl LIX rout of the Chiefs; it remains one of the most lopsided conference championship results in modern NFL history.
- · Washington's 20-6 win over Philadelphia in the 1991 NFC Wild Card Round was the only other playoff meeting between these franchises before the 2024 title game, which is why the all-time postseason series still sits tied 1-1.
- · The two clubs split their 2025 regular-season series, with Philadelphia winning at home 29-18 in Week 16 before Washington closed the year with the 24-17 upset in Week 18 — both games played at Lincoln Financial Field, the same building hosting this Week 1 rematch.
Weather
Forecast not yet available this far out — check back closer to kickoff. Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia is an open-air stadium.
Records & Rankings on the Line
- · Philadelphia opens the season ranked No. 9 in the power rankings, still viewed as an NFC contender (roughly +1800 Super Bowl odds) despite trading away A.J. Brown and overhauling its offensive coaching staff
- · Washington opens at No. 19 after cratering from an NFC title game appearance to 5-12, with oddsmakers setting its 2026 win total around 7.5 as a referendum on Jayden Daniels' health and two brand-new coordinators
- · Washington has won two of the last three meetings in this series, including a Week 18 upset at Lincoln Financial Field, but hasn't beaten Philadelphia in a game that actually mattered since before the 55-23 NFC Championship blowout
The Desk Weighs In
Duke Callahan
PHI -8
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Vega Okafor
PHI -6
"Philadelphia's defense (8th) against Washington's (30th) is the widest defensive gap on either side of this game, and it's the reason I'm still on the Eagles despite the skill-position injuries getting all the attention."
Sunny Marchetti
WAS -2
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Reese Thackeray
PHI -9
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.
Priest Dunbar
WAS -1
Reasoning not yet published for this pick.