The Philadelphia Eagles escaped with a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders in their season opener, but the performance left little doubt that the offense and quarterback Jalen Hurts have work to do.
New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion took over after last season’s struggles under Kevin Patullo. The unit looked sharp early Sunday before stalling badly after halftime.
That second-half fade has become a familiar headache. Last year it helped cost Patullo his job. On Monday, analysts on First Things First made it clear the same issues cannot linger if Philadelphia expects to contend.
“I am underwhelmed by the offense, but you’re a defensive team… We just happen to talk about their quarterback a lot,” Danny Parkins said while offering his first impressions of the 2026 Eagles.
Hurts completed 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also picked up 46 rushing yards, including a crucial 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 in the fourth quarter.
That run kept a drive alive and set up Dallas Goedert’s 43-yard touchdown catch that made it 24-16. Without those plays, the game might have slipped away.
The Eagles led 14-9 at the half after a 64-yard catch by Dontayvion Wicks and a nine-yard scoring toss to the same receiver. Then the offense went three-and-out on its first three second-half possessions.
Washington’s defense loaded up with blitzes and stuffed the run game. Saquon Barkley found little room after a 42-yard burst earlier in the afternoon.
Penalties piled up, too. Holding calls on first down and protection breakdowns put Hurts in long-yardage spots he should not have faced.
“We’ve got to help (Mannion) out,” Hurts said. “We should never be in third-and-18. We should never be in that position.”
Coach Nick Sirianni rejected the idea that the team played it safe.
“We don’t think about taking our foot off the gas,” Sirianni said afterward.
The defense kept the Eagles in it. Linebacker Zack Baun piled up tackles, and Moro Ojomo stuffed a two-point conversion attempt with 1:01 left to preserve the win.
Center Cam Jurgens put it simply: “We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Last season the Eagles finished with a negative second-half scoring margin, the only time that happened under Sirianni. After one game this year they already sit at minus-3 in the second half.
The talent is still there. Goedert, Wicks and Barkley can make big plays. The defense remains one of the league’s better units.
Yet the offense keeps putting the team in positions where Hurts has to create something out of nothing. That approach worked Sunday. It will not work every week.
Parkins’ point lands because the conversation always circles back to the quarterback. When the scheme sputters and the line leaks, Hurts becomes the story whether he likes it or not.
Philadelphia is 6-0 in season openers under Sirianni. Surviving another close one against a division rival feels good for a night. It does not erase the warning signs.
If Mannion’s new system and Hurts cannot find more consistency in the second half, the Eagles will keep living on the edge. That is a dangerous place for a team with Super Bowl expectations.
The defense can only cover so many empty drives. The offense and its quarterback have to get better, and they have to do it soon.
