.png){kind=logo}
DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS AND BIG PLAYS HELP EAGLES HOLD OFF COMMANDERS 24-22
With 1:05 left in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Commanders season opener at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday evening, Commanders rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams scored on a one-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to make the score 24-22.
The Eagles were now clinging to the two-point lead. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn had no choice but to go for two.
Washington lined up in pass formation. Would Daniels audible for a run play? Would he throw a pass to the front corner of the end zone again?
Veteran center Nick Allegretti snapped the ball to Daniels who took a step back and tossed a little shovel pass to tight end John Bates who had darted across the middle behind the Washington O-line.
But almost out of nowhere, Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo hammered Bates at about the two-yard line. The score keeper typed ATTEMPT FAILED.
Eagles Nation erupts into joyful squall. The Eagles recover the on-sides kick; game over.
“You have to play fast, man,” Ojomo said. “And you can't play indecisive any time. I just pushed off on the ball so (guard Sam) Cosmo pull, spun out of it, saw that the tight end was coming, made the play.”
The Eagles new offense was not dazzling in its debut. The Birds got off to a slow start, failing to score in the first quarter. There were times when it seemed Commanders new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones knew the plays in advance.
The Commanders sacked Jalen Hurts three times Sunday evening.
But Hurts hit on several big pass plays, Saquon Barkley rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries, the highlight of those runs was a 42-yard dash in the second quarter that helped set up Hurts' nine-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks to give the Birds (1-0) a 14-3 lead they would not relinquish.
The Birds first touchdown was a 17-yard laser over-the-middle from Hurts to tight end Dallas Goedert. The TD was set by a 64-yard bomb from Hurts to Wicks.
The Eagles third touchdown was a 43-yard catch-and-run throw over the middle by Hurts to Goedert with 6:02 left in the fourth quarter just after veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught a ten-yard touchdown pass from Daniels that made the score 17-16.
Goetert said he knows questions will be asked after this game regarding the inconsistent offense; but he thought there were positives.
“They did a good job of disguising their corner blitzes, things like that,” Goedert said. “It's the first game with our offensive coordinator. We want to [learn] how he wants to call the game and see what happens during the course of the game. We'll have a lot to learn from on the film, but I think it was a great start.”
Hurts, who was 14 of 25 for 203 yards, three TD passes and no turnovers, was asked how important his chemistry with Goedert has been over the last few years, and is that a way to build chemistry with the new receivers.
“That's a great point and I think a great catch,” Hurts said at his post game press conference. “It's something that we're all experiencing together. We've got new coaches at almost every position on the offensive side of the ball, especially when it comes from instilling the values and the philosophy of this new scheme.
“We've got new players that are going to make a lot of plays for us this year in important new roles. We've just got to continue to fine tune those things.
“The best way to learn is from experience and being able to reflect upon that experience. We've had a lot of great work over the summer. I've talked about that a lot. It's very valuable. A lot of great work in training camp, very valuable.
“When you get into these end game situations, it's the best experience to be able to reflect on, so I’m proud that we've laid a brick for a win in this Week 1 and we're able to take that step and be 1-0 this week, while we're all also hungry to improve and continue to push forward in the same direction.”
Hurts rushed seven times for 46 yards. The Eagles rushed 25 times for 136 yards as a team.
DEFENSE AND SPECIAL TEAMS KEPT A MOTIVATED COMMANDERS TEAM IN CHECK MOST THE GAME
The Eagles defense overall played well. Daniels finished 18 of 34 for 164 yards, two touchdowns and QB Rating of just 85.9.
He five times for 31 yards. Jacory Croskey-Marritt rushed 16 times for 63 yards.
There were lapses. Some from the gifts Daniels put on display Sunday evening, some from Eagles mistakes.
Eagles All Pro defensive back Cooper DeJean was hard on himself for mistakes he says he made in coverage.
“It wasn't good enough, obviously,” DeJean said. “I have to do better.”
DeJean was asked after seeing Ojomo come up with a monster play on the two point conversion, did that take some of the the sting off the feelings he was having about his own play.
“Oh yeah,” DeJean said without hesitation. “He wins. It makes it hurt a little less. It feels great to win in this league. Everybody's good. Everybody in this league gets paid to play football, same as we do. You're going to win some of those one-on-one battles and you're going to lose some of those one-on-one battles. But it's a team game and we pulled out the win in the end.”
Eagles second year linebacker Jihaad Campbell spent most of his time on the field chasing down Daniels. He said the best way to deal with the elusive Pro Bowl and Heisman Trophy winner is to stick to your guns.
“They have a new OC over there (David Blough), “Campbell said. “They tried a little dibble-dabble with a couple different things. Like Coach Vic (Fangio) says, it's the fundamentals. Just focus on execution.”
During the week, Campbell said he hadn't play against Daniels since he was at LSU, Campbell played for Alabama. Daniels missed a good portion of the 2025 season because of injury which was Campbell's rookie season.
The former Timber Creek High School standout was asked if Daniels had changed since the last time he played against him.
“He hasn't changed,” Campbell said with a laugh. “He's the same jiggy-type of quarterback and free style [quarterback]. When he doesn't see anything, tries to find the lanes and dial something up. That's the type of quarterback that he is. It's definitely a goal to get him down.”
Specials got big time contributions by punter Braden Mann. The seven-year veteran punted seven times for a total 361 yards (51.6 with a net of 44.0). Four of his punts were downed inside the twenty-yard line, one was downed inside the five-yard just before halftime.
Jalen Carter blocked the Commanders extra point making the score 14-9.
THE COMMANDERS SIDE
Rookie Sonny Styles rookie linebacker out of Ohio State recorded six total tackles including a sack and two tackles for loss.
“I thought we did some things well but obviously not enough to win the game,” Styles said at his locker after the game. “They had like four explosive plays...that turned on the game almost...but other than those plays, I thought we played pretty well.”
Daniels on the final touchdown and two-point play:
“On the touchdown, Antonio made a hell of a grab," Daniels said after the game. "He missed a few plays this game. I am super happy for him and the work that he put in. In the biggest moments, guys make plays like that. He showed us all the work that he put in and the type of player that he is and how they scouted him throughout the draft.
"Super excited to continue to build him for the future. Two-point play, man, we just didn't execute. It was the right call. Anything Blough calls, man. I'm with him. Regardless, however everybody else might want to view it, man, I’m with Blough one hundred percent.”
OJOMO WITH THE FINAL WORDS
Moro Ojomo said the defensive line played well, but...
“I thought it was a little scrappy,” Ojomo said. “I think we have a lot to improve on. But it's really hard to win in this league especially if it's a great team. I think we're just happy to be playing football again.”
Did he expect the shovel pass from Daniels to John Bates or was he just following his keys?
“Following keys,” Ojomo said. “[Just] playing instinctual and playing ball.”
“You have to play fast, man,” Ojomo continued. “And you can't play indecisive any time. I just pushed off on the ball so (guard Sam) Cosmo pull, spun out of it, saw that the tight end was coming, made the play.”
Ojomo was asked if he thought the manner in which the Eagles stopped the Commanders two-point conversion was amazing because it sealed the win.
“It was amazing, but it was more amazing because we did it together. All those guys on the defense, they help me every single day. We're trying to be the best defense, right? So you've got to go at it every day.” *
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
Comments