Eagles hang on for 24-22 win over Commanders after two-point stop; Jalen Hurts throws three TDs to open new offensive era

During training camp, Vic Fangio asserted that Howie Roseman ought to save some money for 25-year-old defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, who was headed into a contract year.

In Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, Ojomo reminded the NFL why he is going to command a hefty pay raise when the season concludes.

His stuff of Commanders tight end John Bates on a short pass over the middle on Washington’s two-point conversion attempt to tie the game sealed the 24-22 win for the Eagles.

Jalen Hurts was solid in his debut in Sean Mannion’s offense. The Eagles quarterback went 14-for-25 for 203 yards and three touchdowns, good for a 122.2 quarterback rating. He added 46 rushing yards on seven carries.

Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ season-opening win over the Commanders:

Explosives buoy offense

The new-look Eagles offense started slow, netting just two yards on 10 plays through their first two possessions. Cam Jurgens was called for a holding penalty on the second, his first of two on the day.

But nearing the second quarter, the Eagles began to contend in the explosive play battle.

Hurts showed he hasn’t lost his touch on the deep ball. On second-and-4 from the Eagles’ 30-yard line, Hurts lined up under center with the offense in “13″ personnel — three tight ends (Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, and EJ Jenkins) and one running back. Dontayvion Wicks was the lone receiver.

Wicks ran a vertical route and stuck behind a trio of Commanders defensive backs, hauling in a career-long 64-yard pass from Hurts, bringing the Eagles to Washington’s 6-yard line. After the game, Wicks noted that his route was a “clear-out ‘til it’s not.”

“With J, if he trusts you, he’ll put it up there,” Wicks said. “So once I broke on the deep one, I seen the ball in the air. Just kept running. And it was put on the money.”

Another Jurgens holding penalty backed the Eagles up to the 16. But Hurts salvaged the drive, later connecting with red-zone darling Goedert in the slot for a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles up, 7-3.

Saquon Barkley also got involved with an explosive of his own on the ground. On third-and-2 from the Eagles’ 46, Hurts handed Barkley the ball on a zone read and the 29-year-old running back dashed up the middle for 42 yards, forcing a litany of missed tackles along the way.

Again, Hurts took advantage of the explosive play and the field position, ending the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Wicks to add to the Eagles’ lead, 14-3.

The explosives evaporated for the Eagles early in the second half. The offense went three-and-out on three straight possessions. Hurts took two sacks in that span, one by Commanders rookie linebacker Sonny Styles on a blitz and another by outside linebacker Odafe Oweh on a stunt off the left side of the offensive line.

But Hurts had another explosive in him. His 31-yard pass down the right sideline to DeVonta Smith on third-and-5 from the Eagles’ 45 kept the drive alive. The offense sputtered in the red zone, though, and settled for a Jake Elliott 35-yard field goal to go up, 17-9.

The Eagles quarterback continued to step up. His 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 later in the fourth quarter kept the drive alive. His play set up a 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to Goedert over the middle to put the Eagles up, 24-16.

“I think it’s just about meeting the moment when your opportunity comes,” Hurts said of his big plays late in the game. “I think collectively, we’ve got a lot to build on. Obviously, a lot to correct. And I’m excited to get back into the process of becoming the team that we’re supposed to become.”

Up-and-down defense

The Eagles defense in Year 3 under Fangio was as advertised early in the game.

After conceding a field goal on the Commanders’ opening drive, the Eagles tightened up, limiting their opponent to 13 net yards on four possessions and forcing four straight punts.

All-Pro inside linebacker Zack Baun was arguably the best Eagles defender on the field. Early in the second quarter, he had back-to-back big plays. First, he had a pass breakup on a pass over the middle intended for Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Baun followed that up with a tackle for loss on a screen to Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, bringing up third-and-27 from the Commanders’ 10. Washington waved the white flag with a 9-yard run from Rachaad White and punted.

The Commanders still got theirs. Cooper DeJean had a shaky outing, getting called twice for illegal contact. The first penalty on the Commanders’ opening drive helped set up kicker Drew Stevens’ 55-yard field goal, putting Washington up, 3-0.

DeJean also conceded a 16-yard pass to Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams over the middle in the red zone in the second quarter. Croskey-Merritt capitalized by punching in a 1-yard rushing touchdown, with the Commanders trailing, 14-9.

“Sometimes my eyes get bad and that gets me in trouble,” DeJean said. “So just got to be better with that. Good thing is, it’s Week 1. So got a lot of games ahead of us and I’ve got to continue to get better for our defense.”

In the fourth quarter, Jihaad Campbell gave up a 33-yard pass to Williams on third-and-14 to the Eagles’ 14. Jayden Daniels capitalized with a 10-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Diggs, who was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as he jumped onto the base of the goal post in celebration.

His touchdown pulled the Commanders within two, but his penalty negated the opportunity to go for two points and forced them to settle for an extra point instead to make it 17-16, Eagles.

DeJean’s struggles continued late in the fourth quarter when he conceded a 17-yard pass to Diggs to the Eagles’ 29. A 2-yard touchdown pass to Williams pulled the Commanders within two, 24-22, with roughly one minute remaining in the game.

But Ojomo’s big-time play on the 2-point conversion attempt prevented the Commanders from tying the game.

“You’ve got to play fast, man,” Ojomo said. “And you can’t play indecisive. I’m pretty sure I got off on the ball, I saw [Commanders right guard Sam] Cosmi pull, spun out of it, saw that the tight end was coming, and made the play.”

Extra-special teams

The Eagles’ under-the-radar weapon was Braden Mann, the 28-year-old punter who signed a four-year contract extension this offseason.

He averaged 51.6 yards per punt, with his longest coming on a 64-yarder. Mann helped pin the Commanders inside their own 10-yard line twice — once at their 6 in the first quarter, and later at their 2 in the second.

Jalen Carter picked up where he left off last year on the field goal block unit. After Croskey-Merritt’s touchdown run in the second quarter, Carter blocked the extra point attempt. He now has four blocked kicks (two field goals, two extra points) in his career.

The Commanders’ kicking woes continued halfway through the third quarter, when Stevens missed a 54-yard field goal attempt.