After a narrow season opening win over the Commanders, the Eagles will hit the road to face the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. The Titans were soundly defeated by the New York Jets last week.
Will the Eagles roll over Tennessee on Sunday, or will Robert Saleh’s group pull off the upset? Here’s how our writers are predicting Sunday’s game (1 p.m., Fox29).
Jeff Neiburg
After Arizona pulled off a Week 1 stunner by beating the Chargers, the Titans probably are the easiest opponent left on the Eagles’ schedule.
Cam Ward probably is the worst starting quarterback left on the calendar, too.
And with a three-game stretch of the Bears, Rams, and Jaguars looming, this is an important win for the Eagles to notch on their record (not that any of them aren’t).
There’s not a lot to be wary about on paper, besides maybe the weather. It’s going to be hot Sunday in Nashville. Like mid-to-high 90s hot. And weird things can happen when that’s the case. But the Eagles, even with a backup starting lineman, should have plenty of advantages in the trenches on Sunday and elsewhere.
Now, that assumes the team corrects its errors from their Week 1 win over Washington. Could Landon Dickerson’s replacement be addition by subtraction and be the remedy to what ailed the offensive line in the 24-22 win over the Commanders? It’s possible. Dickerson surrendered three pressures and looked lost at times.
Jalen Hurts runs for a fourth quarter first down during Sunday’s win over Washington.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles’ defensive front should cause chaos for Ward. The Titans start a rookie guard in Fernando Carmona, who allowed three pressures in his NFL debut. Tennessee’s starting center, Austin Schlottmann, is a veteran but has never been a full-time starter. Left guard Peter Skoronski is the best lineman on the team, but even so, the trio of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo should be able to impact the game in a big way Sunday.
It remains to be seen if the pass rush will get a boost by the debut of Jonathan Greenard, but the Titans, who lost by two scores at home to the Jets in Week 1, don’t have a dangerous enough ground or air game to make me believe they can outscore the Eagles — even if the offense continues finding its way in game No. 2.
There was a lot to like in the Eagles’ opening win vs. the Commanders.
Sean Mannion’s offense showed promise, even with the growing pains. The defense — which projects to be a top five unit in the NFL — looked the part. They scraped out an early divisional win.
The flaws were noticeable too, though — especially with the interior offensive line, which was porous at best and dysfunctional at worst. Those problems could show up again when they face the Titans, with the unit in flux following Dickerson’s injury.
Let’s face it, though: Even a flawed Eagles team should steamroll the 2026 Titans.
The Eagles will be without Landon Dickerson over the next four games after he was put on injured reserve earlier this week.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The Titans are likely the worst team the Eagles are going to face this year. The Jets — the Jets — limited them to 10 points and just 195 total yards. Titans quarterback Cam Ward had a QBR of 34.4 in the game, which was the seventh worst in football.
Tennessee has a tough defensive front, led by Jeffrey Simmons — who took a shot at Jalen Hurts on Wednesday — which could cause some problems for the inexperienced interior, but that’s really the only thing Nick Sirianni should worry about in this one.
Tennessee’s roster is a Frankenstein’s monster of early 2020s Giants and Jets players, led by the same two men — Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll — that failed back then. The Eagles had no problem beating those teams before and they’ll do it again Sunday.
Prediction: Eagles 28, Titans 13
Olivia Reiner
Vic Fangio lamented the Eagles’ pass rush on Tuesday, stating that it was “inconsistent” and “really wasn’t good enough” in the Week 1 win over the Washington Commanders.
Sunday’s matchup against the Titans should provide an opportunity for the group to get right.
The Titans’ pass protection unit is off to a shaky start this season. Last week, Ward was pressured on 41% of his dropbacks, which ranked eighth in the NFL among starting quarterbacks, per Next Gen Stats. He took three sacks. When pressured, Ward completed just three of his 10 passing attempts for 17 yards.
One matchup to watch is between Nolan Smith Jr., who lined up as the left edge rusher on 95.6% of his snaps in Week 1, and Titans right tackle JC Latham. Last week, Smith had six pressures against the Commanders, according to Next Gen Stats, which tied his career-high (2025 Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers).
Latham conceded five pressures to the New York Jets in Week 1. His performance was seemingly a continuation of last season, when he allowed a 9.2% pressure rate (ranking 24th out of 39 right tackles with at least 200 pass-block snaps).
Nolan Smith (right) generated six pressures against the Commanders.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
If the Eagles can do a better job of not only pressuring the quarterback, but also getting him down, they should increase their odds at winning.
Offensively, the Eagles have much to improve. The run game left something to be desired, especially when it came to getting the outside zone game going. With Dickerson on injured reserve, can the blocking unit bounce back in Week 2?
There should be opportunities for the Eagles to run the ball. Last week, the Jets rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. Breece Hall eclipsed 100 rushing yards alone. He forced a missed tackle on 36.4% of his runs against the Titans, which was his highest rate in a game since Week 7 last season (45.5% against the Panthers), per Next Gen Stats.
Can Saquon Barkley have the same effect? If so, the Eagles could go 2-0 to start the season.
Reasonable humans will enter Week 2 careful not to get carried away with the talent disparity between the Eagles and the Titans.
They will remind themselves of the relatively thin margins that separate teams in the modern NFL.
They will note the Eagles’ struggles in their last two games against a Robert Saleh defense. They will remind themselves of the disruptive potential of Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons going against an Eagles interior offensive line that will be missing stud guard Landon Dickerson. They may even point to last year’s 34-17 Week 6 loss to a Giants team that featured play-caller Brian Daboll and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, both now with Tennessee.
All of which is great. If you happen to be a reasonable human.
The rest of us will be over here expecting a 40-spot.
Is that really too much to ask?
There once was a time when watching an Eagles game didn’t leave you feeling the need to invest in one of those Guardian helmets. It was something you could do without completely dissociating from the world around you. You could watch an Eagles game and still do things that normal humans do: Laugh at jokes, eat potato chips at a reasonable pace, respond politely to innocent non-football-related questions from loved ones. The game would end and you would turn off the TV and you would say to yourself, “Hey, that was fun.”
I’m sure there have been a few moments like that since the Eagles won the NFC championship and Super Bowl in 2025 by a combined score of 95-45. But you will have to remind me of them.
Most of the Eagles games that I remember from the last year-plus involve fourth quarters like the one we endured last week. A two-possession game becomes a one-possession game and then a one-possession game becomes a potential loss. The false sense of security evaporates but doesn’t take with it the feeling that the Eagles are still the better team.
Sunday’s win over the Commanders mirrored many Eagles games over the last year, which required Moro Ojomo (left) to make a stop on a Washington two-point conversion attempt.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
This isn’t an illusion. I went back and looked. In each of the last four games the Eagles have played, including the playoffs, an opponent has scored a potential game-winning or game-tying touchdown in the last three minutes of regulation. Two of those games broke in the Eagles’ favor because of failed two-point conversions. Last week it was Moro Ojomo spinning into the path of an attempted shovel pass after Antonio Williams pulled the Washington Commanders to within two on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels. In Week 17 of last season, it was Josh Allen plunging over right guard with eight seconds left and then throwing incomplete for Khalil Shakir on the two-point try as the Eagles pulled out a 13-12 win. In between those two wins came squandered late-fourth-quarter leads against the Commanders (in an irrelevant game) and the San Francisco 49ers (in the playoffs).
Before the current stretch of squeakers, we saw:
Week 10: A game the Eagles lead 10-0 with 10 minutes left is eventually decided by a failed fourth-and-1 play with 1 minute, 26 seconds remaining near midfield and the Packers driving down 10-7. Somehow, Green Bay still got a chance at a 64-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left.
Week 11: Eagles lead 16-6 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but come dangerously close to giving the Detroit Lions the ball down 16-9 with 1:51 remaining (pass interference on a third-and-8 incompletion to A.J. Brown).
Week 12: Eagles lead the Dallas Cowboys 21-0 early in the second quarter. They lose on a game-winning field goal by Brandon Aubrey with no time left.
Week 14: Eagles were up 19-16 against the Los Angeles Chargers with 2:16 remaining. Cameron Dicker hits a game-tying FG with eight seconds left and then a game-winner in overtime.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts after winning the season opening game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates a touchdown with Keyshawn James-Newby (center) and offensive tackle Lane Johnson during the fourth quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo celebrates a two-point conversion stop late during the fourth quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles stop the two point conversion attempt during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles tight end Dallas Goedert scores a fourth quarter touchdown past Commanders cornerback Darius Rush during the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles tight end Dallas Goedert catches the football for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts first down run during the fourth quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerWashington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs hugs the goalpost after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. Unsportsmanlike penalty was called pushing the Commanders back.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerWashington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs scores in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches the ball for a big first down during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gains fourteen yards on a run in the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles place kicker Jake Elliott kicks a third quarter field goad during the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles cornerback Cooper DeJean stops Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane during the third quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches the ball against Commanders cornerback Darius Rush during the third quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sacked in the third quarter by Washington Commanders linebacker Odafe Oweh at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles on a third down during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles head coach Nick Sirianni racts during the third quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is sacked by Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles in the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts passes to tight end Dallas Goedert late during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter celebrates a blocked extra point late during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hands off to Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert congratulates Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks after a second quarter touchdown at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni congratulates Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks after his second quarter touchdown at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith tries to block Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo goes after Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks celebrates a touchdown with Darius Cooper (left) and DeVonta Smith (right) during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles linebacker Zack Baun celebrates after breaking up a pass intended for Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stops Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt for a loss, Washington punts on the drive, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley with a big run in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun sandwich Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles running back Saquon Barkley gains 42 yards during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert celebrates second quarter touchdown with Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert spikes the ball after a touchdown in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles tight end Dallas Goedert catches a touchdown against Commanders safety Quan Martin during the second quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.nYong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans cheer in the first quarter of the season opener against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reacts during the first quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver Makai Lemon catches the ball against Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson during the first quarter of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is sacked by Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu in the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley misses a pass in the first quarter, defended by Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts during a moment of silence before the start of the season opener against the Commanders Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs out of the tunnel at the season opener against the Washington Commanders in Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs out of the tunnel during player introductions before the season opening game against the Washington Commanders in Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerGreg Gorski, of Elkins Park, poses for a portrait while tailgating before the Eagles play the Commanders in Philadelphia on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Every week, Nick Sirianni reminds us that winning is hard in the National Football League. Every victory is like a delicate child, something to nurture and cherish. And, look, Sirianni is right. Few coaches in NFL history have won games as often as he does. No coach has a better record than Sirianni’s 6-0 mark in Week 1. It says something about the coach and his team that they are as unconvincing in losing as they often are in winning.
But, please, convince us. Forget all of that mumbo jumbo about a win being a win on any given Sunday. Wins are great. They’re much better when you feel good about them. That’s not only true from an entertainment standpoint. Look at the energy flowing out of Chicago and Baltimore. Imagine how a locker room feels when its head coach says he wants to set the single-season scoring record and then the team backs him up by hanging 59 points on a playoff team on the road in Week 1? Whatever their faults, Ben Johnson’s Bears have a self-replicating swagger. Same goes for the Ravens under Johnson acolyte Declan Doyle. A very good way to build political capital as a 30-year-old first-time play-caller is to rack up 506 yards and 41 points in your debut. Wins matter most of all. But the manner of victory isn’t irrelevant.
As somebody who has spent plenty of time in Eagles postgame locker rooms across a wide-ranging gamut of seasons, I will tell you I firmly believe the team would benefit greatly from one of those god-that-felt-good kind of victories. Not that they doubt themselves. Not that they lack confidence. It’s simply good for the soul to blow a team out of the building now and then.
The Titans are an opportunity. They allowed 30+ points in nearly half their games last season. Among the teams that scored 30 with 350+ total yards were the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers. Good teams take advantage of these opportunities. It is an opportunity for DeVonta Smith to cook as WR1. It is an opportunity for Jalen Hurts to do as he pleases from the pocket. It is an opportunity for Sean Mannion to give everyone the peace of mind that Doyle instilled in Ravens fans last week.
Sure, a win would be great. Signs of improvement would be nice. But what everybody really needs is a crooked number and a blowout.
Jalen Carter returned to practice on Thursday, sporting a beige cast on his right wrist.
Carter, the Eagles’ 25-year-old defensive tackle, missed Wednesday’s practice with a wrist injury. He was a limited participant on Thursday. While he declined to reveal the precise nature of his injury after practice, Carter said he will play on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
“Just a minor adjustment, and I’m still out there practicing and ready to play,” Carter said.
Carter said he sustained the injury in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders while attempting to punch the ball out of wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s hands in the fourth quarter.
The two-time Pro Bowler has experienced his share of injuries. Dating back to the start of training camp last year, Carter had issues with his shoulders that required injections. He ended up missing three weeks late last season. At the time, he admitted that his shoulders gave him issues throughout the year, as he finished the season with just three sacks.
On Sunday, Carter didn’t miss any playing time. In fact, he played 94% of the defensive snaps, which led all Eagles defensive linemen.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter played 94% of the snaps on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Carter didn’t record a sack or a quarterback hit, but still had three quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. He also blocked a Commanders extra point attempt in the second quarter, bringing his career total to four blocks (two extra points, two field goals).
His study of the kicking operation during the week helps set him up for success on game day, he said. Carter times up the snap, gets off the ball quickly and generates knock-back, and jumps as high as he can.
But it’s not just about execution for Carter — it’s also about his mindset.
“You want to go out there,” Carter said. “You don’t want them to score at all. But if it’s a three-point field goal or a field goal after a touchdown, you still want to stop them from getting an extra point.”
The Eagles will rely on Carter’s impact on defense, too, when they travel to Nashville for the second game of the season. On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio criticized the Eagles’ pass rush in their win over the Commanders, calling it “inconsistent” and claiming it “really wasn’t good enough.”
The Eagles sacked Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels just once. They pressured Daniels on half of his 38 dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. But Daniels extended plays with his legs and scrambled, to the detriment of the Eagles’ defense.
“I’d just say it’s Week 1,” Carter said. “We’ve got 17 more games. It’s going to get better throughout the weeks, and we could watch the film off Week 1, but we also can’t go back and change what happened.”
Carter, who signed a contract extension before training camp that made him the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history, could fare better on Sunday against the Titans.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward had to frequently evade pressure vs. the Jets in Week 1.George Walker IV
Titans quarterback Cam Ward is capable of using his legs, too, but not at the same level as Daniels. Ward’s protection isn’t as sound, either. The Titans’ offensive line was porous in their Week 1 loss to the New York Jets, conceding 16 total pressures, including three sacks.
Carter could have opportunities to take Ward down, so long as he can stay healthy and shoulder a substantial workload. He said he has been playing a high percentage of the defensive snaps dating back to 2024 and doesn’t have a problem maintaining that pace.
Whether he is required to play through the wrist injury or the mid-September Tennessee heat in Sunday’s forecast, Carter isn’t letting anything deter him.
“I’m from Florida,” Carter said. “I love the heat. I’m not going to complain. They do got the turf [at Nissan Stadium], but got to play through anything to get a dub, whatever the case may be.”
Week 1 of the NFL schedule is in the books, and the first look at each team has generated lots of discussion heading into Week 2.
Despite the Eagles’ 24-22 win last Sunday against the Commanders, many felt the highly anticipated new offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion fell flat. With Landon Dickerson on injured reserve for at least four games because of a bone bruise in his knee, the national focus heading into Sunday’s game against the Titans in Nashville (1 p.m., Fox) is still fixed on the offensive line.
Here’s what NFL analysts are saying:
Titanic struggles
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Birds a 69.7% chance of winning at Nissan Stadium. ESPN analyst Ben Solak gave one of the boldest predictions of the week, theorizing a possible scoreless game for the Titans.
“I cannot remember a team that looked less functional on offense in Week 1 than the Titans in Sunday’s loss to the Jets,” Solak said.
“After watching the way the Titans’ offensive line struggled against the Jets (they made Kingsley Enagbare look like Maxx Crosby), I cannot bear the idea of the Titans’ upcoming game against Philadelphia,” Solak wrote. “The Eagles’ front was as dominant as ever against a poor Commanders line in Week 1. It collected 19 pressures, a single-game best in the Vic Fangio era, despite the fact that starting edge rusher Jonathan Greenard wasn’t even healthy enough to play.”
Video: unCovering the Birds: Shades of 2022 Jalen Hurts?
Replacing Dickerson
Stepping in for Dickerson is a big role to fill, and his replacement is being kept under wraps. But the leading candidates appear to be second-year linemen Drew Kendall and Willie Lampkin. The Athletic’s Zach Berman said a one-for-one swap with Kendall is his favored choice, despite talk of a position swap that could have Kendall at center and Cam Jurgens moving to guard.
“The Eagles will miss the best version of Dickerson,” Berman wrote. “That’s not the version that was on the field against the Washington Commanders in Week 1. It would be too ambitious to expect Kendall (or Lampkin) to play like 2024 Dickerson. It’s not ambitious to expect Kendall (or Lampkin) to be better than Week 1 Dickerson.”
NFL.com analysts bumped Jalen Hurts up six spots to 12th in their quarterback rankings, calling his performance “a classic Jalen Hurts Week 1 game, connecting on a handful of downfield shots while willing Philadelphia’s offense down the field with well-timed scrambles against Washington. The Eagles still need to be more consistent offensively on a per-play basis, but for one week, Hurts was able to carry them out of the muck to victory.”
The Eagles’ next opposing QB is ranked No. 30. Titans quarterback Cam Ward had a disappointing Week 1, completing 19 of 32 passes for 140 yards.
The overall national consensus isn’t debating an upset for the Titans. Rather, analysts are weighing how lopsided the matchup will be.
After escaping Week 1 with a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders, the Eagles (1-0) travel to Nissan Stadium in Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans (0-1). As both teams prepare for the Week 2 matchup, here’s an updated look at game odds and some interesting player prop bets from two of the biggest sportsbooks:
Eagles vs. Titans updated odds
The last time these teams met was in 2022, the Eagles defeated the Ryan Tannehill-led Titans, 35-10, at Lincoln Financial Field. While the Eagles are coming off a win, the Titans are coming off a 23-10 loss to the New York Jets, the team’s sixth straight season opening loss.
Entering the week, the FanDuel and DraftKings sportsbooks have the Eagles listed as 7-point favorites.
Jalen Hurts got it done through the air and on his feet in the Eagles’ Week 1 win over Washington, completing 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards while rushing for 46 yards on seven carries.
Titans starting quarterback Cam Ward completed 19 of 32 passes for 140 yards vs. the Jets. For Sunday’s game, Hurts’ over/under is set at around 206 passing yards, while Ward’s is set at around 188 passing yards.
Tight end Dallas Goedert led the Eagles in receiving with 77 yards on four receptions vs. Washington. Dontayvion Wicks followed with two receptions for 73 yards.
Wan’Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate led the Titans with 38 receiving yards in their loss to the Jets.
The Eagles hit the road for their first away game of the 2026 season when they take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Coming off an uneven 24-22 victory over the Washington Commanders, the Eagles are big favorites over the Titans, with most sportsbooks and data sites giving them an advantage of about a touchdown.
The Titans lost a 23-10 home game in Week 1 to the New York Jets and have some issues on both sides of the ball. The Eagles should have plenty of advantages on Sunday.
Where might their biggest edges be?
Here’s a look at the numbers that could prove to be important Sunday afternoon in Nashville:
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) scrambled a great deal in a Week 1 loss to the Jets. George Walker IV
41%
That’s how often second-year Titans quarterback Cam Ward was under pressure when he dropped back Sunday vs. the Jets, according to Next Gen Stats. He was 3-for-10 for 17 yards when under duress.
Ward is in the bottom tier of NFL quarterbacks, and he’s protected by an offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranks 29th in the NFL. That’s not a recipe conducive to a lot of success.
Rookie right guard Fernando Carmona allowed three pressures on 39 pass blocking opportunities in his NFL debut, according to PFF. Left guard Peter Skoronski is probably the best of the five starting linemen, but the Eagles should have an edge up front, inside and out.
The Jets applied pressure to Ward on six of their nine blitzes and had a pressure rate of 33.3% when they sent four or fewer pass rushers, according to Next Gen. It all added up to a pass rush win rate of 65%, according to ESPN, third-highest in the NFL in Week 1.
Vic Fangio said Tuesday that he thought his unit’s pass rush was “inconsistent and really wasn’t good enough.” But the Eagles pressured Jayden Daniels on 19 of his 38 dropbacks. Fourteen of those 19 pressures, and a 48.3% pressure rate, came with a four-man pass rush. They did only get Daniels to the ground once, though.
It remains to be seen if the Eagles get a boost with Jonathan Greenard’s return Sunday against the Titans, but they have the personnel up front to cause havoc Sunday regardless.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles passing game will be in search of greater consistency Sunday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
176
Jalen Hurts threw for 203 yards in Week 1, and 176 of them came on throws that traveled at least 10 air yards, according to Next Gen, which counts any throw of 10 or more air yards as a “downfield” pass.
Hurts completed six of his nine downfield attempts and the Eagles scored all three of their touchdowns that way.
The running game struggled, and Hurts faced too much pressure, but the explosive plays to Dontayvion Wicks, Dallas Goedert, and DeVonta Smith showed some of the potential of the new-look offense.
The Titans allowed the sixth-most downfield passing yards last season, according to Next Gen, and they didn’t show in Week 1 that they’ll be less susceptible to it in 2026. The Jets completed four of their five downfield throws for 111 yards.
Cooper DeJean (left) did not have a banner Week 1 against the Commanders and was absent from the practice field on Wednesday. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
16
That’s how many times Cooper DeJean lined up across Wan’Dale Robinson last season when the receiver was with the New York Giants. Those reps amounted to zero targets in Robinson’s direction. DeJean, according to Next Gen, was the only defender with at least 10 snaps against Robinson to go without a target. Robinson ran 25 routes from the slot against the Eagles without DeJean as his primary defender last season and caught six of seven targets for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Only nine receivers have accounted for more receiving yards from the slot than Robinson since he entered the league in 2022, according to Next Gen. The Jets did a good job against him in Week 1, allowing only two catches on three targets for 18 yards from the slot.
The third-year defensive back mentioned his eyes can sometimes “get bad” in coverage and it can hurt him.
“I think it can happen at times and at times it’s helped him, too,” Fangio said Tuesday when asked about DeJean’s comments. “He’s just got to make sure he can stay tight enough to his assignment and not let his vision get too skewed to where he gets out of position.”
It’ll be an interesting matchup with Robinson and DeJean Sunday, given their history and DeJean’s struggles in Week 1.
After a long offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles are finally back in action Sunday, taking on the Washington Commanders to kick off a season filled with “Super Bowl or bust”-level expectations.
“There’s no way this team should lose more than three games, four at the most,” writes Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. “They’ve got a Pro Bowl quarterback, a superstar running back, a franchise receiver, and a genius running a defense with more talent than any defense in team history that didn’t include Reggie White.”
Calling the Birds’ season opener on Fox is a familiar figure — former Super Bowl villain turned top broadcaster Tom Brady, who is entering his third season as the network’s top NFL analyst.
To Brady’s credit, he made steady improvement in the booth last year, developing into one of the best analysts currently calling games. The future Hall of Famer worked six Birds games last season and is in line to call at least four this year, including the Eagles’ Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite his other commitments outside the booth, which include being a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady expects to fulfill the 10-year,$375 million deal he signed with Fox in 2024.
“I have a lot to prove to myself, to my teammates. I have a lot to prove to the executives,” Brady told the Sports Business Journal. “I want to go earn it and I don’t want anything given to me. I hope they’ll have me through the end of this contract.”
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Eagles’ season opener against the Commanders.
How to watch and stream Eagles vs. Commanders
Tom Brady (left) and Kevin Burkhardt will call Eagles-Commanders on Fox Sunday.Fox Sports
Sunday’s Week 1 game between the Eagles and Commanders is scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. Philadelphia time on Fox.
Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the sidelines at Lincoln Financial Field.
The game will stream on Fox One, the network’s subscription streaming service. It’s also available on any so-called skinny bundle that carries Fox, including fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial.
If you live in Philadelphia or any other TV market where the game is airing, you can also stream the game on NFL+, the league’s subscription streaming service, which runs $6.99 a month.
If you’re looking to stream the game for free and you live in or around Philadelphia, your best option is to use a digital antenna, since the game will air on broadcast television on Fox 29.
Merrill Reese and Mike Quick back together on radio
Video: How Merrill Reese, the voice of the Eagles, prepares to go on air
Another familiar voice returning this year is Merrill Reese, who is back for his 50th season calling Eagles games on 94.1 WIP.
Reese began his long career as the team’s pre- and postgame radio host before being promoted to color analyst in 1975. He became the voice of the Eagles suddenly in December 1977 after his partner Charlie Swift died by suicide, and has remained in the booth ever since.
While Reese, 84, is by far the longest-tenured announcer in the league, he has no intention of this being his last season in the booth.
“I always kiddingly say they’re going to have to remove me with a crane,” Reese told The Inquirer’s Matt Breen in a lengthy interview. “My greatest pleasure is to sit there and broadcast an Eagles game. There’s nothing I love more. I even enjoy doing the preseason games. … I have no intention of stopping.”
Merrill Reese (left) and Mike Quick promoting their own beer in 2022. ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer
Back alongside Reese is former Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick, who joined the booth in 1998. Reese has had a number of broadcast partners over the years — Jim Barniak, Bill Bergey, Stan Walters — but none had the staying power of Quick.
“I believe we’ve become like members of the family,” Reese said. “We’re like their old friends who’ve been with them for many, many years. … They can identify with us. They feel comfortable with us.”
Ron Jaworski not returning to NBC Sports Philadelphia
Ron Jaworski, seen here speaking with Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before an Eagles game. NBC Sports Philadelphia
Ron Jaworski, the former Eagles quarterback known to most fans simply as “Jaws,” won’t be part of NBC Sports Philadelphia’s pre- and postgame coverage this season.
The former Eagles quarterback and longtime NFL analyst made the decision to pull back on his broadcasting duties last week after four years with the network.
Michael Barkann, who has hosted Eagles pre- and postgame since the Comcast SportsNet days, is back for his 30th NFL season. He’ll be joined by Reuben Frank and two former Birds players — offensive lineman Barrett Brooks and wide receiver Jason Avant.
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. You don’t have to be a longtime travel agent to have looked at the Los Angeles Rams’ Australia itinerary and thought, Hey guys, might be a tough turnaround there. And you don’t have to be a football savant to suspect that the Eagles’ season opener Sunday against the Washington Commanders is going to be a hard watch.
If the first two games of this NFL season weren’t enough to tell you just how rocky these opening weeks will be, Eagles-Commanders ought to drive home the point. Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye were so terrible, so far from the MVP (Stafford) and MVP runner-up (Maye) they were last season, that it would have been fair to check whether either of them had signed an endorsement deal with a prediction market earlier in the week.
The Patriots took a double-digit lead and couldn’t hold it. The Rams might as well have been on walkabout with Mick Dundee. Sam Darnold and A.J. Brown suffered serious injuries. Of the four teams that made up the NFL’s marquee matchups, only the 49ers were ready for prime time. Jeez, it’s almost like, even after a full offseason, having teams play on Wednesday and Thursday nights — or having two California teams start their seasons on a continent roughly 7,300 miles from their home state — leads to lousy football.
The game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, wasn’t pretty.Scott Barbour
No one should expect the quality of Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field to be much higher. The Commanders have a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator, neither of whom has ever coordinated anything in the NFL until now, and aside from Jayden Daniels, their roster resembles a piece of abstract art: You have to stare at it for a long time for it to make any sense (Odafe Oweh for as much as $96 million?), and in the end, it really doesn’t.
The Eagles ought to win, and win handily, because their defense is so strong and, relative to these teams’ other units, so stable. Their offense is a mystery and will remain one until their new coordinator, Sean Mannion, starts calling plays and reveals whether he’s a rookie who’s out of his depth or a nascent genius who’s been sandbagging everybody since training camp began. And whether Jalen Hurts can thrive in this latest new system. And whether any wide receiver other than DeVonta Smith can make a big play.
“Part of our goals for this week are to understand that … there are things that happen in Week 1 that you have to be ready for,” coach Nick Sirianni said Friday, “whether that’s live fundamentals, whether that’s errors in the kicking game, or whatever it may be. The standard doesn’t change [for] what we accept and what we require and what our guys do on the field. We practice like that every day. Anytime there’s something loose with the ball, or we miss a tackle, or whatever it may be, or miss our approach on a tackle, if we’re not tackling to the ground, it’s discussed. It’s watched. It’s critiqued. Our standard — your goal — is to be playing your best football by the end of the year. Our standard does not change.”
No, but the circumstances will. Starters who spent most, if not all, of the preseason sitting out eventually will kick off all the rust. It’s just that eventually likely will take more than one game. That’s the NFL now, with its three-game preseason and its 17-but-soon-to-be-18-game regular season and its insistence that its teams journey across oceans and, quite literally, suit up on every night of the week except Tuesdays.
The players themselves know better than anyone: You take the early victories if you can get them, and the crisp, clean performances probably will have to wait.
“You’re always striving for that,” said wide receiver Hollywood Brown, who is in his first season with the Eagles but his eighth in the league. “But I’ve played a lot of football, so I know that they’ve got a new defensive coordinator, and we’ve got a new offensive coordinator. You can try to study each other as much as you want, but there’s not much out there to go off of. You can go out there with everything we’ve studied and they’ve studied, and it could be something completely different.
“So it’s about knowing our principles, knowing what we’re trying to do, and knowing that’s just the stepping stone. Win or loss, it’s a stepping stone. You learn off it, and as we get into the year, you’re really trying to perfect your craft and identity.”
At what point in the season do players and teams find that identity?
“Usually, around Thanksgiving,” Brown said. “Around Thanksgiving, a lot of players are like, ‘That’s when the real football starts.’ That’s when we know what we are. We know what each team [is]. And it’s about executing the game plan and being at your best once December and January come around.”
Until then, everyone will just have to suffer through some sloppy football. It’s the price of this multi-billion-dollar business now. So if the Eagles win ugly Sunday, even if they somehow lose, don’t panic. Yet.
It’s astounding, in a matter of months, how bad a quarterback Jalen Hurts became, how ineffective a coach Nick Sirianni was revealed to be, how overwhelmed DeVonta Smith was sure to become without A.J. Brown, how formerly brilliant defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had devolved into mediocrity, how irrelevant an elite defense was projected to be, and how uselessly a suddenly healthier offensive line was projected to perform.
Because all of these things need to happen for the Eagles to not win the NFC East and surge to a third Super Bowl in five years.
A year ago, most prognosticators chose the Eagles to at least reach the NFC championship game if not to repeat as Super Bowl champions. So why are expectations so low for 2026?
Currently, the forecasters rate as highly or higher than the Eagles: The Rams, whom the Eagles own; the Seahawks, the flukiest Super Bowl winner since the 2011 Giants; the Packers, after five straight years of postseason flops; and the Lions, who, well, are the Lions.
This is madness.
If the Eagles’ offensive line had been healthy in 2025 they would have won a second straight Lombardi Trophy. It’s healthy today. They should be everyone’s favorite. They should roll through 2026.
What games worry you? At Dallas on Thanksgiving? OK. Seattle on Dec. 19? OK, but it’s a wintertime home game. At San Francisco on Jan. 3? The Silicon Valley Power electrical substation might have winnowed the 49ers to nothing by then.
There’s no way this team should lose more than three games, four at the most. They’ve got a Pro Bowl quarterback, a superstar running back, a franchise receiver, and a genius running a defense with more talent than any defense in team history that didn’t include Reggie White.
Yes, they lost in the first round of the playoffs last year, and, yes, they’re installing a new offense with a new coordinator, and all of that is scary.
Kellen Moore (right) was new to the Eagles, just as Sean Mannion is, and helped engineer a Super Bowl win. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
You know what happened the last time they installed a new offense with a new coordinator?
They won Super Bowl LIX.
They begin their run to Super Bowl LXI at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, hosting the Commanders, who lost All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil to injury in training camp. The Eagles should win by about 20 points.
Maybe then the fog will lift from the minds of the deluded.
No A.J.? OK
It’s tempting and understandable to dwell on the departure of Brown, and it’s important to not diminish it. No Eagles receiver ever connected four seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards, and Brown did so as Hurts’ No. 1 target. Hurts is a running quarterback whose passing offense did not average even 200 yards per game the past two seasons. A.J. in Philly was special.
It’s tempting, but unwise. Teams occasionally lose top receivers but succeed nevertheless. The Chiefs lost Tyreek Hill after the 2021 season but still went to the next three Super Bowls and won the next two.
DeVonta Smith is primed to take a major step forward this season. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
DeVonta’s moment
Smith has 13 100-yard games in his five-year career (plus two more in the playoffs), and he played four of those years with Brown and two with Saquon Barkley, both high-volume offensive weapons. He’d have 25 games with 100 yards if he’d been option No. 1. Expect him to have five or six this season.
Because he’s a Heisman Trophy winner who has never been asked to be the best player on a great team, though he’s shown every capacity for the job. He’s a route-runner on par with Justin Jefferson. He finds the soft spots in zones with uncanny instinct. He’s mature, he’s a leader, and, at 27, he’s in the middle of his prime.
Brown set the Eagles’ record for receiving yards with 1,496 in 2022. Zach Ertz set the record for catches with 116 in 2018. Terrell Owens set the record for TD catches with 14 in 2004.
Smith could challenge each of these … or all of them.
Run it up
New coordinator Sean Mannion wasn’t hired to implement a new offense that would turn the Eagles into Air Coryell. He was hired to implement an offense that would emulate the general run-game efficiency of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Rams coach Sean McVay. Expect that to happen.
Jonathan Greenard won’t play in Week 1 but should be an upgrade off the edge once he does. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Upgrade at end
The Eagles signed Jonathan Greenard to a four-year, $98 million deal to improve the pass rush. His injured pectoral muscle is a concern, and maybe he won’t play for a while, but he’s going to be more effective than trade-deadline addition Jaelan Philips, who left via free agency to wails of consternation.
Really, what did you lose … a guy with two sacks in eight regular-season games and zero tackles in a playoff loss?
Coop = Dawk
An undrafted free agent four years ago, safety Reed Blankenship’s superpower lay in his ability to understand the job and know where he was supposed to be. His Achilles’ heel, bless his heart, was his inability to get there rapidly and make plays once he arrived.
There never was a doubt when the Eagles traded up 10 picks in the second round of the 2024 draft, that Cooper DeJean would become a safety. He played nickel corner his first two seasons, but he’s where he belongs now. He often will slide to nickel against certain teams. Cool. You know who else did that?
Second-round safety Brian Dawkins, who’s now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Cooper DeJean will play safety in the Eagles’ base package this season. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
O-line OK
They played maybe three games with a fully functional offensive line. Even if Jalen Hurts doesn’t improve, and even if the offense doesn’t explode, there will be better efficiency, a better running game, more time for Hurts to find Smith and Dallas Goedert and Barkley.
There’s a thought: Use the best player on the team more, and throw him the ball.
Barkley, Part I
Barkley was targeted 68 times per season his last two years with the Giants, when offensive maestro Brian Daboll was the head coach. He was targeted less than 48 times per season in his first two seasons with the Eagles, when Kellen Moore and Kevin Patullo called plays.
There’s a reason Daboll is considered an offensive maestro, unlike Moore and Patullo.
No Stout? No problem
Normally, the subtraction of an elite coach like Jeff Stoutland would be crippling, but every offensive line starter has been coached by Stout for at least three years, and every one of them has never had another line coach. No matter how much the scheme changes, Stout’s replacement, Chris Kuper, isn’t going to fracture the foundation.
Just because Sean Mannion hasn’t called plays doesn’t preclude him from being great in the role. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
On-the-job training
There never was an indication that Patullo would be a competent offensive coordinator or play-caller. There remains no indication that Mannion will be competent, either … but, to be fair to both, there never was much indication that Shane Steichen would be competent, either. He’d done it for one full season in Philly before 2022, and his offense that season powered the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII.
Barkley, Part II
Barkley’s workload plummeted. In 2024, at the age of 27, he touched the ball 482 total times between the regular season and playoffs. In 2025, at 28, that number fell to 346, a difference of 136 touches, a decrease of roughly 28%. It was like getting four games of rest.
Nick wins games
Like him or loathe him, Sirianni wins games. Maybe that’s been because of Fangio’s genius, Howie Roseman‘s personnel management, or Jeffrey Lurie’s deep pockets. In any case, even if Sirianni isn’t a main reason they’re winning, he’s certainly not impeding their path to wins. And to argue that they’re winning in spite of him is as foolhardy as it is disingenuous.
There is always a feeling of a fresh start at the beginning of every NFL season, but this week there was an extra sense of newness mixed with intrigue at the Eagles’ Jefferson Health Training Complex — a name that is still taking some getting used to.
The Eagles have a new offense under a new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion. They are beginning life without A.J. Brown. And for Lane Johnson, the team’s future Hall of Fame right tackle, this Week 1 is new, too, after he announced during training camp that this season probably would be his last.
Emotional week? Johnson said in August that he wanted to take time to appreciate all of the little things.
“I try not to get too emotional with it,” Johnson said this week.
Any emotional moments, though?
“We got some new restrooms installed,” he quipped. “I got pretty emotional seeing that, not having to go in that crowded stalls. Thank you, Mr. Lurie, for your contributions. We’re all very happy.”
Ah, nothing like some new showers.
New season, new-look locker room. When the locker room doors opened to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since the Eagles cleaned the room out in January, gone were the center locker stalls given to practice squad players that made the narrow room look cramped. Gone was the back wall, which now opens up to an area where some practice squad lockers live along with a few couches and, most importantly to Johnson, more showers and bathrooms.
Johnson, a New Jerseyan, thanked Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, but he also can thank his teammates with Pennsylvania addresses. The Eagles, in an effort to upgrade facilities their players have been critical of in recent years, received a $4 million grant from the state of Pennsylvania to help fund their renovation project.
The remodel extends beyond the locker room — including work on the training room and upgrades to the cafeteria — but Johnson, it seems, is content with the extra showers.
The changes aren’t just happening at the NovaCare Jefferson Health Training Complex. You might have also noticed something new at The Inquirer as well — in addition to our mid-week Eagles preview show and live postgame show. Each week throughout the football season, we’ll be sending a special edition of Sports Daily the day before the Eagles play to get you prepared with anything you may have missed leading up to the game.
Tom Brady (left) also was on the call during the last Eagles game that mattered — their wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The Eagles and Commanders kick off at 4:25 p.m. Sunday on Fox29, which will send its top broadcast team of Kevin Burkhardt doing play-by-play and analyst Tom Brady. Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi are the sideline reporters.
You can listen to longtime radio play-by-play voice Merrill Reese call the game on 94 WIP alongside Mike Quick. Reese is entering his 50th season calling Eagles games, and in case you missed it this week, The Inquirer’s Matt Breen wrote about Reese and his wife, Cindy, who has helped the 84-year-old broadcaster stay sharp through all of these years.
Final injury report
The Eagles’ biggest offseason acquisition will miss the opener. On Friday, the team ruled out edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who missed all of training camp with a pectoral injury but returned to the practice field this week.
“I feel good, though. I will say, I feel I’m in a good spot,” Greenard said Thursday. “Just know that. I know that I’m working every day to continue to try to get this thing stronger. We’re close, I know that.”
With Greenard out, the Eagles will need a lot from Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith, as well as significant contributions from Arnold Ebiketie and A.J. Epenesa. The Eagles have three edge rushers on the practice squad if they decide to elevate one and dress a fifth body on game day: Keyshawn James-Newby, Mason Reiger, and Joshua Weru.
Eagles
Out
Questionable
Stowers said Friday that he expects to be available for the game.
Commanders
Washington did not rule anyone out for Sunday’s game, and no one on the team’s active roster carries a game designation into the weekend, but that injury report does not tell the full story.
Washington will be without many key players.
Most notably, left tackle Laremy Tunsil (triceps), the team’s best offensive lineman, is on injured reserve. Edge rushers Dorance Armstrong (suspended) and Deatrich Wise (physically unable to perform list) also will miss the game, as will other key defensive players like cornerback Trey Amos — who is on IR with an ankle injury — and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (pectoral).
Backup running back Jeremy McNichols also is on IR with a quadriceps injury.
Storylines to watch
Sunday will be offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s first game with the Eagles.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
All eyes are on Mannion. His predecessor, Kevin Patullo, oversaw an offense that took a major step back in 2025, and he was fired after his first season on the job.
Mannion is just 34 and calling plays in the NFL for the first time, but he’s been preparing for this moment since his days playing high school football under his father, John, in California. And maybe even before that. (Spoiler alert on that link: Mannion has a Delco connection because, well, of course he does.)
It’s not just Mannion under the microscope, though. There’s also Jalen Hurts, who regressed in 2025 and has a murky contract situation beyond this season. Hurts’ latest effort to evolve could determine his future.
Here are a few more storylines to follow:
The Eagles were so good in 2024 because they ran the ball so well, and they struggled in 2025 in part because they didn’t. Mannion, a quarterback, “loves the run game,” according to his colleagues, and the Eagles are revamping how they run the ball in 2026.
With Brown no longer ahead of him on the depth chart, DeVonta Smith is the unquestioned No. 1 receiver in the building. He’s a team captain for the first time, too. “The guy was built to do this,” said James Madison coach Billy Napier, who recruited Smith when Napier was the wide receivers coach at Alabama.
There won’t be a Brandon Graham return in the middle of the season like last year. The legendary Eagles defensive end sounds like he’s done with football. Up next? A budding media career.
Latest Week 1 odds
The Eagles, as of Friday, were six-point favorites over Washington at DraftKings and favored by 5½ at FanDuel. Both sportsbooks listed the over/under at 44½.
Eagles-Commanders predictions
The Eagles defensive line, including defensive tackle Jordan Davis (second from right) line up against the Washington Commanders during last year’s regular-season finale at Lincoln Financial Field.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Here’s what our columnists are saying this week, starting with Mike Sielski, who wrote about the dominant defense the Eagles are poised to have:
Mike Sielski: “Will the 2026 Eagles’ defense be as great as the 1991 Eagles’? No. Will it have to be? Probably not. … The most important questions the Eagles have to answer this season don’t have much to do with their defense, if any of them have anything to do with the defense at all.” Read more.
Marcus Hayes: “Is this the make-or-break year for Jalen Hurts? Or is it a make-or-break year for Nick Sirianni? Both? Neither? … An offseason of communications with various NFL sources indicated two things:
The Eagles do not consider 2026 to be a make-or-break season for either Hurts or Sirianni. That’s because …
Installing an offense that is so philosophically different than what’s come before it is not a 17-game undertaking. It’s a two-season project.” Read more.
David Murphy: “23rd. That’s the average ranking from last season of the 14 pass defenses the Eagles will face in 2026. It is the softest schedule in the league by a wide, wide margin. The Eagles couldn’t have handpicked a better setup for Jalen Hurts and first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Right out of the gate, they’ll face a Commanders defense that finished tied for 30th in yards per pass attempt allowed.” Read more.
What the Commanders are saying
The Eagles aren’t the only team on Sunday with a new offensive coordinator. David Blough, a former quarterback, will make his Commanders debut.Nick Wass/AP
The Commanders have two new coordinators to start the 2026 season. David Blough is taking over the offense after Kliff Kingsbury and the Commanders parted ways. Blough, like Mannion, was a quarterback in the NFL as recently as 2023 and has been a coach since 2024, when he joined Washington as an assistant.
On the other side, Daronte Jones, a longtime defensive coach who most recently was with the Vikings, steps in for Joe Whitt.
There was a bit of uncertainty in both buildings this week. The Eagles didn’t know what exactly to expect from both of Washington’s units, while the Commanders were preparing for a new offense.
They are, however, familiar with what the Eagles will be doing on defense.
Blough on Vic Fangio’s defense: “They’re so sound as a defense, how they attack you, where they try to stress you as an offense and they got a lot of really good players who have been there for a long time. We’ve seen matchups with some of our familiar players. We’ve seen things that Jayden [Daniels] does well. We’ve seen ways that they’ve tried to attack us. So, all of those data points for us kind of go into how we build the plan to to get after him this week.”
Jones on Saquon Barkley: “Saquon is special. It’s not a one-man job. It’s a it’s a team effort, and even with that, I mean, his explosiveness, his playmaking ability, he’s very dynamic and they’ve done a great job of using him in that way and finding different spaces to get him touches. And so, you take your hat off to the organization how they utilize their personnel over there.”
ESPN polled more than 60 writers and analysts to predict the big winners for the 2026 NFL season. How many of them have the Eagles playing in the Super Bowl in Los Angeles come February? Just four. And two of those four, national reporters Kevin Clark and Cameron Wolfe, have the Eagles hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Meanwhile, none of our beat writers have them reaching the Super Bowl — but you’ll be happy to know I picked them to win the division.
As for this week’s matchup, are the Commanders wasting Daniels’ rookie contract? That’s the view here, and also from The Athletic’s Nick Kostos.
“I feel bad for Jayden Daniels. Less than two years ago, he had the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game as a rookie (coincidentally in Philly against the Eagles),” Kostos wrote. “And it feels like the Commanders are wasting the years on his rookie deal. I love Daniels, but the Eagles might have the best defense in the NFL — and I’m a Jalen Hurts believer.”
NFL.com editor Gennaro Filice on Sunday’s game: “I have serious doubts about Daniels’ supporting cast, especially the Laremy Tunsil-less offensive line,” Filice wrote. “That’s a recipe for disaster against Vic Fangio’s defense.”
After the game, be sure to tune into our live postgame show, hosted by Ryan Novozinsky. We’ll be back in your inboxes Monday with a regular edition of Sports Daily — and keep an eye out for another special Eagles edition next weekend.
