Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts is used to change with the Eagles. Does he have much to prove against the Commanders?
PHILADELPHIA -- — Jalen Hurts has another new offensive coordinator. Another new system to learn. He even has a new No. 1 wide receiver and is playing behind an offensive line with — yep — a new coach and run game coordinator.
Hurts is used to steady turnover with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He also is used to something much more consistent no matter who calls the shots or catches the ball or makes the blind-side blocks: winning.
Hurts has racked up the stats that should rank him as one of the elite quarterbacks in the game as the two-time defending NFC East champion Eagles get set to open their season Sunday against Washington.
He ranks second in total touchdowns (138) since 2022 and a threw a career-high 25 TD passes last season. Hurts has won at a nearly 75% clip since he was named the starter in 2021 and his winning percentage since 2022 (54-18, .750) is the best in the NFL.
Oh, and he led the Eagles to a pair of Super Bowls and was the MVP when they won their second in franchise history, in the 2024 season.
Yet there's always a nagging feeling around Philadelphia, around the NFL, that somehow Hurts needs to do more. Or somehow hasn't done enough. The Eagles did not offer him a contract extension with big guaranteed money headed into the final year of his five-year deal. General manager Howie Roseman had to go on Philly talk radio this month and tamp down speculation that the 28-year-old Hurts faces a make-or-break season — same with coach Nick Sirianni, who also wins games, if not fandom.
The only metric that truly counts for Sirianni is wins, and the Eagles again are expected to pile up plenty of them.
“There’ll be different requirements and slightly different job descriptions,” Sirianni said, “but the standard remains the standard.”
Jayden Daniels would love to face the kind of so-called problems Hurts has rather than trying prove in his third year with Washington that he was no one-season wonder.
After plummeting from an NFC title game berth to a five-win season, the Commanders are counting on a return to form for Daniels after he played in just seven games last season.
Through his first two seasons, much of the Commanders’ offensive success relied on Daniels’ heroics. The goal now is for that not to be the case.
“I just think I didn't get into a flow, in and out of the lineup with injuries,” Daniels said. “Year 2, it is what it is. Now we're on to Year 3. Whatever happens on Sunday, that's what people are going to talk about more than Year 2.”
Daniels and the Commanders are road underdogs and the first step toward rebounding from last season is a daunting one: Hurts is 8-3 lifetime against the Commanders, with 14 TD passes, nine rushing scores and just three interceptions.
Commanders (5-12 last season) at Eagles (11-6).
When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox.
Latest odds: Eagles by 4 1/2.
Last meeting: Eagles beat Commanders 29-18 in Landover, Maryland, on Dec. 20, 2025.
Series record: Commanders lead series, 91-88-6.
Sean Mannion vs. Daronte Jones. The opener marks the first chance for both teams to showcase the changes two new coordinators expect to make this season. Mannion replaces Kevin Patullo, who lost his job as play-caller after the Eagles’ offense slumped in his lone season and they failed to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Mannion’s scheme remains a bit of a mystery following a vanilla approach in three preseason games that did not feature Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley, top receiver DeVonta Smith and many other regulars. Philadelphia’s offense will be different. Time will tell if it will be better. After Washington ranked last in the NFL on defense last season, Jones has spent his first six months on the job not only installing a new system but also overhauling the team’s defensive identity. Jones replaces coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., who was stripped of play-calling duties last season and fired at the end of the season.
— The Eagles and Buffalo are the only two teams to have made the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. The Eagles have four 11-plus win seasons, three NFC East titles, two conference championships and a Super Bowl victory since 2022.
— Sirianni has the fifth-highest winning percentage in NFL history (59-26, .694) with a minimum of 50 games coached. He is one of four coaches in the Super Bowl era to start his career with five straight playoff berths.
— The Eagles are 5-0 since 2021 in season openers and are 15-3 overall in openers since 2008.
— Washington is 6-5 all-time against the Eagles in Week 1.
— Washington is 44-44-2 lifetime on the road at Philadelphia.
— The Commanders are trying to beat the Eagles in consecutive games for the first time since the 2015-2016 seasons.
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