The Washington Commanders are kicking off their 2026 season with a road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Check out this gameday blog for stats, highlights and more from the action.

4:33 p.m.

Not a bad start for the Commanders. There was a ton of movement and a lot of tight ends on the field. At times, Chig Okonkwo, Ben Sinnott and John Bates were in the huddle at the same time. The highlight of the drive was a 13-yard third-down conversion to Stefon Diggs. Things culminated with a 55-yard field goal from Drew Stevens. Now the attention swings to Washington's new defense.

4:42 p.m.

It was exactly what you wanted to see from the Commanders' new defensive unit. They played fast and with aggression, bringing pressure from multiple spots. Rasul Douglas also had a nice pass breakup to force a third down.

4:46 p.m.

Man, this defense is fun to watch. First, it was Nick Cross who blew past his blocker for a tackle for a loss. Than, Frankie Luvu came on a blitz to sack Jalen Hurts.

4:59 p.m.

The Eagles are going to start the second quarter in scoring position, but you have to feel good about how the defense is performing overall. The offense, however, needs to find some momentum. They look like they've been close to breaking a few plays, but the Eagles are a formidable unit.

5:04 p.m.

The Eagles took the lead after a third-connection between Hurts and Dalals Goerdert. The offense needs to put together a response here. It seems like they're having more success in the passing game, but the run needs to remain a key part of their plays, despite the lack of room in the enterior.

5:13 p.m.

Another nice possession from the Commanders' defense to force a punt. K'Lavon Chaisson and Daron Payne both got pops on Hurts, leading to some off-target throws. The offense has offense once again, and the unit needs to get some momentum.

5:21 p.m.

Yards are tough to come by for the Commanders' offense. You really feel how talented the Eagles' defense is on all three levels. Not only is Daniels getting pressured in the pocket, but the windows are tight in the secondary.

5:27 p.m.

The Eagles have now extended their lead. First, Barkley broke loose on a run that set Philadelphia up inside the 15-yard line. Two plays later, Hurts connected with Wicks for the score. The pressure is now squarely on the offense to respond. The game is far from over, but Daniels and his teammates need to make some kind of progress downfield.

5:39 p.m.

We're at the two-minute mark in the first half, and the Commanders are in scoring position after a pass from Daniels to Antonio Williams. It's been a solid possession from Daniels so far, as he has done well to avoid pressure and make smart decisions with the ball. Now, they're at the 1-yard line with a chance to cut the lead to four. It's been a difficult half for the offense, mostly because the Eagles have brought constant pressure on Daniels. On 16 dropbacks, he has been pressured 11 times.

5:45 p.m.

That was an efficient 67-yard drive by the Commanders and exactly what they needed. Daniels was impressive with the way he handled the ball and bought himself time. The blocked field goal isn't great, but Washington needed to respond after going down two scores and did so. The Commanders found some breathing room on the ground, as Jacory Croskey-Merritt played an important role in keeping the chains moving and scored the touchdown.

5:55 p.m.

First half is now over. There were certainly blemishes from both sides of the ball, but the Commanders are in this game down just five after two quarters

6:10 p.m.

That was a good first series for the Commanders' defense. They were in the Eagles backfield on every play, and Nick Cross stopped Goedert short of the first-down marker. Now we need to see if the offense can maintain the momentum they found at the end of the second quarter.

6:21 p.m.

We got another three and out from the Commanders' defense, and Sonny Styles set things off right by getting the first sack of his career. He bowled over Barkley and took down Hurts for a six-yard loss.

The offense has another opportunity here with good field position. It needs to start finding holes in this Eagles defense.

6:36 p.m.

The Commanders' defensive front is doing it's job. They just forced their third sack of the afternoon on third down to give the ball back to their offense. Also, Styles made another explosive play, blowing up Barkley in the backfield for a three-yard loss.

For the offense, the priority remains for them to get some kind of momentum and end possessions with points. They got into field goal position on their last drive, but Stevens' 54-yard attempt was wide right.

6:48 p.m.

The Commanders hold the Eagles to a field goal. It's a 36-yard attempt from Jake Elliott. 17-9 Eagles.

6:54 p.m.

We're in the fourth quarter now, and Daniels just picked up a first down with an impressive scramble that featured him avoiding multiple defenders. The Commanders are only down eight points, but they need to get something going offensively. Hopefully that play from Daniels can give them a spark.

7:04 p.m.

Touchdown Washington! The Eagles bring a blitz and Daniels makes them pay with a pass to Diggs for his first TD pass of the season. It's now 17-16 still in the Eagles' favor, but there's plenty of time left in the game.

7:15 p.m.

Touchdown Eagles. Goedert has his second score of the day. 24-16 Philadelphia.