The Washington Commanders began their 2026 season with a 24-22 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are five takeaways from Week 1.

1. The offense flashed but took time to get going.

It was an up-and-down night for the Commanders' offense, which had Jayden Daniels under center in a regular season game for the first time in 11 months. Every team deals with bumps in Week 1, and that was certainly the case for the Commanders with their new scheme. They went through long stretches without a first down, and there were myriad reasons for that lack of progress, from dropped passes to limited running lanes. Regardless of the cause, the Commanders only managed 50 yards on their seven non-scoring drives.

But there were also moments where the Commanders' offense showed the potential of a more dynamic unit. Facing an 11-point deficit at the end of the first half, they averaged nearly six yards per play on a 12-play touchdown drive with double-digit gains from Daniels, Stefon Diggs and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Daniels also looked comfortable, despite the constant pressure from the Eagles' front, made smart decisions with the ball and bought time with his legs. The unit also put up 132 yards on the ground, with Croskey-Merritt accounting for 63 yards on 16 carries.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter when the offense truly started humming. They actually outgained the Eagles, controlled the ball for more than twice as long and got in position to tie the score at the end of regulation. By then, however, the Commanders were relying on late-game heroics to keep themselves competitive, which is difficult to do against a talented Eagles defense. It's a good lesson for the unit that they must start fast and stay consistent to compete with the top-tier teams.

2. The defense gave Philadelphia problems...

Fortunately for the Commanders' offense, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense were having their own problems, and for most of the evening, Washington's new defense lived up to its reputation. The defensive front was fast and disruptive, bringing Hurts down three times. Hurts was pressured on 9.4% of his dropbacks -- the ninth most among quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Reference -- and it led to him delivering multiple off-targets throws on third down.

On the ground, Saquon Barkley led a 136-yard day with 83 on 15 carries, but those numbers don't tell the complete story. Over half of Barkley's yardage came on one play, and the Commanders did a good job of preventing Barkley from getting extra yards. Pro Football Reference notes that Barkley gained zero yards after contact and didn't break a single tackle, which is impressive considering that he ranked 10th among running backs in broken tackles last season.

While it wasn't perfect, the Commanders' defense showed it was a different unit compared to last season. Although the Eagles don't have AJ Brown anymore, they still possess a talented offense. There are no moral victories, but Washington's defense did hold its own and kept the game competitive to the end.

3. ...but there were still critical mistakes.

That's not to say the defense had a clean night. There were a few mistakes from the unit, and they ended up being costly errors.

Half of the Eagles' 318 yards came from just four plays, and each of them led to Philadelphia putting up points. Dontayvion Wicks' 64-yard catch set up the Eagles' first touchdown of the night, and Barkley's 42-yard run in the second quarter helped extend their lead to 11. DeVonta Smith had a 31-yard grab that put Philadelphia in field goal range, and Hurts' 22-yard run came on a third-and-18 and contributed to an eight-play scoring drive that put the Eagles back up by eight points.

Granted, it isn't easy to completely shut down the Eagles' offense, but the mistakes do serve as reminders of how important it is to be sharp on every play. They have another difficult matchup coming this weekend against the Dallas Cowboys, so they'll need to shore up their issues before then.

4. The rookies made plays.

If you were looking for positive signs from the Commanders' rookie class, there were plenty of them against the Eagles.

We'll start with No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles, who got more snaps than most of the Commanders' impact players in the preseason but was still relatively limited. Head coach Dan Quinn said the Commanders were excited to "unleash" him, and the rookie's athletic skill set shone through on several occasions. He bowled over Barkley on his way to the first sack of his career, showcasing his physicality and prowess as a blitzer. He also recorded two tackles for a loss on Barkley, one of which led to an Eagles punt three plays later.

On offense, Antonio Williams was the Commanders' top receiving threat. He caught all four of his targets for 64 yards, and each of them came at critical moments. His first catch set the Commanders up at the Eagles' 1-yard line, and his second resulted in a 33-yard gain on third-and-14. His final catch of the night was a one-yard touchdown that gave Washington the chance to tie the score.

The Commanders chose quality over quantity with this year's draft class, and so far, it looks like that philosophy was the right one.

5. "It's a long season."

It can be difficult to look past Week 1 of a season, particularly when teams spend months preparing for it. The Commanders weren't perfect in their season opener, and the players readily admitted that they didn't perform up to the standard they set for themselves. As mentioned above, there are no moral victories, and the fact that Washington had positive moments against a playoff-caliber team does not change the reality of being 0-1.

But acknowledging there are pieces for the team to build on is not the same as celebrating a loss, and being optimistic about the team's future is not the same as looking past the result. For all the Commanders' self-imposed errors, they managed to stay close with one of the better teams in the conference. The offensive line -- a position that was under scrutiny in camp -- made their share of mistakes but kept Daniels relatively clean, aside from one sack for a loss of one yard. They found success on the ground, and the defense showed dramatic improvement.

The Commanders still need to make the actual improvements, but if they can achieve that, they can and should perform better in their future games. What's more, it's also worth pointing out that the Eagles might have the best defense the Commanders will see all year. So, if they can put themselves in a position to win against one of the league's better units, which is coached by one of the league's best defensive minds, they should look better as the year goes on.

As Daniels said after the game, it's a long season, and one loss does not have to define how things will unfold in the next three months.