Key Takeaways From Eagles' Week 1 Win Over Washington

Thanks to Sunday’s 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders, the Philadelphia Eagles are now 6-0 on opening day under head coach Nick Sirianni. Here were some of the things that went right from the Eagles perspective:

Good variety of play calls on offense

A year ago, Eagles fans loathed offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo for being too predictable with his play calls. New offensive Sean Mannion had a nice variety of route concepts, zone running plays, and designed quarterback runs.

Jalen Hurts made big plays when needed

The much maligned Eagles quarterback completed several deep passes downfield. He also used his legs for an impressive first down run on third and long to keep a fourth quarter drive alive. Soon after that big run, a Hurts touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert gave the Eagles a 24-16 advantage. Hurts ended the game with 249 all-purpose yards and three passing touchdowns.

Zack Baun played like a stud

Whether it was tackles for loss behind the line of scrimmage, open field tackles, or pass breakups in coverage, Eagles linebacker Zack Baun made plays all over the field. He ended the game with 12 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass breakups.

Other defensive contributors helped seal the win

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter blocked a Washington extra point attempt in the first half to keep Philadelphia’s lead at 14-9. The Commanders scored a late fourth quarter touchdown that trimmed the Eagles lead to 24-22. With the game potentially on the line as Washington went for two, fellow defensive tackle Moro Ojomo crashed through the line of scrimmage to stuff the run and deny the two-point conversion.

Special teams excellence

Most teams don’t want to punt seven times in any single game. Nonetheless, Eagles punter Braden Mann played his role to perfection. He totaled 361 yards for a total of 51.6 yards per punt. Four of those attempts were downed inside the 20 yard-line and Mann’s longest punt of the day went for 64 yards. The Eagles used field position like a weapon and made life that much more difficult for the Commander offense.

No turnovers for either team

For all the talk about offenses lacking continuity early in the year thanks to the de-emphasis of the preseason, the Eagles did not turn the ball over in the game. Yes there were some dull moments in the second half with three straight three-and-outs to start the third quarter, but at least the Eagles protected the football. It’s pretty surprising neither team recorded a turnover.