Eagles
Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Eagles’ 24-22 victory over Washington gave Nick Sirianni his sixth consecutive Week 1 win and moved Philadelphia to 1-0 to open the 2026 season. The game also offered the first glimpse of the Eagles new offense and its potential.
Philadelphia scored three touchdowns through the air, averaged six yards per play and finished with 318 total yards. The offense created explosive gains and found ways to attack different areas of the field.
Still, the Eagles finished with only 10 first downs and opened the second half with three consecutive three-and-outs. The gap between their big-play ability and their difficulty sustaining drives represents one of the offense’s main challenges moving forward.
Sean Mannion built his system around a wider variety of formations, pre-snap motion and different ways to distribute the ball. The goal is to give Jalen Hurts more information about the defense while providing multiple ways to move the ball.
A.J. Brown’s departure created another need: replacing both his production and the defensive attention he commanded.
Week 1 showed early signs of both a more flexible offensive system and a collective response to Brown’s departure. Philadelphia’s next step is turning those ideas into consistent execution.
Mannion Must Turn Options Into First Downs
Dallas Goedert breaks through the Washington defense during the Eagles’ 24-22 Week 1 victory.Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Throughout training camp, Mannion worked to build multiple answers into the offense before the snap. Philadelphia added motion and diversified its formations to keep several options available within each play.
Dallas Goedert explained that those movements can force the defense to tip its hand. That information helps the quarterback identify the coverage and locate the most favorable matchup.
Against Washington, that approach began to take shape.
Goedert emerged as one of Hurts’ primary targets and finished with four receptions, 77 yards and two touchdowns. His presence over the middle allowed Philadelphia to exploit space between the linebackers and safeties.
Dontayvion Wicks produced the team’s longest play with a 64-yard reception. DeVonta Smith added 53 receiving yards, while Saquon Barkley rushed for 83 yards, including a 42-yard run.
The Eagles found different ways to stress the defense. Goedert worked the middle of the field, Wicks threatened vertically, Smith provided another option in the passing game and Barkley forced Washington to respect the run.
The challenge was sustaining that success throughout entire drives. The start of the third quarter provided the clearest example: the Eagles went three-and-out on three consecutive possessions and failed to record a first down during that stretch. Washington used those short possessions to stay within striking distance.
Explosive plays can flip field position, but Philadelphia also needs steady gains that create manageable down-and-distance situations and produce eight- or 10-play drives.
Long possessions consume time, keep the defense rested and keep the full playbook open. In favorable situations, the Eagles can threaten with the running game, the passing attack and Hurts’ ability to carry the ball.
Consistency can allow those explosive plays to become part of an offense that controls the game instead of serving as its only reliable way to move the ball.
The Offense Can Make Hurts’ Mobility More Dangerous
Hurts’ 46 rushing yards against Washington provided another reminder of the damage he can create with his legs.
His mobility becomes especially dangerous when the running game, route concepts and protection already force the defense to account for several threats at once. With so many responsibilities to handle, defenders have a harder time closing the running lanes Hurts can exploit.
The Washington game also showed what Hurts can produce when a play breaks down.
Late in the third quarter, Philadelphia faced first-and-20 from its own 30-yard line. The pressure forced Hurts to his right, but the quarterback found room to run and gained 14 yards.
Two plays later, Hurts connected with Smith for 31 yards, and the possession ended with a Jake Elliott field goal.
That improvisational ability will remain one of Hurts’ greatest strengths. The new offense is designed to give him enough answers within the structure of the play before he needs to rely on it.
Stable protection, complementary route concepts and a productive running game can give Hurts clear options early in his progression. When the play works as intended, Hurts’ ability to escape the pocket becomes an added weapon rather than a necessity.
Replacing A.J. Brown’s Impact Will Take the Entire Offense
Brown’s departure left receptions and receiving yards available, but it also removed a major source of defensive attention.
His ability to win one-on-one matchups and turn receptions into game-changing plays forced opponents to devote extra resources to stopping him. That attention also created opportunities for the rest of Philadelphia’s offense.
After the trade with New England, Howie Roseman explained that the Eagles planned to distribute those responsibilities among several players. Week 1 provided an early look at how that strategy could work:
- DeVonta Smith can assume a central role in the passing game.
- Dontayvion Wicks provides the speed to attack the field vertically.
- Dallas Goedert offers a reliable option over the middle.
- Saquon Barkley forces defenses to respect the running game.
- Jalen Hurts adds another rushing threat from the quarterback position.
That approach works best when one player’s presence creates space for another.
A defense focused on preventing Wicks from getting over the top could leave openings for Smith or Goedert. If it brings additional defenders closer to the line of scrimmage to contain Barkley, it could create favorable matchups for the receivers on the outside.
Those adjustments also provide information for Hurts. The quarterback can identify where the defense has shifted its resources and target whichever player has the best matchup.
In that way, Philadelphia can collectively recreate part of the effect Brown had on the offense. No single player needs to replace him in the same way or carry the same level of responsibility every week.
The opponent, coverage and flow of the game will determine who receives the most opportunities. The system will work if Smith, Wicks, Goedert, Barkley and Hurts complement one another and force the defense to change its priorities from one snap to the next.
Tennessee Will Provide the First Test of Consistency
Week 2 will show whether Philadelphia can turn the different ways it moved the ball against Washington into longer possessions.
Tennessee enters the matchup after losing 23-10 to the Jets in a game in which it surrendered 367 total yards and spent much of the afternoon with its defense on the field.
New York ran the ball 39 times and held possession for 38 minutes and 46 seconds. One of its drives lasted 19 plays, covered 74 yards and consumed nearly 12 minutes before ending with a field goal.
That series forced Tennessee to defend for almost an entire quarter. The Jets kept their offense on the field, controlled the clock and repeatedly moved the chains even without finishing the possession with a touchdown.
Philadelphia already showed against Washington that it has the explosiveness to change a game with a deep reception, a long run or an individual play from Hurts. The matchup against the Titans will provide an opportunity to combine those plays with first downs and sustained drives.
The offense’s growth can be measured by its ability to gain yards on early downs, avoid unfavorable situations and stay out of predictable down-and-distance situations.
That structure can also help Hurts. If the running game forces Tennessee to bring defenders closer to the line, the route combinations stretch the coverage and the pre-snap motion helps reveal the defense’s intentions, the quarterback will have more information to determine where to go with the ball.
When a running lane appears, Hurts can use it as an additional threat instead of being forced to create something out of necessity.
If Philadelphia can sustain its possessions and stay on schedule, Tennessee’s defense will have to account for Barkley, the receivers, Goedert and Hurts at the same time. In that environment, the quarterback’s mobility could become the final piece that unlocks the full potential of the Eagles’ new offense.
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