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Here’s everything you need to get ready for Sunday’s Commanders season opener against the Eagles, and some other D.C. sports news to take you into the weekend.
🏈 The Basics
🕰️ Game time: 4:25 p.m.
🏟️ Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
🌡️ Forecast: The National Weather Service calls for a high of 84 and a chance of showers.
📺 TV: The game airs on Fox, with Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi on the call.
📻 Radio: Bram Weinstein, London Fletcher and Logan Paulsen will call the game on the Commanders Radio Network, including flagship station WBIG (100.3 FM).
💵 Line: Philadelphia -6 | Over/Under: 44.5
👕 Uniforms: The Commanders will wear white jerseys and white pants. The Eagles will wear midnight green jerseys and white pants.
🔮 Predict the Score
Each week, I’ll invite you to email me your score prediction for the game. Anyone who correctly predicts the winner and the exact score will receive a shout-out in Monday’s newsletter and a to-be-determined prize. Good luck!
✏️ 10 Tidbits
Philadelphia became the first NFC East team in 21 years to win back-to-back division titles in 2025, but Nick Sirianni’s squad lost at home to the 49ers in the wild-card round after resting most of their starters and dropping their regular season finale to the Commanders.
The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after their playoff exit and replaced him with Sean Mannion. Like Washington’s David Blough, the 34-year-old Mannion will be making his play-calling debut Sunday. He’s expected to do so from the booth.
Philadelphia traded wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots in June, making DeVonta Smith the new No. 1 option in the passing game for QB Jalen Hurts, who is working with his fifth different OC since 2021.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley looks to return to his 2024 form, when he eclipsed 2,000 yards, after rushing for barely half that total (1,140) last season.
Former Eagles secondary coach Christian Parker left to become the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, but Vic Fangio’s defense is expected to be among the league’s best once again. Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis will provide an early test for Washington’s offensive line, which will be without all-pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil for the foreseeable future.
The Commanders didn’t generate the first of their franchise-low 10 takeaways until Week 4 last season. First-year Washington defensive coordinator Daronte Jones hopes to change that, and rookie linebacker Sonny Styles, the No. 7 overall pick, should help.
Jayden Daniels didn’t face the Eagles last year. In two regular season games against Philadelphia as a rookie, the Washington QB passed for 449 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 99 yards.
New Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs had the first three-touchdown game of his career against the Eagles in 2019.
Terry McLaurin has averaged 73.4 yards receiving in 14 career games against Philadelphia.
Washington is 6-5 all-time in Week 1 against the Eagles. The last time they met in the opener was 2020, a 27-17 Washington win. Philadelphia hasn’t lost a Week 1 game at home since 2010.
🔑 Key to Victory
Slowing Saquon: In four games against the Commanders, including the playoffs, since signing with the Eagles, Barkley has scored eight touchdowns and averaged 136.5 yards rushing. Can a new scheme and a number of new additions on defense keep him in check?
🤕 Injury Report
Eagles edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and rookie tight end Eli Stowers were both limited in practice Thursday. Edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, defensive tackle Daron Payne and running back Bill Croskey-Merritt were limited for Washington. Commanders cornerback Trey Amos will miss at least the first four games with an ankle injury.
🗒️ From the Commanders’ Beat
Tashan Reed reports the coaching staff gave Daniels a tape of every play he scrambled on in 2025 and tasked him with identifying the ones he should’ve given up on to avoid unnecessary hits.
Dave Sheinin caught up with legendary Washington linebacker London Fletcher, who described Styles as a “unicorn” and compared him to Hall of Fame Brian Urlacher.
Punter, captain and board game creator Tress Way told reporters Thursday that he’s “pretty sure” this will be his last season.
Kevin Sheehan picks the Commanders to win the NFC East.
File this away for your next trip to Landover: Martenzie Johnson sampled the new food options at Northwest Stadium, including a crab-stuffed pretzel drenched in garlic butter.
🎙️ Soundbites
Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones on defending the Tush Push: “The easiest way is to keep them out of that situation.”
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio on how his team fared against mobile quarterbacks last season: “I don’t know how we would rate on that. Maybe PFF has some phony stat that you can look up.” (LOL)
👨🍳 Gameday Recipes
I love this idea from Commanders senior writer Zach Selby, who will be baking his way through the 2026 season and sharing the results on social media. First up: The Pennsylvania Dutch dessert shoofly pie.
I’ll be debuting my own regular cooking feature next week, but in the meantime, I can’t recommend this New York Times recipe for sticky pineapple ribs enough.
These provided an opportunity to introduce my 5-year-old to the phrase “finger-lickin’ good.” (Scott Allen/For Old D.C.)
📺 What to Watch Today
🎾 U.S. Open semifinals, Frances Tiafoe vs. Ben Shelton, 7 p.m., ESPN
⚾ Nationals vs. Angels, 6:45 p.m., Nationals.TV, 106.7 The Fan
⚡ Quick Hits
🎾 The winner of tonight’s historic match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton will become the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
😂 George Lewis, author of the Substack “Teddy Should Not Have Won,” rewatched — and ranked — every one of the Nationals’ 38 blown saves. Bravo. (Those three straight losses to the Phillies at the end of June still sting.)
⚾ The Nationals are hiring an Assistant General Manager, Research and Development. The annual salary range for the role is $350,000-$425,000, which is approximately what the team spent on its bullpen.
🏟️ Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner recently visited his 30th active MLB ballpark and ranked them in thoroughly enjoyable fashion.
🏒 T.J. Oshie and Stan Wong, the Capitals’ head athletic trainer from 1986-99, are among the latest inductees to the USA Hockey Hall of Fame. The duo will be honored in a ceremony this November in D.C.
⭐ Trent Williams is still dominating at 38. The former Washington left tackle shut down Myles Garrett in San Francisco’s 27-7 rout of the Rams in Melbourne.
🗞️ Today in D.C. Sports History
Sept. 11, 1949: In the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, Washington pitchers Paul Calvert, Dick Welteroth and Julio Gonzalez combined to make baseball history.
“The Washington Nats, camouflaged in the clothing of major leaguers, will return to Griffith Stadium tomorrow night to face the Chicago White Sox with undisputed possession of an all-time record for futility through walking 11 New York Yankees in one inning,” Burton Hawkins of the Washington Evening Star wrote after the team’s 20-5 loss.
The Yankees sent 18 batters to the plate in the third and scored 12 runs on four hits, 11 walks and an error. The previous MLB record for walks in an inning was eight.
🕹️ Fun and Games
TRIVIA
What is the Nationals team record (since 2005), set earlier this year, for walks drawn in an inning?
A. 9
B. 8
C. 7
D. 6
BEFORE AND AFTER
The phrase below contains two connected clues that share a common word. Check out this example from “Jeopardy!”: Golf short game practice area served up in the title of a Dr. Seuss book = Putting Green Eggs and Ham.
The headline act for last night’s NFL halftime show and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s longest novel.
EMOJI REBUS
Decipher the Nationals player represented by the rebus puzzle below.
First name: 🥶+🩻-✖️+🍵
Last name: 🏠
Find the answers below.
The answer to today’s trivia question is D. 6. Toronto Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber walked six in the first inning of Washington’s 8-6 win on July 28.
The answer to today’s before and after puzzle is The Jonas Brothers Karamazov.
The answer to today’s emoji rebus is Brady (Brr+Ray+Tea) House.
I hope you have a great weekend no matter what happens Sunday afternoon, and I’ll see you Monday morning for some Hail or Fail.