PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles kick off their 2026 season tonight against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field, with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. on Fox.
The Week 1 matchup pits the defending NFC East champion Eagles, who went 11-6 last season, against a Commanders team looking to rebound from a 5-12 finish in 2025, a steep drop from their 12-5 record and NFC championship game appearance the year before. Washington’s decline came as quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared in just seven games due to injuries to his knee, hamstring, and left elbow, according to Yahoo Sports. Daniels is healthy heading into tonight and starting his third NFL season.
The Eagles enter as 5.5-point favorites and roughly -235 on the moneyline, with the over/under set at 44.5 points, according to odds from FanDuel Sportsbook cited by SI Betting. Washington is priced as roughly a 2-to-1 underdog to pull off the upset.
A perfect record on the line
Head coach Nick Sirianni has never lost a season opener, compiling a 5-0 record in Week 1 games since taking over in 2021: a 32-6 win over Atlanta in 2021, 38-35 over Detroit in 2022, 25-20 over New England in 2023, 34-29 over Green Bay in 2024 and 24-20 over Dallas in 2025. The Eagles are 15-3 to open a season since 2008, according to the team’s own game preview.
Sirianni downplayed the significance of scheme changes on both sides of the ball heading into tonight. “This game comes down to who blocks better, who gets off blocks better, who tackles better, who protects the football better, who comes after the football better, who catches the ball better, who’s more physical and who plays together better,” he said, according to the Eagles’ own preview.
The Eagles will be without star free agent edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who has missed all of training camp with a pectoral injury and was ruled out for Week 1, and rookie tight end Eli Stowers, who was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and will miss at least the first four games.
Washington is dealing with bigger losses, missing starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil (triceps tear) and cornerback Trey Amos, who was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury after returning from a fractured fibula, plus edge rusher Dorance Armstrong, who is serving a one-game suspension tied to a 2025 arrest on misdemeanor charges of assault and resisting arrest, according to PhillyVoice’s injury report.
Barkley, a Lehigh Valley story headed into Year 3
No player draws more local interest than running back Saquon Barkley, who moved with his family from Bethlehem to Allentown before settling in Coplay, where he spent most of his childhood.
He starred at Whitehall High School and was inducted into its Hall of Fame, and in 2024, a Whitehall Township commissioner urged Coplay Borough Council to place a “Saquon Barkley Boulevard” sign at the intersection where he grew up, though the resolution would not rename the street, according to Lehigh Valley Public Media.
Barkley is not listed with any injury designation heading into tonight. He said he is confident in the Eagles’ rebuilt offense under new coordinator Sean Mannion. “I’m very confident in the run game just because of the work that we put in. Not just our run game, just the offense in general,” Barkley said in the team’s preview.
He also cautioned patience over a 17-game season. “The mindset is to go out there and do whatever it takes to win football games. But no matter what, whether it’s good or bad, you can’t overreact. It’s a long season,” Barkley said.