Washington and Philadelphia split the season series last year with both games decided in the final possession — now they run it back with two brand-new offenses on display.
Bush’s PicksPicks madeJul 7, 1:05 PM CT
+178WASPHI-205
-101WAS +3.5PHI -3.5-112
-117Over 46.5Under 46.5-102
Best BetEagles -205
Philadelphia's the safer outright bet here — a deeper roster, home field, and a full offseason to install Mannion's system all favor the Eagles, even accounting for the A.J. Brown loss. Washington's ceiling is real when Daniels is right, but banking on him staying healthy and hitting the ground running in a new scheme is the riskier bet. The price reflects a comfortable but not overwhelming favorite, which tracks with how thin last year's meetings actually were.
Commanders
+Won the 2025 finale in Philly 24-17
+Daniels' ceiling remains among NFL's best when healthy
+New OC Blough has Daniels' early buy-in
−Collapsed from 12-5 to 5-12 last season
−Daniels missed most of 2025 with injury
−Still no clear No. 2 receiver behind McLaurin
Eagles
+Finished 11-6, more talented roster overall
+New OC Mannion targeting a Hurts bounce-back
+Barkley and Goedert give offense a steady floor
−Traded top receiver A.J. Brown to Patriots
−Dropped 2 of last 3 games to end 2025
−WR room largely unproven behind DeVonta Smith
This one's got a different flavor than the last two Commanders-Eagles matchups. Jalen Hurts is working behind a new play-caller in Sean Mannion after Philly moved on from its 2025 offensive staff, and he's doing it without A.J. Brown, who's now catching passes from Drake Maye in New England. Across the field, Jayden Daniels is going through his own reset, learning David Blough's new scheme after a sophomore season wrecked by injury. Both quarterbacks head into the year with plenty to prove and new voices calling the shots.
Washington's collapse from 12-5 to 5-12 wasn't really about talent evaporating — it was about Daniels missing most of the season and the NFL's oldest roster wearing down. Dan Quinn responded by firing both coordinators and getting younger at running back and tight end. Philadelphia's issues were different: an offense that stagnated late in the year even with a loaded receiver room, which is exactly why ownership brought in Mannion to get more out of Hurts and Saquon Barkley with a more traditional dropback approach.
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WAS Commanders
PHI Eagles
The receiver rooms tell two different stories. DeVonta Smith steps into the clear WR1 role for Philly, flanked by newcomers like Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks who are still auditioning for real roles. Washington's situation is murkier — Terry McLaurin remains the unquestioned top target, but the Commanders still haven't settled on a true No. 2 heading into camp. Both offenses are banking on unproven pieces clicking fast.
Washington Commanders
Philadelphia Eagles
Recent form.
Zoom out and the head-to-head history matters here. These teams split their two meetings last season, with the road team winning both times — Philly took the December matchup 29-18, then Washington answered with a 24-17 win in the rematch. That kind of back-and-forth, plus two teams installing new systems at the same time, makes projecting this one a little more of a guessing game than usual this early.
Washington Commanders
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Philadelphia Eagles
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Neither injury report is scary this deep into the offseason — mostly camp-legs and roster churn rather than anything threatening a starter's availability. The bigger swing factor is scheme installation: how fast Blough gets Daniels comfortable operating under center, and whether Mannion's dropback-heavy approach actually unlocks the version of Hurts that made a Super Bowl run possible. Whichever team answers that question first probably wins the division race, and this Week 2 clash on Sunday, September 13 is an early data point.
