The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders squared off in the NFC Championship game just two years ago. However, last season, the two teams went in opposite directions. The Eagles went on to claim a second straight NFC East title while the Commanders were decimated with injuries and dragged their way to the finish line with a 5-12 record.
This season, both teams enter with playoff aspirations, new coordinators and new additions to their respective rosters. It marks the first time since 2020 the division rivals clash against one another in a season opener, when the visitors were known as “The Washington Football Team”. It marked the last time Philadelphia lost a season opening contest as Nick Sirianni puts his perfect 5-0 record on the line on Sunday.
Here are five matchups to keep an eye on that could dictate who wins the game:
A battle of first-year coordinators certainly provides intrigue and some unknowns.
Mannion is in his first year calling plays for the Eagles on offense and although many have an idea of what this Philadelphia offense could look like, it won’t be apparent until the offense actually takes the field and plays. Will we see more under center for Jalen Hurts? More play action passes? Running backs involved in the passing game? It all is somewhat of a mystery considering the Eagles never had their starters play a series in the preseason and were quite vanilla in terms of play calling during the preseason games.
Meanwhile, Jones was hired in the offseason to revamp one of the league’s worst defenses from a season ago. He has never served as a defensive coordinator in the NFL but did so for one season at LSU back in 2021. However, Jones has coached alongside some brilliant defensive minds including Brian Flores for the previous four seasons. Flores is considered to be one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL.
One of the main focuses for Jones is creating turnovers, something Washington struggled mightily with last season forcing just 10, only more than the New York Jets who finished with four.
It should be a fun chess match to watch unfold and see if either first-year coordinator takes some gambles to help give their team an edge.
We have seen this matchup a few times over the last two seasons with the Eagles All-Pro cornerback getting the best of Washington’s top wideout more times than not.
In the 2024 NFC Championship game, Mitchell lined up against McLaurin on 36 of 48 routes (75%) while being in press coverage on half of those matchups, according to Next Gen Stats. Mitchell allowed just one catch for seven yards on four targets against McLaurin including a fourth quarter interception.
Earlier that season, Mitchell did not allow a single target in the Week 11 battle in 20 matchups.
Overall, Mitchell has allowed just three catches to McLaurin for 49 yards and a touchdown. Another chapter in this battle will take place on Sunday.
If Mitchell can clamp down on McLaurin, who had his streak of five straight seasons of 1,000-yards receiving snapped last year, the Eagles will be in a good position.
Not only did Washington hire Jones to be the new defensive coordinator, the Commanders spent a good amount of money on new additions on that side of the football to put themselves in a better position in 2026.
They spent nearly $171 million dollars on notable pass rushers in Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive backs Amik Robertson, former Eagle Rasul Douglas and Nick Cross.
It is a much different looking group Jalen Hurts will go against compared to last season. Dealing with a changing offensive philosophy himself, it will be another challenge for the quarterback to dissect and read what this new-look Commanders defense will throw at him and the offensive line who looks to create havoc to generate takeaway opportunities to flip the game.
This matchup perhaps will be the major determining factor on who wins this game. The Eagles have a daunting front line on defense spearheaded by the two-headed monster that is Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
Davis and Carter both graded out very well last season while Moro Ojomo finished with six sacks and finished with a pressure rate just a tick over 12%. Jalyx Hunt looks to build off of a strong season from a year ago and Jonathan Greenard was seen practicing in some capacity on Tuesday.
That all spells trouble for a Washington offensive line that was described as “inoperable”.
The starting five up front for Washington is disarray with All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil out with a torn triceps. Brandon Coleman is slated to take over at left tackle and is a massive downgrade. Coleman started in three games in place of Tunsil last season and started in 12 in Nick Allegretti was moved to center full-time after starting out as a guard who was fighting to earn playing time as a starter while Chris Paul, who was expected to be the backup to Coleman, is now thrusted into a starting role at left guard due to the musical chairs being played with the Tunsil injury. Right guard Sam Cosmi is the best of the group while right tackle Josh Conerly looks to bounce back after a tough rookie season where he allowed eight sacks and 43 pressures.
