It was quite the battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, but the home team gave Philly a reason to leave the Linc happy with their 24-22 win.
The defense made the plays when they needed to for the Eagles, holding the Commanders to under 300 yards of total offense. While the Eagles' offense is still a work in progress, it produced explosive plays to secure the win.
Some clear winners and losers left the Eagles game, and they'll either have the fan base happy or leave a lot to be desired. Here's a look at who came out on top and who has work to do with 16 games left on the schedule.
Winners and losers from Eagles' Week 1 win over the Commanders
Winner: Dallas Goedert, TE
Goedert is truly making every Eagles fan forget about Eli Stowers with how good he was in this game. He led the charge in receiving with four receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns. It was a vintage performance from Goedert, who might be looking at another career season for the Eagles.
Loser: Cooper DeJean, CB
This was actually a very disappointing performance for DeJean, as he allowed too many completions from the slot position. Too often, he gave the Commanders' receivers too much comfort and allowed completions all over the field, including a touchdown. He did have eight tackles and one quarterback hit, so he is still a great talent, but he left a lot to be desired.
Winner: Riq Woolen, CB
All the worries and concerns about Woolen being too inconsistent with his play went out the window quickly, as he dominated in his Eagles debut. He was targeted four times, didn't allow a single completion, and only had one tackle. This is a guy who has helped the Eagles transform the cornerback position from just a great duo to a deadly trio.
Loser: Tank Bigsby, RB
Bigsby was involved in the Eagles' return game, but again, he had the same problem as last year: he was being left off the field on offense too often. He had just one carry for three yards, while third-string running back Will Shipley had two carries for four yards. Bigsby was too good a talent not to be on the field more often.
Winner: Saquon Barkley, RB
That was the Barkley Eagles fans saw during the 2024 season, as he looked explosive and consistent with his carries. He finished with 15 carries for 83 yards in the victory. More touches would be nice for Barkley because he was more efficient than the passing game.
Loser: Makai Lemon, WR
His preseason debut didn't go well either, and it turned out even worse. In Lemon's rookie debut in the regular season, he had three catches for -5 yards and not much to show the fan base. The Eagles have to find different ways to get him the ball because these screen passes won't work all season.
Winner: Dontayvion Wicks, WR
This was quite the debut for Wicks, as he made a lot of Packers fans miss him very much. He made the biggest play of the game, as he caught a 69-yard completion and finished the contest with two receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. If there were any concerns about him being WR2, there shouldn't be after that performance. He's the guy.
Winner: Zack Baun, LB
Baun played like the Pro Bowl talent he is, flying all over the field and making so many clutch plays. He finished with 12 tackles, two pass deflections, and one tackle for loss. At this rate, he might land on the same stats he did back in 2024 when he was selected as an All-Pro and looked that good.
Read more: Jalen Hurts' performance in Eagles' Week 1 win shows what he always needed to do
Winner: Jalen Hurts, QB
Sure, it wasn't a perfect game from Hurts, but he did what he always does: win games. This time, though, he was a big reason for the win because he actually ran the ball well. He finished completing 14-of-25 for 203 yards and three touchdowns, adding 46 rushing yards on seven carries in the win. Eagles fans hope they'll see this Hurts more often.
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