Where does Commanders' game vs Eagles rank among all NFL Week 1 games?

[ASFN Admin]

The Washington Commanders have one of the NFL's more difficult schedules, at least in the first half of the season. Washington is the only NFL team to open the season with two road games against divisional foes.

The Commanders open the 2026 season in Philadelphia, where they'll face the two-time defending NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 2, Washington heads south for a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

In Week 3, the Commanders are finally at home, but the opponent is the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

If this were one year ago, a Washington-Philadelphia Week 1 matchup would've been, perhaps, the most-anticipated game of opening weekend, considering the longtime NFC East rivals met three times, including in the NFC Championship. However, after going 5-12 last season, there isn't the same level of excitement.


CBS Sports recently ranked all 16 Week 1 games. The Commanders and the Eagles made the top 10, coming in at No. 9, one spot ahead of the other NFC East showdown: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants.

It is hard to know what to make of the Washington Commanders heading into 2026. Conventional wisdom suggests that a healthy Jayden Daniels should be enough to turn this squad back into a playoff team á la 2024, but a lot went wrong last season that not even a full-strength Daniels would have been able to mask. Going on the road and starting the year with a divisional win could be the start of a rebound campaign, but the Philadelphia Eagles will be the favorite with or without A.J. Brown. The rest of their offense is plenty strong enough to overcome the looming trade of its star receiver, outscore the Commanders and take a first step toward repeating as NFC East champions.

The Commanders are a team of mystery heading into 2026. Washington has a first-time offensive coordinator (David Blough) and a first-time defensive coordinator (Daronte Jones). The Commanders have also turned over a significant portion of the roster. And while other NFL teams may have an idea of the schemes Washington will run, playing a divisional rival in Week 1 could be advantageous for the Commanders.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Is Week 1 game vs. Eagles one of best openers?

Continue reading...