The Washington Commanders opened Week 1 with a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Jayden Daniels admitted the offense needed time to settle in. Daniels looked rusty early against the Eagles, adding to a game filled with stalled drives and missed chances. According to NBC Sports’ JP Finlay, the quarterback pointed to one reason: he had not played a full football game in a long time.

“Yeah, I think so, it's been a long time since I played football. A long time since, you know, started a game, finished a game, start to finish. So, you know, I'm just blessed and happy to be here and, you know, continue to move on.”

That rust showed as Daniels finished 18-of-34 for 164 yards as Washington managed 295 total yards and only 4.4 yards per play. The offense mixed personnel groups and had Daniels huddle before most snaps, but the rhythm never arrived consistently.

“Stop shooting ourself in the foot,” Daniels said.

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Jayden Daniels, Commanders face pressure to clean things up

The struggles came after a 2025 season in which Daniels started and finished only four games. Washington then fired Kliff Kingsbury and promoted David Blough from assistant quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and play-caller. Week 1 offered the first look at that reset, and the results remained uneven.

The Commanders finally found life late in Week 1. Daniels connected with Williams for 33 yards early in the fourth quarter, then hit Stefon Diggs for a 10-yard touchdown that cut Philadelphia’s lead to 17-15. But Diggs drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hugging the goalpost after the score. The penalty pushed back the extra-point attempt and took away the chance for a two-point try.

The Commanders now travel to Dallas for a Week 2 matchup with the Cowboys. One game will not define this offense, but the margin for sloppy football already looks thin. Can Daniels and Washington find their rhythm before another NFC East fight?