Commanders vs. Eagles prediction: NFL Week 1 picks, odds, best bets
There’s a lot of gray area with the Eagles ahead of this season. One year ago, the bar was a Super Bowl repeat.After finishing the regular season 3-4 and a 23-19 wild-card loss to the depleted 49ers, the expectations remain high, but uncertain. Although Jalen Hurts collected 3,224 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, he also posted his lowest QBR (55.2) since 2021.
A.J.Brown is now gone, and Saquon Barkley is another year older. Jayden Daniels’ sophomore slump resulted in a horrific 5-12 finish following a triumphant run to the NFC Championship two years ago.
Granted, he endured a slew of injuries that limited him to seven starts. Washington was the oldest team in the NFL last year.The front office focused on adding more youth, speed and depth to the fold for 2026, but expectations still reside somewhere in between the extremes of their last two campaigns.The Eagles are 5.5-point favorites over Washington at home in Week 1, while the point total has dropped three points to 44.5. That’s because Laremy Tunsil is sidelined and the Commanders’ offensive line looks just dreadful, ranking dead last via Pro Football Focus.Daniels will have to get creative as looks downfield could be scarce, but David Blough’s new offense is designed to implement more play-action passing and motion. Back at full health against a team he took for 258 yards and five touchdowns in his last meeting against them, Daniels draws an interesting upside. Philadelphia’s offense revolves around the run.
No player has commanded Washington quite like Barkley, eating 5.56 yards per carry and tallying 13 scores in 12 career games. Barkley regressed as expected after coming within 100 yards of the all-time record in 2024.Fortunately, the Eagles return several key offensive line pieces, including Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens, to provide lanes. Catch up on The Post’s NFL betting previews and predictions for the 2026 seasonNew offensive coordinator Sean Mannion features a...