Well, that was a gut-punch to start the season. Washington went into Philadelphia missing its best offensive lineman and fought all the way to the final play before falling 24-22. This one is going to sting for a few days, but there's real stuff to like buried in the loss. How it went Drew Stevens opened his career the right way, drilling a 55-yard field goal on the opening drive to make it 3-0. That's a legit statement kick for a guy who beat out a veteran for the job a month ago. The defense held that lead into the second quarter before Jalen Hurts found Dontayvion Wicks on a corner route that beat Mike Sainristil, and the Eagles were off to the races, 14-3. Jacory Croskey-Merritt kept Washington in it, capping a 12-play drive with a touchdown run, though a blocked extra point left it at 14-9. Philadelphia added a field goal in the third to push it to 17-9, and Washington missed a chance to answer when Stevens hooked a 54-yarder wide right. Then the fourth quarter got interesting. Stefon Diggs caught his first touchdown as a Commander, a 10-yarder from Daniels, to cut it to 17-16. Philadelphia answered immediately with a big Dallas Goedert catch-and-run to go back up 24-16, and it looked like it might get away from Washington. But Daniels led one more drive, a five-minute, 12-play march that ended with rookie Antonio Williams hauling in a 1-yard touchdown with 1:01 left, making it 24-22. Washington went for two instead of kicking to tie. The call was a shovel pass to John Bates, and Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo blew it up short of the goal line. Washington tried an onside kick as a last resort, but Philadelphia's DeVonta Smith recovered it, and Hurts took a knee to close it out. What it means Daniels finished 18-of-34 for 164 yards and two touchdowns, plus 31 yards on the ground. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was his first regular-season action in 11 months, and he made the throws that mattered when it counted. Croskey-Merritt looked like the real deal early, and Diggs looked every bit worth the signing, hauling in four catches for 55 yards and his first score in burgundy and gold. That was the 75th receiving touchdown of his career. The frustrating part is how much of this game was lost before it even kicked off. Washington played without left tackle Laremy Tunsil (torn triceps, likely out a big chunk of the season), top corner Trey Amos (ankle, out at least four games), and defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton (torn pec). Losing Tunsil in particular forced Brandon Coleman out to left tackle and Chris Paul into the starting lineup at guard, which is not exactly the offensive line Washington drew up this offseason. Given all of that, a two-point loss on the road to a defending division champ isn't nothing. Frankie Luvu got the Commanders' lone sack, and the defense played fast and aggressive early before the injuries in the secondary started to show. It's one game, and a close one at that, but this team is clearly going to need some answers up front before Dallas comes to town in Week 2.