PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles open the 2026 season Sunday against the Washington Commanders understanding dealing with four names could decide the Week 1 NFC East rivalry matchup in Philadelphia’s favor: superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels and veteran receiver Stefon Diggs on the offensive side, and free agent edge rusher Odafe Oweh and rookie first-round pick Sonny Style on the defensive side.

Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field with the Eagles a substantial favorite that will kick off a year each club is hoping looks much different from 2025. 

Washington slumped to 5-12 after Daniels’ injury-riddled second season; while the Eagles are installing a new offensive scheme under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion.

Here is why those four Commanders matter most.

Jayden Daniels: The dual-threat elevator

Daniels enters Year 3 healthy after playing only seven games in 2025 because of a sprained knee, hamstring, and dislocated elbow. 

The former LSU star and 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year still possesses top-tier arm talent, great processing speed for a young QB and scrambling ability that carried Washington to the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles in his rookie campaign.

New coordinator David Blough, like Mannion, a rookie OC with little experience right off the playing field, is also emphasizing more under-center work and play-action after Daniels spent the bulk of his first two seasons in shotgun. 

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has praised Daniels’ command of the system and his ability to get the ball out quickly.

The Eagles’ priority is simple: keep him uncomfortable. Vic Fangio’s front, featuring Jalen Carter inside and an expanded edge rotation of Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Arnold Ebiketie and A.J. Epenesa (with Jonathan Greenard ramping up from a pectoral injury), must generate consistent pressure with a disciplined approach. 

Containment on the edges and the group rushing as one will matter more than raw sack totals. One missed assignment or mental error, and Daniels can turn a broken play into a bug play with his arm or legs.

Washington’s offensive line is already a question mark with left tackle Laremy Tunsil on injured reserve. That vulnerability is the Eagles’ best chance to disrupt Daniels before he settles in.

Stefon Diggs: The veteran complement

Diggs signed a one-year, $12 million deal with Washington in early August, a homecoming for the Gaithersburg, Maryland, native and former Maryland Terrapin. 

At 32, Diggs is no longer a pure deep threat, but he remains of of the game’s better route runners who creates separation with ease. 

In 2025 with the Patriots he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards while converting a high percentage of those receptions into first downs.

He gives Daniels a reliable target who can work the slot and intermediate areas while Terry McLaurin stretches the field. That pairing addresses a years-long weakness opposite McLaurin. Diggs’ presence also forces defenses to account for two proven commodities instead of rolling coverage to McLaurin.

At his advanced age Diggs now wins with timing and suddenness rather than raw speed. The Eagles cannot afford to let him work uncontested on third-and-manageable situations.

Odafe Oweh: The $100 million edge threat

Oweh signed a four-year, $100 million contract ($68 million guaranteed) in March after a midseason trade from the Ravens to the Chargers in 2025. 

The Penn State product finished the year with 7.5 regular-season sacks in 12 games for Los Angeles plus a three-sack, two-forced-fumble playoff outburst. His explosiveness off the edge and speed-to-power conversion are exactly what Washington wanted after years of an inconsistent pass rush.

Oweh has been limited this week with a calf injury but practiced and is expected to be available Sunday, though his snap count could be managed after missing time. 

Even in a reduced role Oweh is the one Commanders defender most capable of wrecking protection schemes. 

Sonny Styles: The rookie green-dot disruptor

The No. 7 overall pick in April’s draft, the versatile Styles is an athletic marvel who can serve as almost a positionless player in the back seven.

Quinn and new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones already trust Styles enough to share green-dot communication duties with veteran Frankie Luvu, an unusual assignment for a 21-year-old in Week 1.

Styles was drafted as a sideline-to-sideline player, a key aspect to try to take the edges away from the Eagles’ wide-zone rushing attack. He’s also a former safety who can stick with Saquon Barkley or Dallas Goedrt in coverage.

The final piece of the puzzle is blitzing, something Stles also projects to excel at. Preseason reviews were mixed, however, so there could be a leaning curve.

If Styles plays to his pedigree, Washington suddenly has a young three-down linebacker who can erase one of the Eagles’ simplest answers in Barkley.

Those four names are the ones most likely to decide whether Sunday looks like an Eagles’ statement or a scramble to the finish line.