The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 24-22 on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Washington lost the points it needed on conversions, not drives: a blocked extra point in the second quarter and a failed two-point pass with 1:01 left.

Washington did almost everything else right. It went 3 for 3 in the red zone, committed 0 turnovers and held the ball for 33:20. It played a clean game, and the missing conversions are why it still lost.

The Eagles won on efficiency instead of volume. They managed just 10 first downs, half of Washington's total. But they averaged 6 yards per play while Washington stayed under 5, and that gap turned fewer snaps into more points.

How It Happened

Drew Stevens opened the scoring with a 55-yard field goal at 11:23 of the first quarter. That was Washington's only first-quarter answer, and it held up as the lead into the second.

Philadelphia took over in the second quarter. Jalen Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for a 17-yard touchdown at 14:11, then found Dontayvion Wicks from 9 yards out at 6:27. Washington responded with a Jacory Croskey-Merritt 1-yard run at 1:50, but the extra point was blocked, and the Eagles carried the lead into halftime.

The third quarter belonged to the defenses until Jake Elliott hit a 35-yard field goal with 44 seconds left in the period. It looked like a small cushion at the time. It decided the game.

Jayden Daniels found Stefon Diggs for a 10-yard touchdown at 9:59 of the fourth, and the Stevens kick pulled Washington within a point. Philadelphia answered in under 4 minutes when Hurts hit Goedert again, this time from 43 yards. Daniels threw a 1-yard touchdown to Antonio Williams with 1:01 left, but the two-point pass that would have tied it failed.

Key Performers

Jalen Hurts: TD passes to Dallas Goedert (17 YDS, 43 YDS) and Dontayvion Wicks (9 YDS)
Dallas Goedert: 2 TD receptions, including the 43-yard score in the fourth quarter
Jayden Daniels: TD passes to Stefon Diggs (10 YDS) and Antonio Williams (1 YDS)
Eagles passing: 14-25, 182 YDS, 3-0 (TD-INT)
Commanders passing: 18-34, 163 YDS, 2-0 (TD-INT)
Eagles rushing: 25 ATT, 136 YDS
Commanders rushing: 32 ATT, 132 YDS

Hurts accounted for all 3 Philadelphia touchdowns through the air, 2 of them to Goedert. The 43-yarder is the clearest example of the efficiency edge: one throw restored the margin Washington had just cut to a point.

Philadelphia got more out of each throw than Washington did. The Commanders averaged under 5 yards per pass, behind the Eagles' rate, which left them needing more snaps for less total yardage than Philadelphia.

What It Means

Philadelphia opens 1-0 and protected home field in Week 1. The win came despite 3 sacks allowed for 21 yards and a third-down rate of just 6 of 14, so the Eagles have room to clean things up.

Washington falls to 0-1 with a road loss that stings for how close it came. The Commanders ran the ball 32 times for 132 yards and were perfect on fourth down, going 2 for 2. Those are the habits of a team that controls games.

The fix is narrow. Washington scored on every red-zone trip and did not turn the ball over. Finish the conversions and this is a different result.