What does an NFL head coach look for in the first game?
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was asked Friday what he was looking for in Sunday’s season opener in Philadelphia. Of course, Quinn would like to win the road game against the Eagles, but what would he view as a successful game against the two-time defending NFC East champs?
The first America’s Game of the Week of the season heads to Philadelphia as the @Eagles host the @Commanders at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX! 📺@ErinAndrews | @TomBrady | @kevinburkhardt pic.twitter.com/ucTbpR1XWq
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It’s no secret that the Eagles dominated Washington in both games played in Philadelphia during the 2024 season, the second game there being the NFC Championship Game, when the Eagles rolled the Commanders
55-23. Last season, the Eagles won the first meeting 28-19, before resting most starters in the season finale for their playoff game. Washington won that game 24-17.
“Week 1, you want to play with good style,” expressed Quinn. “I think that’s important. You want to make sure that you’re playing with good discipline. That comes in the form of the turnover margin; that comes in the form of penalties, where you’re playing as clean as you can.”
Last season, the Commanders were penalized one more time than their opponents, 117-116. The Commanders also produced the second-fewest interceptions in 2025, with only eight.
“Those are the things I think in early season that can be the margin. Both sides will have new wrinkles and new looks. That’s part of it. Both sides have some new play callers. So, there’ll be new looks that they haven’t practiced here. So, having the discipline within the system to play it out and fight through the adversity when those come up. We know those happen. So, I think those are some of the key points.”
Washington’s new coordinators are David Blough (offense) and Daronte Jones (defense), while the Eagles have new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and have retained veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: What would a successful Week 1 be for the Washington Commanders?
