The Washington Commanders opened their season on the road on Sunday. They faced the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it was a tough game to watch at times. The Eagles played as well as everyone expected, while the Commanders met expectations by struggling with some of their offseason changes.
There were moments of brilliance, though. Glimmers of what is possible if this team can put everything together. But there were also moments of hair-pulling and face palms. Even though they lost, given all of the scrutiny and questions around this team during the offseason, a 24-22 loss wasn’t the worst way to start the season.
One of the bright spots in Sunday’s loss was the play of rookie wide receiver
Antonio Williams, which is why we’ve named him the Week 1 Player of the Game.
In his rookie debut, Williams recorded four receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came with one minute left on the clock in the fourth quarter and set up an opportunity to tie the game at 24. Unfortunately, the Commanders couldn’t capitalize on the two-point conversion and failed to recover the ball on the ensuing onside kick attempt.
Jayden Daniels to the rookie, Antonio Williams, for a TD ‼️
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
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On a team with two very solid veteran receivers, Williams led the group. Whether it’s because the Eagles were focused on the other two receivers or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that Williams made the most of his opportunities, and he let the league know that he’s just as big of a threat as Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders vs. Eagles Week 1 Player of the Game: WR Antonio Williams
