The Washington Commanders lost 24-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, and somehow that scoreline tells a story of optimism.

Jayden Daniels, Sonny Styles, rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams and a ferocious defensive line all made statements in Philadelphia. This was a narrative reset game for Washington, a team projected by some to finish 31st out of 32 NFL teams. Those projections look incorrect after what happened on Sunday.

Were the Commanders great? Not particularly. Was it an inspired effort? Absolutely. Washington played with more juice, more energy and more effort than anything from last season. The gap between these two teams looked massive on paper, and the Commanders showed out, tried to bully the bullies, and at times they did exactly that.

Jayden Daniels found his rhythm when it mattered most

Daniels was flushed from the pocket far too often, rolling right and throwing balls out of bounds play after play. A lot of that falls on center Nick Allegretti, who was awful in pass protection.

But Daniels found his zone in the fourth quarter. That special Jayden Daniels zone where you just know he has control of the game. He made big-time throws in crucial moments. He took one sack all day, and while there were plenty of opportunities for more, his escapability kept Washington alive.

The offensive line numbers looked fine on paper (100-plus rushing yards, one sack allowed), but the film will tell a different story. Daniels was running for his life and at times made a hero play. Sometimes he just had to make a business decision. That is a quarterback who shouldn’t be forced into so many business decisions.

Sonny Styles & Joshua Josephs announced themselves

Sonny Styles is a dude. His third-quarter sack was incredible. He ran right through Saquon Barkley, one of the strongest running backs in the NFL, and brought down Jalen Hurts, a hard-to-sack quarterback.

On the outside of that play, Joshua Josephs had a great rush on Lane Johnson and threw one of the best right tackles of all time on his backside.

I have not received more text messages about a Commanders rookie since Daniels’ debut. Styles’ final line tells the story: four tackles (three solo), 1.0 sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit. He covered well & was sideline to sideline all game. That was his first professional game in the NFL. His first!

The entire defensive line deserves recognition. Tim Settle, Javon Kinlaw, Daron Payne & K’Lavon Chaisson all showed up. Chaisson didn’t record a tackle but delivered two hard quarterback hits that shook Hurts up early. Charles Omenihu contributed too. I thought this defensive line was going to get rolled. They didn’t. Philly had to earn this one.

The rookie show & the Diggs disaster

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was the engine on offense, rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown. His ability to push the run game forward when it looked stalled was valuable. Antonio Williams was phenomenal: 4 catches, 64 yards and a touchdown on 4 targets, with a long of 33. That’s how you come into the scene against a Philadelphia defense that was blanketing Washington all day.

And then there’s Stefon Diggs. He caught the game-tying touchdown, then hoisted himself onto the goalpost to celebrate and drew a 15-yard penalty that took the Commanders out of position for a potential game-tying 2-point conversion. A penalty which is beneath him for the amount of time he’s spent in the league. That penalty may have cost Washington the game.

Speaking of two-point conversions, the shovel pass to tight end Jon Bates was wretched. Bates is a blocking tight end. Much better options included Terry McLaurin on a dig route, a Daniels rollout, and plenty of other alternatives.

That play call cannot happen again.

Dallas Goedert & the eternal Washington curse

Is anybody on the Commanders ever going to say, in a meeting, “let’s cover Dallas Goedert?”

Washington has had five defensive coordinators since Goedert was drafted in 2018, and not one of them have figured out how to stop him. When Philadelphia comes to Washington after the bye, it better be DeVonta Smith or Barkley that beats this team. It cannot under any circumstances be Goedert again.

Cornerback Mike Sainristil had a rough day and needs to get stickier with better on-field awareness. He cannot carry that level of performance into matchups against George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb in Week 2, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Week 3.

This team plays more like Tyler Owens & less like Stefon Diggs, and they’re a playoff contender

Tyler Owens made one of the best individual hustle plays on special teams in punt coverage that I’ve ever seen at any level. That is the effort this team needs. Drew Stevens drilled a 55-yarder on his first career kick but missed a 54-yarder, and Philly blocked a PAT because that’s what Philly does. They crush you with body blows & annoying extra-effort plays.

If this team plays a little bit more like Tyler Owens and a little bit less like Stefon Diggs, you’re looking at a possible playoff contender. I wholeheartedly believe it. Dallas is next, and I’m as optimistic going into that game as I could be after watching Daniels, Styles & this defense show out in Week 1.