Both the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles enter Week 1 with unanswered questions; that said, certain personnel battles are already obvious. Washington will enter this game needing to protect quarterback Jayden Daniels and hoping to prevent Philadelphia from controlling the ground game. New offensive coordinator David Blough will also have to find ways for Washington's best receivers to win against one of the league’s better secondaries. To be clear, the Commanders do not have to dominate all three matchups, but getting their faces pushed in the mud in any of the three could create problems everywhere else.1. Washington’s Interior Offensive Line vs. Jalen CarterDec 22, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) during the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectFirst and foremost, priority number one has to be keeping Eagles DL Jalen Carter from living in the Commanders' backfield. If this feels like it's the best of Philly versus Washington's biggest question mark, then you've been paying attention the last few weeks. Washington enters this season with an offensive line that has been shuffled and restacked. After losing perennial All-Pro LT Laremy Tunsil to injury, the team literally had to shift from the inside out, with Brandon Coleman moving over from left guard to fill the void. To make this worse, center Nick Allegretti has been dealing with a calf issue that kept him out for much of camp.Now, after the shuffle, the three players on the interior that will be called on to battle Carter and Jordan Davis are Chris Paul, Allegretti, and Sam Cosmi, who has been chomping at the bit to prove the line is better than advertised. Carter can affect the flow of a game without getting any sacks, so the team has to be keyed on him before he gets the chance to push the pocket into Daniels or completely blow up a potential running play. Disruption is his game, and he's really good at it.It's ultra-important for Washington to have its protection plans ready and stick with them Sunday; Carter's early success could be a one-way ticket to Washington taking some of its deeper shots off the menu. Blough has several ways to help the line through the scheme, including play-action, which the team has discussed at length, but the truth is that interior protection will have to stand up and win individual reps.2. Washington’s Front Seven vs. Saquon Barkley and Jalen HurtsThere is no arguing that Washington's run defense was one of the unit's biggest issues last season, and the Eagles will certainly look to test whether that has changed. Just like against any other team in the league, Saquon Barkley creates multiple problems outside of just running the ball inside the tackles. His ability to turn missed tackles, another of Washington's weaknesses in 2025, into gains with his explosiveness has been something Washington has had issues dealing with for years, dating back to his time with the New York Giants.Washington defensive coordinator Daronte Jones believes stopping Barkley will be a collective responsibility. "Saquon is special. You know, I don't think it's a one-man job. It's a team effort," Jones said. "And even with that, I mean, his explosiveness, his playmaking ability, he's very dynamic, and they've done a great job of using him in that way and finding different spaces to get him touches. And so, you take your hat off to the organization for how they utilize their personnel over there."The Eagles have created the perfect back-and-forth routine: collapse on one player, and the other will kill you with the RPO action or quarterback keeper. If the defense overcommits to Barkley, it creates opportunities for Hurts and vice versa. Jones' comments on Hurts show he knows he cannot treat the quarterback as merely a runner. "Dynamic. You know, with Jalen, he has a knack for extending the play. He has his superpowers, and he's one of the best at throwing a nine-ball, the deep shot down the sideline, and that showed up last year even against the Vikings. And so a guy like that who's been around and he's grown, he's matured, and you can see how he's gotten better and better each year in his phase. And I think the way they're using him doesn't matter who the play caller over there has been; he still has had successful years, and that's because of the type of player and leader that he is for that organization. And so it's always a challenge going against a guy like that. And our guys are excited." Jones makes a huge point: Washington has to defend Hurts twice — first within the design of Philadelphia’s offense and again after the play starts breaking down.“He has his superpowers”- Commanders DC Daronte Jones says Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is dynamic and has 1 of the best deep balls in the NFLJones says new #Eagles OC Sean Mannion will have Hurts playing at high level based on their history together on the Vikings pic.twitter.com/efsTsNlOlW— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) September 10, 2026That makes winning on early downs even more important for Washington. If the Commanders allow Barkley to consistently put Philadelphia in manageable situations, the defense will spend the afternoon reacting instead of dictating. Add Hurts' ability to keep the ball, extend plays, and punish an overaggressive defense, and those second-and-short and third-and-short situations become even harder to survive. Washington doesn't have to shut down either player, but it cannot allow Barkley and Hurts to keep the Eagles ahead of the chains and in control of how the game is played.Saquon Barkley's Stats vs. WashingtonTeamVs WASRushYPCRush TDReceivingTotal YRDTotal TDsGiants9144-7945.5439-37011648Eagles376-4285.652-524805Career12220-1,2225.6941-4221644133. Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs vs. Philadelphia’s SecondaryWashington Commanders wide receivers Terry McLaurin (17) and Stefon Diggs (18) celebrate together during training camp practice in Ashburn, Virginia. | Kourtney Carroll/Washington CommandersIf Washington manages to keep Daniels upright, then somebody still has to get open. Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs will be asked to do that against an Eagles secondary that will make them work for everything they get. This is where Washington's two legitimate veteran options come into play, because Philadelphia cannot spend the entire afternoon leaning coverage toward one side without opening something up somewhere else.McLaurin has made a career out of finding ways to produce regardless of who is lined up across from him, while Diggs gives Daniels another receiver who knows how to create separation and work himself open. The Eagles will certainly win some of those battles; that's what good secondaries do. The problem for Philadelphia comes if Washington's two best receivers start winning enough of them that the defense has to change how it wants to play. Once that happens, things start opening up everywhere else.That's really what Washington needs from this matchup. It doesn't have to be a 150-yard day from McLaurin, or Diggs going crazy in his first game with Daniels. It needs enough wins outside to keep Philadelphia from loading up on everything else. If the Eagles can cover Washington's best two receivers without changing much of what they want to do, then Daniels and Blough could be in for a long afternoon.All three of these matchups feed into each other. Carter wrecking the middle makes it harder for Daniels to get the ball downfield, Barkley and Hurts controlling the ground game keep Washington's defense on its heels, and Philadelphia winning outside gives the Eagles even more freedom to come after the quarterback. Washington doesn't have to own all three areas for four quarters, but if it gets pushed around in more than one of them, it's going to make winning this game a whole lot harder than it already is.Sign up for our free newsletter and follow the Burgundy & Gold on Facebook and the Commanders on SI on X for the latest news. You can also subscribe to our Facebook Messenger News Channel, which is the fastest and easiest way to actually see our articles while on any Meta product.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow