Stefon Diggs hugs the goalpost and gets flagged for costly penalty in Commanders' loss to Eagles

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Stefon Diggs celebrated his first touchdown with Washington with a hug.

With a teammate? No, the Commanders would have loved that. Try a bear hug with the goalpost before he dropped flat on his back in the end zone.

Yeah, that’s a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the foolish play by the veteran receiver in the fourth quarter of a tight game cost the Commanders a shot at a tying 2-point conversion.

The Commanders would have gone for 2, but the 15-yard penalty on Diggs forced them to settle for the extra point that made it 17-16. On the road. Against the two-time defending NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Commanders failed on another 2-point attempt with 1:01 left. Failures in play-calling and sportsmanship doomed Washington in the Eagles’ 24-22 win on Sunday.

“Of course,” Diggs said, “I take full accountability.”

The Commanders are the latest team to take a chance on the talented but troubled Diggs, who's already on his fifth team in 12 NFL seasons.

His off-field issues aren't a concern in Washington yet.

His touchdown celebration choice was met with dismay inside the locker room by a team trying to bounce back from a disastrous five-win season.

“Just got to be smarter,” Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels said. “We've got to know situational football. That's on me for not reiterating that in the huddle.”

Daniels went 18 of 34 for 164 yards and threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. The big win for the third-year QB was ending the game healthy. He played in just seven games last season and dealt with injuries to his left knee, right hamstring and left elbow before being shut down in December.

The Commanders tumbled from the NFC title game in his rookie season — which they lost at Philadelphia — to last season's mess, which led to the hiring of a new offensive coordinator in David Blough.

Blough's first clutch call with the game on the line was a curious one.

Daniels threw a 1-yard TD pass to on third-and-goal to Antonio Williams with 1:01 left that made it 24-22. On the 2-point try, Blough called a shovel pass to tight end John Bates, who was wrapped up instantly by the Eagles’ Moro Ojomo.

“Two-point play, man, we just didn’t execute,” Daniels said. “It was the right call. Anything Blough calls, man, I’m with him. Regardless, however everybody else might want to view it, man, I’m with Blough 100 percent.”

Daniels seemingly offered more protection for the Commanders than the vaunted Hogs of the 1980s and ’90s. He not only defended Blough's 2-point call, but he also took the blame for Diggs' penalty. Daniels said it was job as leader to remind the team not to indulge in any dumb touchdown celebrations.

“I'm pretty sure at that point, we would have gone for 2,” Daniels said. “Knowing we had the potential to score on the play, just reiterating if we score, we go for 2.”

Diggs had four catches for 55 yards in his Washington debut.

A native of the Washington suburb of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Diggs signed with the Commanders in August after he spent last season with New England, finishing the season with 85 catches for 1,013 yards and helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.

New England released him in March, and the 32-year-old went unsigned in free agency while facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with a dispute with his former private chef. Diggs was found not guilty in May, and the NFL said in June that he wouldn’t face discipline after a review determined there was not enough evidence to punish him under its personal conduct policy.

There was nothing to review in Philadelphia. Everyone saw Diggs squeeze the goal post.

“I love his fight, I love what he stands for,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “As the competitor he is, he knows better than that in that spot. He knew that.”

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) jumps on the goal post as he celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) fails to catch a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) scores a touchdown past Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) and safety Marcus Epps (29) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) jumps on the goal post as he celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts can count on a few guarantees in each season opener.

For sure, a new offensive coordinator. Though as long as Hurts is connecting on passes and extending drives with game-saving scrambles, the play-caller in his ear rarely seems to matter.

Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and the Eagles' Moro Ojomo stuffed the Commanders' attempt at a tying 2-point conversion with 1:01 remaining as Philadelphia squeaked past Washington 24-22 on Sunday.

“It’s just about meeting the moment when your opportunity comes,” Hurts said.

Plenty of his teammates met the moment when it was their time to deliver.

Jayden Daniels threw a 1-yard TD pass to on third-and-goal to Antonio Williams with 1:01 left for the Commanders' second touchdown of the fourth quarter. On the 2-point try, Washington called a shovel pass to tight end John Bates, who was wrapped up instantly by Ojomo.

“I got off on the ball,” Ojomo said. “Took a shot. You kind of got to play it free.”

Here's another guarantee: The Eagles improved to 6-0 in season openers under coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts since 2021.

Hurts had his moments for the two-time reigning NFC East champions in Sean Mannion's debut as offensive coordinator. Mannion is Hurts’ fifth coordinator in the last five seasons and their partnership showed early promise for the former Super Bowl MVP.

Mannion's system also worked out well for tight end Dallas Goedert, who had four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

The early big play came late in the first quarter when Hurts had multiple targets open on a play-action and connected with Dontayvion Wicks for a 64-yard reception. Wicks, acquired in an April trade from Green Bay, had the longest reception of his career and gave the first signal that perhaps the Eagles will be just fine at wideout after trading disgruntled star A.J. Brown to New England.

Hurts finished the drive with a dart down the middle to Goedert for a 17-yard score and a 7-3 lead. If the Eagles had questions at wide receiver — and new No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith had only two targets in the first half, and just three catches overall — they are fine at tight end. Goedert, who had a career-high 11 TD catches last season, again proved himself a trusted target.

Hurts added a 9-yard TD pass to Wicks in the second quarter for a 14-3 lead as the Eagles ran a clean, crisp offense under Mannion. Saquon Barkley, who tailed off last season after rushing for more than 2,000 yards in 2024 when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, ripped off a 42-yard run to set up Wicks' TD.

Yet the offense largely cooled off behind a shaky line that gave Hurts little time to throw. Meanwhile, the defense — anchored by all-everywhere linebacker Zack Baun and his 12 tackles — rarely let Daniels break free long enough to sting the Eagles until the fourth.

Daniels — who went 18 of 34 for 164 yards — avoided a sack, spun and scrambled for a 13-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter. He had time in the pocket to hit a wide-open Williams for a 33-yard gain and then hit Stefon Diggs after the veteran receiver beat Cooper DeJean in the slot for a 10-yard touchdown.

Diggs, whose string of personal issues made him available even after he had 99 catches for 1,123 yards for the AFC champion New England Patriots, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he jumped and bear-hugged the goalpost before he landed on his back.

Coach Dan Quinn said the Commanders would have gone for 2, but the 15-yard penalty forced them to settle for the extra point that made it 17-16.

Hurts extended the next drive with a 22-yard scramble on third-and-18 and hit Goedert on the next drive for a 43-yard score and a 24-16 lead.

“I think one of the things that makes Jalen such a special quarterback is that he can do it through the air. He can do it running the show,” Sirianni said. “He can do it with his legs when he needs to make plays, and obviously, that was a big play, and you need those.”

Drew Stevens kicked a 55-yard field goal for the Commanders and Jacory Croskey-Merritt added a 1-yard run that cut the Eagles' lead to 14-9 at halftime. Jalen Carter blocked the extra point.

“The miscues I thought hurt us in this game and those were the margins right there, division games or otherwise,” Quinn said.

Jake Elliott’s 35-yard field with 44 seconds left in the third quarter stretched the lead to 17-9.

Commanders: LB Frankie Luvu suffered a groin injury. TE Chip Okonkow had a hamstring injury. S Tyler Owens injured an ankle.

Commanders: Keep it in the NFC East with a game next Sunday at Dallas.

Eagles: At Tennessee next Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) takes the field for an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo (97) celebrates with teammates after stopping the Washington Commanders on a two-pint conversion attempt during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) fails to catch a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looks to pass against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)