Pass protection and chunk plays hurt the Commanders, who still came close to an upset in Philly

WASHINGTON (AP) — As expected, Jayden Daniels had to spend a lot of time in the season opener navigating a pass rush that Washington struggled to block.

Even so, the Commanders had a real shot to pull off an upset in Philadelphia.

A missed 2-point conversion with 1:01 remaining sent Washington to a 24-22 loss on Sunday, and while the Commanders made enough mistakes to deserve their fate, the performances of Daniels and the defense offered some hope. After a preseason full of angst over the offensive line, Washington was competitive — even if a lot of those issues remain.

“I really loved our fight. I like that competitive nature,” coach Dan Quinn said. “The miscues I thought hurt us in this game — and those were the margins right there, division games or otherwise.”

The Commanders were able to turn the game into a bit of a slog, with neither team looking consistently good on offense. Washington actually had a 20-10 advantage in first downs, but the chunk plays went Philadelphia's way. There was a 64-yard pass to Dontayvion Wicks, then a touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert on third-and-goal from the 17.

Saquon Barkley broke free for a 42-yard run. Jalen Hurts scrambled for 22 yards on third-and-18, and he threw a 43-yard TD strike to Goedert that made it 24-16.

“Yeah, everything that was explosive, I’d love to see off our tape. One, as I’m going backwards, it looked like it was a false start. We stopped, they finished, and you just have to finish it out no matter what," Quinn said. "A scramble for another long one and a third-down long. Those ones are just tough. There were plenty of third downs that I liked. I just want to make sure we continue to do that over and over and over again and we’re capable of that, but those are the ones, man, let’s nail those.”

Although there were a few breakdowns, Washington's defense looked much improved, forcing Philadelphia into a feast-or-famine performance. Hurts was sacked three times — with first-round draft pick Sonny Styles getting one in his debut and free agent acquisition Odafe Oweh contributing another. Barkley had his big run but was held to 41 yards on his other 14 carries and was a nonfactor as a pass catcher.

There was major concern about Washington's offensive line after an injury to tackle Laremy Tunsil. Nick Allegretti — who dealt with a calf problem — was able to start at center, but that didn't prevent Daniels from coming under plenty of pressure.

The third-year quarterback did a decent job avoiding the rush, taking only one sack, but it was clear throughout that Daniels wouldn't have much time to set up in the pocket — and that made deep shots almost a nonstarter. The Commanders lacked any real offensive rhythm until the fourth quarter.

While postgame reaction focused on Terry McLaurin's lack of involvement (two catches for 14 yards), rookie Antonio Williams had a nice debut. He caught four passes for 64 yards and was able to control a low pass from Daniels for the 1-yard touchdown that pulled Washington within two at the end.

“I am super happy for him and the work that he put in,” Daniels said. “In the biggest moments, guys make plays like that. He showed us all the work that he put in and the type of player that he is and how they scouted him throughout the draft. Super excited to continue to build him for the future.”

It was a rough first half for defensive back Mike Sainristil, who lost Wicks on the 64-yard reception, then was beaten again by Wicks for a 9-yard touchdown.

Linebacker Frankie Luvu had a groin injury, and tight end Chig Okonkwo hurt a hamstring. Both are key players, so Washington won't want to be without them for long.

The Commanders had only one play of over 20 yards. The Eagles had five.

Washington has another divisional game on the road this week, facing Dallas on Sunday. And the schedule doesn't get any easier after that, with Seattle coming to town the following weekend.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Washington Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams (14) is stopped by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs from Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles (52) during the second half of an NFL football game, 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)

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil (0) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) scramble past Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Keyshawn James-Newby (50) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former CIA Director John Brennan has been subpoenaed to testify before a Florida grand jury in a Justice Department investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump, and is the target of a separate inquiry into whether he made false statements before Congress, one of his lawyers said Monday.

Ken Wainstein, an attorney for Brennan, disclosed the existence of the subpoena as he argued for a court order requiring the Justice Department to preserve all records from the investigations. He said those documents would be a “fertile source” of information about the government's determination to indict Brennan, an outspoken Trump critic, and would be needed for the defense to challenge any potential prosecution of the ex-CIA chief as unconstitutionally vindictive and selective.

“The realty is there's no precedent for this situation,” Wainstein said in acknowledging the extraordinarily unusual nature of his preservation request. “I've spent decades in and around the Justice Department. I've never even conceived of a situation like this” in which the Justice Department is “blatantly trying to frame somebody for a crime that is complete fiction.”

In pressing his case to U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, he cited what he said was “judge-shopping” by the Justice Department, directives by Trump to pursue perceived adversaries like Brennan and the replacement or resignations of prosecutors said to have raised internal doubts or concerns.

“There's a lot of really underhanded stuff going on" in these investigations, Wainstein said.

The subpoena was presented last Thursday and requires Brennan to appear Oct. 15 before a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida. That's the home court of a Trump-appointed judge named Aileen Cannon, who in 2024 dismissed a Justice Department prosecution charging Trump with illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Wainstein said he was told that the subpoena relates to a “far-reaching” criminal probe examining a loosely defined theory that the government officials who have investigated Trump over the last decade, including over Russia election interference in 2016 and his more recent retention of top-secret records at Mar-a-Lago, conspired to deprive Trump of his civil rights. The subpoena to Brennan is among a flurry that have been recently issued.

Wainstein said he was informed by a prosecutor that Brennan remains a target in an investigation into whether he lied to Congress about the creation of a U.S. intelligence community assessment detailing Russian interference on Trump's behalf in the 2016 election. Brennan and his lawyers have called that allegation false. Subpoenas demanding testimony before a grand jury in the false statements probe were issued last spring, then abruptly withdrawn in favor of voluntary interviews.

He said that while he could not easily explain what crime the Justice Department could credibly accuse Brennan of committing, it was hardly a speculative or premature concern to believe his client was at substantial risk of being indicted given the Trump administration's efforts to target him.

“The message is very clear to the personnel at DOJ about what needs to happen,” he said.

The subpoena was delivered on the same day that Joe diGenova, the prosecutor who had been leading what is casually known as the “grand conspiracy” investigation, abruptly resigned amid what a person familiar with the matter has described as frustration from the Justice Department and White House over the pace and management of the probe.

In an interview with The New York Post, diGenova responded to criticism of his management of the investigation by saying, “If you want indictments where there’s no evidence, you have an ethical problem.”

When reached by The Associated Press, diGenova said the comments were taken out of context, adding: “There’s plenty of evidence in all of these cases to prove the theories of prosecution. It just takes time to get there, and some people want to get there a little faster than others — and you can’t do that.”

The Justice Department has not publicly announced a replacement for diGenova. The member of the investigative team with whom Wainstein spoke was Kurt Olsen, a lawyer who unsuccessfully pushed the Justice Department in 2020 to back Trump's false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.

Brennan's defense team said among the communications they were seeking, and would use in mounting a vindictive prosecution argument, are any messages showing Trump or White House officials directing the Justice Department to pursue their client. They said the preservation order they sought was especially necessary because of what they described as the Trump administration's pattern of failing to preserve records.

The Justice Department called the request premature and speculative and said Brennan had no right to demand the preservation since he was not a criminal defendant and it was not clear that he would ever be charged.

Cobb, a federal judge in Washington, did not immediately rule on Brennan's request.

FILE - Former CIA Director John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 23, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation Task Force. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)