The Washington Commanders lost a 24-22 heartbreaker against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday evening in Week 1 of the NFL season.
However, one of the stories of the game came on an astonishing special teams play made by Commanders safety Tyler Owens, who went undrafted in 2024 before signing with the organization.
With two Eagles pressed up against him on the outside while the punt coverage team was on the field, Owens, who serves as a gunner, didn’t try to outrun them from the outside. Instead, he went directly through both of them before making a massive tackle on the returner that went viral on social media.
Check it out:
Owens’ Play Catches Attention of J.J. Watt
While the play caught the attention of many, one person in particular who had a strong statement was former All-Pro pass rusher and CBS Sports color commentator J.J. Watt.
“Not just special teams. This is legitimately one of the greatest football plays I’ve ever seen,” Watt said. “It doesn’t get much better than that right there. Every coach in America will be showing this rep to their team this week.”
Not just special teams.
This is legitimately one of the greatest football plays I’ve ever seen.
It doesn’t get much better than that right there. Every coach in America will be showing this rep to their team this week. https://t.co/pqFh5ybuVe
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) September 14, 2026
Owens Gets Injured in Same Game
Unfortunately, while he arguably made the best play of the entire weekend, he also went down with an ankle injury in the loss against Philadelphia during kickoff coverage.
He exited the game early and carried a designation of questionable to return, but ultimately never came back in.
Owens’ status moving forward remains somewhat up in the air, as Commanders coach Dan Quinn spoke to the media on Monday but gave no real update on the severity of the injury. That likely means Wednesday will be the day to get much more information on whether he’ll miss time or if he’s simply day-to-day.
Commanders Player Catches J.J. Watt’s Attention With One of ‘Greatest Football Plays’