Jalen Hurts completed 19 of 23 passes and scrambled for two touchdowns, and the host Philadelphia Eagles ended an eventful opening night by putting away the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 on Thursday.
The Eagles raised their Super Bowl LIX banner before the game, then felt the mood sour when star defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott after the opening kickoff.
The first eight possessions of the game resulted in points — and after a 65-minute lightning delay interrupted the third quarter, neither team could score again.
Hurts accounted for 214 yards (152 passing, 62 rushing) and Saquon Barkley rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles (1-0), who overcame self-inflicted mistakes along with a revamped Dallas defensive front that no longer stars Micah Parsons.
The Dallas offense and Philadelphia defense were on the field, waiting for injured Eagles special teamer Ben VanSumeren to be tended to, when Carter and Prescott began exchanging words. Carter spat on Prescott and was caught by an official just a few steps away, who disqualified him for unsportsmanlike conduct.
It was the first of many undisciplined moments for the Eagles, who committed nine penalties for 110 yards.
Javonte Williams ran for 54 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdowns in his first game for the Cowboys (0-1), while Prescott was 21-for-34 passing for 188 yards. CeeDee Lamb led all receivers with seven catches and 110 yards.
Jake Elliott nailed a 58-yard field goal to make it 24-20 Eagles 6:30 into the second half. The Cowboys drove into the red zone and got a free set of downs when Reed Blankenship committed unnecessary roughness in the end zone on a third-down incompletion.
However, Miles Sanders fumbled on the next play, Quinyon Mitchell recovered for the Eagles and the lightning delay immediately followed.
Both offenses seemed to be out of juice by the game’s 11:30 p.m. resumption. The next five possessions ended in punts, and Dallas received the ball with three minutes to go. But after Dallas reached its 38-yard line, Lamb dropped passes on second and fourth downs.
Hurts didn’t target star receiver A.J. Brown until after that turnover on downs, inside the two-minute warning. Brown made a key 8-yard catch and Hurts scrambled for a first down to ice the game.
The Cowboys capitalized on Carter’s spit by rolling down the field in six plays, with Williams scoring his first touchdown of the night. But the Eagles responded with a 10-play drive capped by Hurts’ 4-yard TD scramble.
Williams punched in his next touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, completing an 88-yard Dallas drive, and again the Eagles matched them with Hurts’ 8-yard scoring run.
Philadelphia held Dallas to a 41-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey, and the Eagles ran a near-perfect two-minute drill and Barkley powered into the end zone from 10 yards. The extra point made it 21-17, but with 51 seconds left in the half, Dallas quickly drove into field goal range and Aubrey connected from 53 yards as time expired.
Eagles guard Landon Dickerson aggravated a back injury and left the game in the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
