The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 within the 2025-26 NFL common season opener. Philly was in a position to outlast Dallas after the sport was paused for over an hour due to a lightning storm.
Penalties additionally performed an enormous function on this contest. There have been six infractions known as within the first quarter alone, leading to 76 penalty yards. General, these groups mixed for 152 yards of penalties.
Regardless of all of the flags that have been thrown, this sport began with 4 straight landing drives. Philly and Dallas put up nearly 400 mixed yards within the first half. Nonetheless, the offensive fireworks slowed considerably as a consequence of a lightning storm delay within the third quarter, which paused the sport for about an hour and 5 minutes.
One of many greatest moments of the night time got here earlier than both staff ran an offensive play. After the opening kickoff, Eagles star defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected from the sport for apparently spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was seen spitting in Carter’s course instantly earlier than the incident passed off. His absence clearly impacted Philly’s capability to cease Dallas’ offense, which marched down the sector in a bit over three minutes to attain a landing and take a 7-0 lead on the primary possession of the night. With that rating, the Cowboys matched their opening drive landing complete for the whole lot of the 2024-25 season.
The Eagles didn’t waver within the face of early adversity, although. Philly put collectively a dominant ten-play, 65-yard drive that was topped off with a four-yard landing scramble by quarterback and Tremendous Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts to tie issues up 7-7.
The Cowboys answered again with their very own landing, thanks partly to a 34-yard defensive go interference penalty on the Eagles. Two performs later, Dallas operating again Javonte Williams pounded his approach into the top zone for a one-yard landing run to reclaim the lead, placing the Cowboys forward 14-7. Williams completed the night with 54 dashing yards and two touchdowns in his Dallas Cowboys regular-season debut.
In the meantime, Philly operating again Saquon Barkley picked up proper the place he left off final season, when he ran for two,005 yards, the eighth-most dashing yards ever in a single season. Tonight, he had 60 dashing yards, 24 receiving yards, and a landing on the bottom.
Jalen Hurts was a one-man present within the first half. He opened the sport by going six for six passing with 31 yards, 43 dashing yards, and two dashing touchdowns on Philly’s first two offensive possessions. His second TD tied the sport up 14-14 within the second quarter.
Following a 41-yard Cowboys area objective, Philly responded with a 51-yard reception by large receiver Jahan Dotson. That finally led to a ten-yard dashing landing from Saquon Barkley, giving the Eagles their first lead of the night time, 21-17. Nonetheless, Dallas would get off one other area objective in lower than a minute, bringing the rating to 21-20 at halftime.
The offensive explosion continued into the second half with a 58-yard area objective from Jake Elliott to increase Philly’s result in 24-20. This was a noteworthy achievement for Elliott since he solely made two of his 9 makes an attempt final season from 50+ yards.
The sport’s solely turnover didn’t come till late within the third quarter. Eagles first-round draft decide Jihaad Campbell stripped Dallas operating again Miles Sanders of the soccer. That fumble was scooped up by Philly cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, ending a Cowboys drive that made all of it the best way all the way down to the Eagles’ ten yard line. That signifies Mitchell’s first fumble restoration on the NFL stage.
After the fumble, the sport went into an hour-long climate delay, with play resuming round 11:30 p.m. EDT. The pause affected each groups as a result of Philadelphia and Dallas mixed for 5 straight punts after seven consecutive scoring drives to open the sport.
Whereas trailing by 4 factors, the Cowboys have been confronted with a 4th and three from their very own 44 yard line with two minutes left on the clock. Sadly for Dallas followers, large receiver CeeDee Lamb dropped a deep go close to the sideline to all however give the Eagles the victory. As much as that time, Lamb had recorded seven receptions for 110 yards.
Philly acquired the ball again and was compelled into a third and three on Dallas’ facet of the sector. Nonetheless, Jalen Hurts picked up the primary down along with his legs, securing the win for the Eagles. With that victory, defending Tremendous Bowl champions at the moment are 16-5 of their regular-season openers over the past 21 years.
Each groups might be off for the subsequent ten days. In Week Two, the Cowboys will face the New York Giants at residence, whereas the Eagles will go on the street to face the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in a Tremendous Bowl LIX rematch.
*Writer’s word: all info and statistics are tracked in actual time and are offered by the sport’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
