Cowboys let important plays go to the offensive, with an imprecise Lamb and a crucial loose ball
Philadelphia – NFL 2025 season had a peculiar beginning, with the expulsion of the defensive Tackle of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Carterfor spitting the field of the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescottbefore the first play from the hit line.
The game remained equally intense from beginning to end, with the Eagles achieving a 24-20 victory the night they revealed their 2024 championship flag.
With absent carter from the Eagles defensive center and dallas getting used to life without Micah Parsonsboth defenses took time to stabilize before finding balance.
A match 'With the Currency in the Air' leaned in favor of the defenders champions, partly thanks to the losses of the receiver CeeDee Lamb Already a loss of crucial ball at the end of the third quarter by the cowboys, who showed some encouraging signs in the first game under the direction of coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Carter and the Eagles, meanwhile, can breathe relieved after a complicated beginning.
Here are the most important aspects that both teams should know from Thursday night:
What to think about the performance of the Quarterback?: The MVP of the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurtshe resumed the game where he left it, taking advantage of the wide lines to score two terrestrial touchdowns and boost the offensive. Now accumulate 16 games with multiple TouchDowns Terrestres, expanding its NFL brand for a quarterback (Josh Allenfrom Buffalo, is second with 12).
Inflection point: the cowboys seemed to be directed towards the scoring of the advantage at the end of the third quarter, when the Eagles achieved a key ball loss. The corner Quinyon Mitchell recovered a loose ball from Miles Sanders deep in the territory of Philadelphia to frustrate the offensive series and keep the Eagles above for four. He celebrated it with his defensive companions simulating a push with the butt to the annotation zone.
Important statistics: the expulsion of Carter monopolized headlines, but the lack of discipline was a recurring theme for the Eagles, especially at the beginning. At rest, 93 penalty yards accumulated, the greatest amount in a first half for any team since 107 that the cowboys got on week 13 of 2023. The maximum yards of penalty of the Eagles in a match last season was 91 (week 16 against the Commanders). – Tim McManus
Next game: against the Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, September 14)
The Cowboys did not have a great margin of error before Thursday's first game against the Eagles, especially without the Micah Parsons, who was transferred a week ago to the Green Bay Packers.
During most of the game, the Cowboys dominated the game, but it was not enough.
A 51 yards pass from Jalen Hurts to the receiver Jahan Dotson In the second quarter he prepared the touchdown of the advantage for Phily and an advantage that the Eagles would not give in. It was the longest play allowed by the cowboys.
While the cowboys sought to respond in the next series, the Miles Sanders broke lost the ball in the 10 of the Eagles after their 49 -yard race put Dallas in a position to score. It was the only ball loss for the cowboys.
Ceedee Lamb had a last quarter to forget. To start the room, the receiver dropped a safe reception of First Down. In the possible offensive series of the advantage, he dropped a deep ball that would have left the cowboys in the scoring territory. Then, in fourth and 3, he could not make a reception after throwing himself by the ball. According to ESPN Research, it was the second game of his career with three balls dropped (week 13 last season against the Giants).
Those five plays were crucial and led to the fourth defeat of the Cowboys against the Eagles in their last five clashes. This meant that Brian Schottenheimer lost his first game as coach of the cowboys, as well as Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells, Jason Garrett and Mike McCarthy.
It is a painful lesson of the close and the distance that the cowboys are.
What to think about the performance of Quarterback? Forget the final numbers of Dak Prescott. It was his ability to use the legs that really mattered. He did not do it much last season, and when he did it in week 9, a corva tendon was torn that ended his season. In Thursday's second offensive series, he scrolled to his left, evaded a defensive and found Lamb for a gain of 18 yards. In the third offensive series, he managed to get out of a possible capture of Jordan Davis and run 3 yards. Prescott is 32 years old and has had two important leg surgeries since 2020. Thursday showed that it can still move.
Trend to follow: Should the cowboys fear double threat quartbacks? Hurts scored two terrestrial touchdowns and advanced 48 yards in the first half, most of escapes. Cowboys have matches against Russell Wilson (twice, if it is still the head of the giants), Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Justin Fields, Jayden Daniels (twice) and Kyler Murrayin addition to the rematch against Hurts. The discipline of cowboys in the attack line will have to improve a lot from week 1, as well as their ability to run to the ball.
Important data: Javonte Williams He had a favorable debut. In fact, it was the first time that a corridor got multiple Touchdowns Terrestres in his first game with the cowboys since before Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989. Herschel Walker He did it in his NFL debut in 1986 with Landry as a coach. The cowboys only got six terrestrial entries last campaign. They got two in their first two possessions on Thursday. According to ESPN Research, the last corridor with multiple terrestrial touchdowns against the Eagles was Saquon Barkley In his last game with the New York Giants in 2023, before joining Philadelphia as a free agent. – Todd Archer
Next game: against the New York Giants (Sunday, September 14).
