The reigning Super Bowl champions began their title defense with a victory, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the NFL’s season opener on Thursday night.
Yet, the game may be remembered for an incident that occurred before the first play even began. Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected after just six seconds for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Carter, a key player for the Eagles, approached Prescott as the teams lined up following the kickoff. After an exchange of words, Carter spat on his opponent. Prescott appeared stunned as saliva landed on his chest, and officials swiftly ejected Carter. As he walked to the tunnel, Carter shook his head and smiled but did not protest the decision, despite boos from Eagles supporters.
“It was a mistake on my part. It won’t happen again,” Carter said afterward. “I feel bad for my teammates and the fans. I play for them and for my family, but the fans showed the most support.”
Later footage revealed Prescott had also spat earlier, though toward the ground and not directly at Carter. Prescott later stated he had no intention of spitting at him.
“An official saw Carter spitting at an opponent,” referee Shawn Smith explained. “It’s a disqualifying foul—an act outside the nature of the game.”
The Eagles immediately felt the impact. Without Carter disrupting the line, the Cowboys drove downfield and scored on their opening drive to lead 7-0. When Javonte Williams ran in the touchdown, Carter’s absence was evident.
Eight consecutive possessions yielded points early on, but after a 65-minute lightning delay in the third quarter, neither team managed to score again.
Jalen Hurts tallied 214 total yards (152 passing, 62 rushing), while Saquon Barkley added 60 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Eagles, who overcame costly errors and a reshaped Dallas defense lacking Micah Parsons.
Carter’s ejection marked the start of Philadelphia’s struggles with discipline, as they accumulated nine penalties for 110 yards.
“Our focus wasn’t sharp early on,” Hurts admitted. “But the defense fought hard, and players stepped up. We emphasized discipline before the game, and it’s still a priority.”
For the Cowboys, Williams rushed for 54 yards and two short touchdowns in his debut, Prescott threw for 188 yards on 21-of-34 passing, and CeeDee Lamb led all receivers with seven catches for 110 yards.
Jake Elliott’s 58-yard field goal gave Philadelphia a 24-20 lead midway through the second half. Dallas reached the red zone after Reed Blankenship’s unnecessary roughness penalty extended their drive, but Miles Sanders fumbled on the next play, with Quinyon Mitchell recovering for the Eagles.
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