Jalen Hurts powers Eagles past Cowboys in NFL season opener despite Carter ejection

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in Thursday night's, September 4, NFL season opener, overcoming an early ejection and multiple penalties to defend their championship banner unveiling ceremony.

Eagles overcome discipline issues in season opener

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for a penalty-heavy first half. Philadelphia accumulated 93 penalty yards by halftime, the most by any team in a first half since Dallas had 107 in Week 13 of 2023.

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Despite the early setbacks, the Eagles maintained their lead after taking it in the second quarter and never relinquished it to the Cowboys.

Jalen Hurts extends quarterback rushing record

Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts continued his dominant ground game, scoring two rushing touchdowns to extend his NFL record for quarterbacks with multiple rushing touchdown games to 16. Buffalo's Josh Allen ranks second with 12 such games.

Hurts accumulated 48 rushing yards in the first half, primarily through scrambles that exploited gaps in the Cowboys' rush-lane discipline.

Cowboys fall short despite strong ground game

The Cowboys entered the game without edge rusher Micah Parsons, who was traded to the Green Bay Packers one week prior. Dallas showed resilience under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer but ultimately fell victim to crucial mistakes.

Running back Javonte Williams made history in his Cowboys debut, becoming the first Dallas running back with multiple rushing touchdowns in his first game since Herschel Walker in 1986. The performance was notable given the Cowboys managed only six rushing touchdowns throughout the entire 2023 season.

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Key turnovers define game outcome

The game's turning point came late in the third quarter when Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell recovered a Miles Sanders fumble deep in Philadelphia territory. Sanders had rushed 49 yards to put the Cowboys in scoring position before losing the ball at the Eagles' 10-yard line.

The turnover prevented Dallas from taking the lead and proved decisive in the final outcome.

CeeDee Lamb's drops cost Cowboys victory

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb struggled in the fourth quarter, dropping three passes including a deep ball that would have put Dallas in scoring territory and a fourth-and-3 attempt. According to ESPN Research, it marked his second career game with three drops, with the previous occurrence in Week 13 against the Giants last season.

Prescott shows improved mobility

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott demonstrated enhanced mobility after missing significant time last season due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 9. The 32-year-old quarterback successfully evaded pressure on multiple occasions, including an 18-yard completion to Lamb and a 3-yard scramble after avoiding a Jordan Davis sack.

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Rushing defense concerns for Cowboys

The Cowboys allowed 48 rushing yards to Hurts in the first half alone, raising questions about their ability to contain mobile quarterbacks. Dallas faces upcoming games against Russell Wilson, Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Justin Fields, Jayden Daniels, and Kyler Murray, making rush-lane discipline improvement essential.

Looking ahead

The Eagles travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 14. The Cowboys host the New York Giants at 1:00 p.m. ET the same day.

The loss marked the fourth defeat for Dallas in their past five meetings with Philadelphia and represented the first loss for Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, joining Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells, Jason Garrett, and Mike McCarthy in losing their coaching debuts with the franchise.