Eagles Win A Bizarre Opener

Posted September 5th, 2025

Spitting. Rain delays. Dropped passes. Dropped interceptions. AJ Brown doing his impression of the invisible man. This game had something for everyone. Rivalry games always make me nervous and this is exactly why. The Eagles were overly emotional in the first half and had some dumb moments. That gave Dallas an advantage and they made this a really tough game. The Eagles made just enough plays to win, 24-20.

It wasn’t smooth or pretty. Jalen Carter spit on Dak Prescott before the first play from scrimmage and was ejected. In case you were wondering, the Eagles defense isn’t nearly as good without its best player. They made Dallas look like the 1999 Rams. The Cowboys scored 20 points in the first half and didn’t punt until the fourth quarter.

Thankfully the Eagles offense showed up ready to roll. They scored 21 points in the first half, with Jalen Hurts showing his value as a dual-threat QB. Saquon Barkley made his share of plays. The Eagles added a FG in the third quarter and that was it for the scoring.

The Cowboys drove down inside the red zone, but Jihad Campbell knocked the ball away from Miles Sanders and Quinyon Mitchell scooped it up. That play really changed the game. The defense came alive after that. And the rain delay. There was an hour break as the NFL waited for severe thunderstorms to pass by. Neither offense showed up after the break.

Both defenses made good adjustments. And the offenses just seemed out of sync. They couldn’t get into a rhythm. CeeDee Lamb dropped multiple passes. The Eagles forgot how to block. Give the defenses credit, but the offenses didn’t help themselves.

Hurts ran for a first down late in the game and that sealed the win.

The season opener in Brazil last year was an odd game where the Eagles had to hold on for a close win. I wrote earlier tonight about how openers can be weird games, especially in an era when starters don’t play in the preseason. You just don’t know what you’re going to get.

The offense went from hot to not. Hurts played well. I thought he was calm and smart. He didn’t force the ball downfield. He was willing to throw underneath. AJ Brown had one catch and was only targeted that one time. There were multiple plays where Hurts took the snap and looked at AJ, but must not have liked the coverage so he moved on. This will get cleaned up. Hurts finished 19 for 23, the kind of efficiency he needed in this game. He ran for 62 yards and a pair of TDs.

The defense was bad in the first half. They were lucky to force a couple of FGs. Penalties were a big issue. The Eagles had 93 penalty yards at halftime, with most coming on defense. Not ideal. Adoree Jackson stunk. He played soft and Dak threw his way over and over. Vic Fangio mixed things up after halftime and had a bit more success, but they need to figure out a solution quickly.

Zack Baun had a terrific game. Jihad Campbell played really well. He might be a rookie, but he’s athletic and showed the ability to make plays vs the run or in coverage. Drew Mukuba did some good things. The pass rush was quiet for too much of the night, but did come alive in the fourth quarter. That was encouraging. Without Carter, Jordan Davis had to play more and he had a strong game. He just missed 2 sacks. Moro Ojomo had a great opportunity, but Dallas shut him down.

The Eagles were the better team on STs tonight. Jake Elliott nailed a 58-yard FG. Braden Mann averaged 49 yards per punt and put the ball out of bounds so Kevontae Turpin couldn’t have returns. Turpin was limited to 20.3 yards on KORs. Three Dallas drives started inside the 12-yard line. Field position helped the Eagles defense after the opening drive.

The coaches will study the tape and figure out what needs to be fixed. I think the first order of business is getting the players some rest. Several players got banged up. They will enjoy having a few extra days before the next game. Let’s hope Landon Dickerson’s back isn’t going to be an issue that lasts for a while.

I do think you can be encouraged that the Eagles showed mental and emotional toughness. They could have fallen apart after the ejection and some early struggles. The players kept battling and eventually took control of the game. They made the key plays that won the game. Nick Sirianni will be very happy about that. His guys found a way to win.

The Eagles have a lot to clean up. At the same time, remember that this is the second youngest team in the league. They showed a lot by fighting their way through strange circumstances and winning.

https://igglesblitz.com/2025/09/eagles-bizarre-opener/