This one to open the 2025 NFL season had everything: The unveiling of a World Championship banner, the second in eight seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles, an incredible turn of events on the opening kickoff that resulted in Ben VanSumeren being carted off the field with a knee injury and defensive tackle Jalen Carter being ejected for spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap from the line of scrimmage, multiple skirmishes between archrivals, a back-and-forth offensive showcase for most of three quarters, a 1-hour, 3-minute weather delay, and, finally, well past the stroke of midnight, an Eagles 24-20 win over the Cowboys.
A win – all that matters. There are many parts of this game the Eagles will watch over and over again and look to correct. That's the nature of the game. What is important is that the Eagles opened their 2025 regular season at Lincoln Financial Field with a hard-fought victory and, well, it's on to the next week!
Before that, some observations from Thursday night and an instant classic between the bitterest of rivals and NFC East Division foes …
1. Jalen Hurts was on his game in every way
Philadelphia's quarterback picked up where he left off from his MVP performance in Super Bowl LIX. Hurts was sensational. The Eagles moved up and down the field in the first half and Hurts did it all – he was 9-of-11 for 93 yards passing, using the short game effectively, making good decisions, utilizing tight end Dallas Goedert (4 receptions in first half), and Hurts broke down the Dallas defense with his legs – 6 carries for 48 yards. Hurts finished with two touchdown runs and a team-high 62 yards rushing, darting through the defense and finishing his runs with power. Hurts picked up five first downs running the ball, including a huge one in the final minutes to convert a third-and-3 situation and effectively end the game. It wasn't easy by any stretch as the Cowboys played tough football, and after the long weather delay, Dallas brought a lot of pressure, and Hurts handled it well. Zero turnovers. It makes such a difference. He finished 19-of-23 passing for 152 yards and took one sack. Really strong performance in the opener.
2. The Eagles worked hard in the running game
All three running backs contributed – Saquon Barkley had 60 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, Will Shipley made an impact early with three rushes for 26 yards, and A.J. Dillon gained 10 yards on three attempts. It was a grind-it-out kind of performance. On the first drive, the Eagles attacked the Dallas perimeter, and then they gained some tough yards and moved the sticks between the tackles. "It was ugly at times out there," right tackle Lane Johnson said, "but we stuck with it and we got the job done. That's all that matters." Final rushing totals: 38 carries, 158 yards, 3 touchdowns.
3. A hidden gem: Wide receiver blocking in the running game
A big shout out here to the wide receivers, who were just as involved in the success in the running game as any player grouping on the field. A.J. Brown, Jahan Dotson, DeVonta Smith – a big hand to all of them. They were physical and they were selfless and they helped the Eagles churn out a running game and a victory.
4. Turnovers make all the difference
There was only one in this game, and it was huge. Defensive tackle Byron Young and linebacker Jihaad Campbell forced a Miles Sanders fumble at the Philadelphia 10-yard line and Quinyon Mitchell recovered and the Eagles had a huge takeaway in the red zone. That was it. That was the difference at the end of the day.
5. A 1 hour, 3-minute weather delay impacted the game
Weather interrupted play right after that takeaway and both teams did their best to stay loose during the long delay, but it was clear that neither team was as sharp when they returned to the field. There was no further scoring as the defenses took over. These are the kinds of variables that decide games, and the Eagles handled their situation better. "It wasn't easy, but we have great trainers and we stayed loose and were ready to go," outside linebacker Nolan Smith said. "It was definitely strange. Playing in the Super Bowl helped. I kept thinking about that long halftime."
6. Depth played a role in this win for the Eagles
Playing without Carter made it much more difficult task for the Eagles, but Young, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Gabe Hall stepped up. The Eagles used Adoree' Jackson, Cooper DeJean, and Jakorian Bennett for reps at cornerback. Tight end Kylen Granson stepped in for VanSumeren and played a couple of snaps at fullback. Brett Toth replaced Landon Dickerson (back) late in the game and battled inside. This is what it takes to be a great team, as the Eagles demonstrated again.
7. Eagles offense finished the right way
Second-and-11, less than two minutes remaining and the Eagles in need of a big play. So what happens? Hurts throws, for the first time all night, to A.J. Brown, who made a big catch for an 8-yard gain, and then Hurts ran for the first down on the next play and took a knee in victory formation after that. Close the game out. It's so important. Look, the way the Eagles started on offense, it was a thing of beauty. Three possessions and three touchdowns. And then a field goal on the first possession of the second half – making it four scores on four possessions. Then it was a bit of a slog, but the Eagles converted when they needed to and that was huge.
8. A stop here, a stop there …
The defense stiffened. Whatever, however, something changed. Look, CeeDee Lamb missed on a few chances to gain some yards on Prescott throws, but the defense came to play, limiting an explosive Dallas offense to 20 points and 307 total net yards. That is how you win. The defense didn't have Carter, who wrecks offenses, and prevailed. This says a lot about the way the team responds to adversity.
9. It doesn't matter how you win in the NFL
A bounce here, an official's call there, you know how it goes in the league. Doesn't matter. The Eagles emerged with a victory and they are 1-0 and the fact that it was a division win is all the better. On a night with a lot of distractions, the Eagles focused and came away with a W.
"That's all I care about," Johnson said. "We have a lot to correct and we know it, but the name of the game is winning and we did that."
10. And now … a long weekend to rest and reset
Everyone, enjoy. It's going to be a long and sweet weekend as the rest of the NFL gets into action. Next up, Kansas City and a big one a week from Sunday.
