[Inactives | How to watch | Eagles-Cowboys live blog]
On “America’s Game,” the NFL Network show that celebrates each Super Bowl champion, Jalen Hurts made something clear as he sat down to talk about his 2024 Philadelphia Eagles.
Advertisement
Hurts said he was going to relive stories about that team for the episode, then he was done talking about that season. The message was clear: The Eagles weren’t going to get caught up in the past and miss out on a chance to chase another ring. That’s a reason the Eagles weren’t on the sideline on Thursday night as the Super Bowl LIX banner was raised before the first game of the NFL season.
Hurts backed up his words.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
The last time we saw Hurts in a game, he was winning Super Bowl MVP. Seven months later he was still hot, beginning Thursday night’s NFL season opener by making plays as a passer and a runner and helping Philadelphia to a 21-20 halftime lead. Hurts had two rushing touchdowns to help the Eagles keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys, who got off to a hot start in part because one of the Eagles’ best defensive players managed to get himself ejected before the first snap of the game.
Advertisement
The Eagles unveiled the banner and a few minutes later Jalen Carter lost his mind. During a break in play to tend to an injury on the opening kickoff, Carter went up to the Cowboys’ huddle, said something to Dak Prescott and then spit on Prescott right in front of an official. Carter was ejected before the first play from scrimmage of the season had been snapped.
That seemed to set the tone, at least for the defense. The Cowboys offense had little problem moving the ball in the first half, with Javonte Williams scoring two goal-line touchdowns.
The Cowboys defense, without Micah Parsons, wasn’t any better. Hurts completed his first six passes, which were mostly short throws, to keep the chains moving. And he scored two rushing touchdowns without the help of the tush push. He scored on scrambles of 8 and 4 yards to match a Cowboys touchdown each time. Late in the first half, his 51-yard deep pass to Jahan Dotson set up a 10-yard rushing touchdown from Saquon Barkley with 51 seconds left in the half.
Hurts wasn’t the only quarterback to play very well in the first half. Prescott is healthy after missing most of last season with a hamstring injury, and he showed off mobility and also his passing accuracy. Prescott got off to a hot start with a big 32-yard gain to CeeDee Lamb on third-and-1, setting up Williams’ first touchdown. The Eagles had the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season — though that was with Carter wrecking offensive lines and not back in the locker room after being kicked out — and Prescott had no problem navigating it. It was a good first half for new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, as well.
Advertisement
The Cowboys took a 17-14 lead late in the second quarter on a Brandon Aubrey field goal. Hurts and the Eagles countered with the deep pass to Dotson, which set up Barkley’s touchdown to give Philadelphia the lead. Prescott managed to rally the offense downfield in the final minute to set up a field-goal attempt by Aubrey as the half ended, and he nailed it to pull Dallas within a point.
There’s always a fear of a Super Bowl hangover, and Carter’s ejection wasn’t the best omen for Philadelphia. But Hurts and the Eagles offense showed no signs of it, at least in the first half of the opener.
Cowboys-Eagles inactives
Cowboys inactives: RB Jaydon Blue, LB Shemar James, DT Mazi Smith, OT Ajani Cornelius, OL Hakeem Adeniji, OL Trevor Keegan, DT Perrion Winfrey
Advertisement
Eagles inactives: LB Azeez Ojulari, QB Tanner McKee, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, C Drew Kendall, OT Cameron Williams, DT Ty Robinson, OG Kenyon Green
Date: Thursday, September 4
Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA
TV channel: NBC, Peacock
Eagles-Cowboys live blog
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 NFL season opener featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football: