Dallas Cowboys Regular Season Game 1 Recap

Cowboys Fall Just Short in Rain-Soaked Season Opener Against Eagles

Let’s be honest, most Cowboys fans probably didn’t expect this team to go into Philadelphia and beat the defending Super Bowl champs in their home stadium on the night they celebrated their Super Bowl victory. So, the fact that it wasn’t a total blowout feels encouraging. It’s not surprising that the Cowboys lost the game, what’s pleasantly surprising is the how they lost the game. They did it in respectable fashion losing by only 4 points to the defending Super Bowl champs. In spite of having a new head coach that was coaching in his first NFL regular season game, and new players and coaches across the board, the team managed to hold its own on the field against the reigning champs. Whether right or wrong, it gives you reason to believe they can play with anybody, and that’s an encouraging development this early into the season. Everybody is saying the right things about, “no moral victories,” but from a fan’s perspective this team just showed they can play with a team that just won the Super Bowl. That should provide the team all the motivation they need for the rest of the season.

In an unforgettably entertaining, storm-interrupted kickoff matchup, the Dallas Cowboys fell 24–20 to the Philadelphia Eagles. The night was marked by early controversy, impassioned runs from both sides, and a late comeback effort that came up a little short.

It’s really crazy how much this game reminded me of the Cowboys vs. Steelers game from October 6, 2024, a Sunday night game that went past midnight and carried over into Monday. They were both games on NBC, both had weather delays including some pretty incredible lightning, and they both saw the Cowboys driving to win the game at the end. Not to mention they were both in outdoor stadiums in Pennsylvania against both of their NFL teams, one in Pittsburg and the other in Philadelphia. How crazy is that?! The Cowboys have a 50/50 chance of winning any game, so I guess it’s only fitting that they won the Steelers game and lost this one, odds are they were going to lose one of them. They won the Steelers game on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to Jalen Tolbert on fourth-and-goal with 20 seconds left in the game. This game was shaping up to have a similar ending, but unfortunately for Cowboys fans, it was not to be this time. Still, the similarity between those two games is crazy! Everybody on the telecast that works for NBC probably thought, “Here we go again! How late are we going to have to work this time?” If you’ve got to work late, at least the game was entertaining, and gave them plenty to talk about.

Speaking of things to talk about…

This game had one of the craziest starts you will ever witness! In the end it proved to be a simple misunderstanding, but prior to that it was anything but. After the kickoff, before a single play had even been run, as the Dallas offense and Philly defense lined up on the field a key player for Philadelphia got ejected from the game. Everybody was in shock thinking what’s going on? After reviewing the replay, we came to realize that Jalen Carter spit on Dak Prescott earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and getting Jalen Carter ejected from the game. Immediately the dynamic of the game shifted as the Eagles would now have to play the entire game without one of their best players in the middle of their defense. Later at halftime additional replay footage showed that Dak spit in Carter’s general direction, which may have started the misunderstanding. However, the key difference is that Dak spit on the ground and not on Carter. After the game Dak said he would never spit on somebody, and knowing the type of person Dak has appeared to be all these years, I tend to believe him. Anybody can have a lapse in judgment now and then, but even if Dak had directed it at Carter, just as a human being and a man Dak still didn’t deserve to get spit on. The NFL is apparently focused on removing disrespectful and taunting related conduct from the game, which I agree with. Even though this specific incident is not likely what they had in mind, it got the message across loud and clear. Nothing like the first game of the year to get your point across before the very first snap of the ball before one play is even run. I don’t think anybody will forget that anytime soon.

The rest of the game was equally entertaining. The game was well played for the most part, not too many penalties or mistakes by either team like you might expect in the first game of the year. It wasn’t a slow, boring slop fest with players tripping all over each other the way it can be sometimes. The game included a 65 minute weather delay in addition to a full halftime, which made it feel like it effectively had two halftimes. Trevon Diggs wandered from the locker room during the weather delay and got one of the stadium suite attendants to bring him and his teammates some food and drinks, because he was hungry. That provided some pretty funny footage during the delay. Some games are just different than others and you know you will remember them. Even though the Cowboys lost, this was definitely that type of game for me.

Game Recap: Cowboys at Eagles (Week 1)

Final Score: Cowboys lose 24–20 to the Eagles in the NFL Kickoff game.

Early Drama & Weather Interruption:

The game started with a startling moment: Eagles DT Jalen Carter was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct—spitting on Dak Prescott—before even one snap was played.

A 65-minute lightning delay mid-game added to the chaotic feel, disrupting momentum and rhythm for both teams.

Offensive Highlights and Lowlights:

Dallas struck early as Javonte Williams punched in a 1-yard touchdown run on their first drive after a 53-yard march.

Jalen Hurts responded for Philadelphia with two rushing touchdowns—his well-rounded running shattered early defensive resistance.

Kicker Brandon Aubrey kept the Cowboys in it with a booming 53-yard field goal, trimming the Eagles’ lead to a narrow margin at halftime.

Key Moments & Game Flow:

After the lightning pause, both teams settled defensively—no scoring occurred for the remainder of the game. The Cowboys’ run defense showed drastic improvement when it came back out after the weather delay. That was really encouraging to see, because it looked better than it possibly has in years, which isn’t necessarily saying much cause it’s been pretty bad. People will still doubt their run defense, but it looked better and for now that’s progress and I’ll take it.

A late fumble by Miles Sanders inside the red zone derailed one of Dallas’s critical comeback chances. I think this was the turning point of the game, because it happened right before the weather delay. Had Dallas held onto the ball there, they should have at least gotten 3 points out of that drive, possibly as much as 7 ideally. Had the Cowboys gotten even just a field goal there, it would have changed their approach at the end of the game. They wouldn’t have had to go as far, so they wouldn’t have been forcing the ball downfield as much, and they could have kicked a field goal to win the game. If they scored a touchdown there, then they would have won the game without even needing another field goal. The fact that the play involved a former Eagles player is ironic, some might even say suspect, but it was a blemish on an otherwise great night for Miles Sanders. He looked good and I think he’s going to do some really great things for the team this year.

The Cowboys had multiple late drives to win, but fell short when Dak Prescott’s fourth-down pass to CeeDee Lamb went incomplete. It was a well-placed ball, but it still would have been a difficult catch requiring CeeDee to dive between two defenders. The degree of difficulty was high, which means the odds of catching it were low.

CeeDee Lamb finished with 110 receiving yards and actually played a great game, but drops at certain moments cost Dallas key opportunities. He took responsibility after the game like you would expect him to, but I think he might have been a little too hard on himself. I think the turnover played a bigger part in the outcome more than his drops. At least two out of three of those catches would have been difficult catches to make, and there was still no guarantee they would score on those drives. He’s a great receiver though, and he’ll be fine, so I’m not worried about it.

Defense & Resilience:

After a rocky start, the Cowboys’ defense stiffened in the second half, forcing key stops and limiting the Eagles’ yardage.

Final Thoughts

The 24–20 loss stings—but it’s not without silver linings. Britain Schottenheimer’s debut proved competitive against the defending champions. With a poorly timed turnover in the red zone and late-game execution as the primary shortcomings in Philly, the Cowboys now look toward remedying mistakes and getting back on track against the Giants. The Cowboys looked pretty good in game 1. Now they know they can play competitive football against a championship caliber team without getting embarrassed and run off the field. Now, let’s see if they can build on it in their home opener against the Giants.