The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the 2025-26 NFL regular season opener. Philly was able to outlast Dallas after the game was paused for over an hour because of a lightning storm.
Penalties also played a huge role in this contest. There were six infractions called in the first quarter alone, resulting in 76 penalty yards. Overall, these teams combined for 152 yards of penalties.
Despite all the flags that were thrown, this game started with four straight touchdown drives. Philly and Dallas put up almost 400 combined yards in the first half. However, the offensive fireworks slowed significantly due to a lightning storm delay in the third quarter, which paused the game for about an hour and five minutes.
One of the biggest moments of the night came before either team ran an offensive play. After the opening kickoff, Eagles star defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected from the game for apparently spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was seen spitting in Carter’s direction immediately before the incident took place. His absence clearly impacted Philly’s ability to stop Dallas’ offense, which marched down the field in a little over three minutes to score a touchdown and take a 7-0 lead on the first possession of the evening. With that score, the Cowboys matched their opening drive touchdown total for the entirety of the 2024-25 season.
The Eagles didn’t waver in the face of early adversity, though. Philly put together a dominant ten-play, 65-yard drive that was topped off with a four-yard touchdown scramble by quarterback and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts to tie things up 7-7.
The Cowboys answered back with their own touchdown, thanks in part to a 34-yard defensive pass interference penalty on the Eagles. Two plays later, Dallas running back Javonte Williams pounded his way into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown run to reclaim the lead, putting the Cowboys ahead 14-7. Williams finished the evening with 54 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his Dallas Cowboys regular-season debut.
Meanwhile, Philly running back Saquon Barkley picked up right where he left off last season, when he ran for 2,005 yards, the eighth-most rushing yards ever in a single season. Tonight, he had 60 rushing yards, 24 receiving yards, and a touchdown on the ground.
Jalen Hurts was a one-man show in the first half. He opened the game by going six for six passing with 31 yards, 43 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns on Philly’s first two offensive possessions. His second TD tied the game up 14-14 in the second quarter.
Following a 41-yard Cowboys field goal, Philly responded with a 51-yard reception by wide receiver Jahan Dotson. That eventually led to a ten-yard rushing touchdown from Saquon Barkley, giving the Eagles their first lead of the night, 21-17. However, Dallas would get off another field goal in less than a minute, bringing the score to 21-20 at halftime.
The offensive explosion continued into the second half with a 58-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to extend Philly’s lead to 24-20. This was a noteworthy achievement for Elliott since he only made two of his nine attempts last season from 50+ yards.
The game’s only turnover didn’t come until late in the third quarter. Eagles first-round draft pick Jihaad Campbell stripped Dallas running back Miles Sanders of the football. That fumble was scooped up by Philly cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, ending a Cowboys drive that made it all the way down to the Eagles’ ten yard line. That signifies Mitchell’s first fumble recovery at the NFL level.
After the fumble, the game went into an hour-long weather delay, with play resuming around 11:30 p.m. EDT. The pause affected both teams because Philadelphia and Dallas combined for five straight punts after seven consecutive scoring drives to open the game.
While trailing by four points, the Cowboys were faced with a 4th and 3 from their own 44 yard line with two minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb dropped a deep pass near the sideline to all but give the Eagles the victory. Up to that point, Lamb had recorded seven receptions for 110 yards.
Philly got the ball back and was forced into a 3rd and 3 on Dallas’ side of the field. However, Jalen Hurts picked up the first down with his legs, securing the win for the Eagles. With that victory, defending Super Bowl champions are now 16-5 in their regular-season openers over the last 21 years.
Both teams will be off for the next ten days. In Week Two, the Cowboys will face the New York Giants at home, while the Eagles will go on the road to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl LIX rematch.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
