Eagles Edge Out Cowboys in a Chaotic 2025 Season Opener

The 2025 NFL season kicked off with all the drama you’d expect from an Eagles-Cowboys rivalry, and then some. In a game that had everything: lightning delays, sideline spats, and enough dropped passes to make you question the laws of physics, the Philadelphia Eagles scraped by the Dallas Cowboys with a 24-20 victory. It was messy, it was chippy, and it was the perfect, chaotic start to the football season.

If you tuned in hoping for a clean, disciplined game of football, you clearly don’t know these two teams. This wasn’t a chess match; it was a bar fight that occasionally had a football thrown through it. And in the end, the Eagles were the last ones standing, leaving Dallas to wonder, yet again, what could have been.

A Game of Two Halves and a Lightning Bolt

The first half was an offensive fireworks show. Both teams marched down the field like they were allergic to punting. Dak Prescott came out firing, connecting with CeeDee Lamb for big gains and looking like a man on a mission. Not to be outdone, Jalen Hurts answered with his legs, punching in two rushing touchdowns and reminding everyone why he’s one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. It was a back-and-forth slugfest, with both offenses trading blows and defenses looking optional. At halftime, it felt like we were headed for a 45-42 shootout.

Then, the weather decided it wanted in on the action. A 64-minute lightning delay brought the game to a screeching halt, and when play resumed, it was like both offenses had taken a sedative. The second half was a brutal, defensive grind where points were harder to come by than a humble Cowboys fan. Only three points were scored in the final two quarters. It became a battle of wills, with both teams digging in their heels.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for the Eagles

Let’s start with the good. Saquon Barkley was great to start his second season with Philly, rushing for 60 yards and a crucial touchdown. Jalen Hurts was, well, Jalen Hurts. He made plays when it mattered, finishing with 152 passing yards and another 62 on the ground. The offensive line, as usual, was a fortress.

Now, the bad. The defense looked shaky early on, getting carved up on Dallas’s opening drives. They eventually settled in, but the initial lack of resistance was concerning. And A.J. Brown? He was practically invisible until the final two minutes of the game, registering his first catch with 1:51 left on the clock. You can’t have your top receiver go silent for 58 minutes and expect to win consistently.

And the ugly? Penalties. Philadelphia racked up 93 penalty yards in the first half alone. It was a festival of yellow flags, headlined by the most bizarre moment of the night. Before a single meaningful snap, star defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected for getting into it with the Dallas huddle and allegedly spitting at Dak Prescott. Carter’s lack of discipline put his team in a tough spot from the get-go. Winning is great, but the Eagles need to clean up their act if they want to make a serious run.

Same Old Story for the Cowboys?

For Dallas, this loss has to feel like a recurring nightmare. They showed flashes of brilliance, especially early on. Prescott looked mobile and confident, and the offense seemed to click under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. But when the game was on the line, they crumbled.

The biggest culprit? CeeDee Lamb. After a fantastic start, he developed a sudden case of stone hands in the fourth quarter, dropping multiple crucial passes that could have changed the outcome. You can’t be a number one receiver and disappear when it matters most. His final drop on a potential go-ahead drive was the nail in the coffin. It was a brutal end to an otherwise strong performance, and it perfectly encapsulates the frustration of being a Cowboys fan: so close, yet so far.

This loss drops the Cowboys to 1-4 in their last five meetings with the Eagles, and the questions surrounding their ability to win big games will only get louder.