The Dallas Cowboys dropped a 24-20 nail-biter to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL season opener Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field.
It was a game full of festivities, as Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected before the first play of the game for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Later in the first half, a fight broke out on a kickoff that saw two Cowboys get penalized.
Then, in the second half, a one-hour, two-minute lightning delay put a halt in the action, pushing the game’s conclusion past midnight on the East Coast.
The Cowboys start 0-1, but it was an eventful first contest to start the 2025 season. Here are the five takeaways from the season opener:
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter Thursday. Bill Streicher USA TODAY NETWORK
An encouraging start to the season
The final result doesn’t count any differently than if the Cowboys were blown out, but a close loss on the road in a rowdy environment is an encouraging start to the Brian Schottenheimer era in Dallas.
The defense is still getting back to full strength from a health perspective, and the offense is still working into a rhythm after not playing in the preseason. Being shut out in the second half isn’t an encouraging effort, but walking away having only allowed three points in the second half is a positive.
The loss is still a loss. But with an encouraging slate of opponents upcoming, there’s more hope for this Cowboys team to make a push for the playoffs today than there was yesterday.
Linebackers were huge disappointment
Despite new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus having a long history of linebacker development, it’s easy to say that the second level was the worst part of the Cowboys’ defense Thursday.
From allowing Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to find big gains with his legs to tight end Dallas Goedert having a game-high-tying seven receptions, it was tough to find much consistency from the unit headlined by Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Sanborn.
The complete analytics report will tell the full story Friday morning, but the use of blitz felt uncharacteristically low for a Cowboys defense but characteristic of an Eberflus defense. As a result, there wasn’t much use of Marist Liufau, who could have been used with his unique athleticism compared to the rest of the room.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter Thursday. Bill Streicher USA TODAY NETWORK
Schottenheimer offense starts with a bang
On the first four offensive drives of the night, the Cowboys’ unit led by Dak Prescott scored points in what was a lightning-fast start for the Schottenheimer play-calling era.
In the pass game, Prescott found CeeDee Lamb early and often for big gains — Lamb finished the night with 15.7 yards per catch. In the run game, starting running back Javonte Williams quieted durability concerns with a healthy effort that included two rushing touchdowns on the first two drives. He finished with 54 yards on 15 carries.
From the use of presnap motion to some intriguing aggressiveness on third-and-short situations, Schottenheimer’s system has some intriguing wrinkles that will unfold over the course of the season. It’s a healthy refresh from the two seasons under Mike McCarthy that didn’t feature many modern concepts.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter Thursday. Eric Hartline USA TODAY NETWORK
Surprise: Cowboys still can’t stop the run
When the Cowboys traded away Micah Parsons a week before the start of the season, Jerry Jones emphasized that the deal was about being able to stop the run. Acquiring three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark was the reason the Packers were the chosen offer, but his name wasn’t called often Thursday night.
After finishing 28th in run defense last season, the Cowboys are well on their way to having a similar effort in 2025 after giving up 158 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
It’s a disappointing reality for Dallas that, despite re-signing Osa Odighizuwa, trading for Clark and signing Solomon Thomas over the offseason, the defense still can’t contain the ground game.
Fortunately, the next two opponents, the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, had the 23rd- and 25th-ranked rushing offenses last season, respectively.
CeeDee Lamb’s drops cost the team
It was a strong night statistically for Lamb, finishing with seven receptions for 110 yards, but two very costly drops in the second half cost this team points. There’s an argument to be made that it cost the team the game.
On a third-and-10 in the fourth quarter, Prescott put a 12-yard crosser right on the money to Lamb who saw it go through his hands and bounce off his helmet. On the final drive, Lamb appeared to haul in a deep post route before kicking it out of his hands. Again on the final drive, Lamb saw a leaping catch — a grab he has made so many times before — go through his hands on fourth down.