On a night that was bookmarked for a celebration by the Philadelphia Eagles as last year’s Super Bowl champions, the Dallas Cowboys showed up to Lincoln Financial Field and pushed their division rival to the limit in a dramatic regular-season opener, but fell just short 24-20. The Brian Schottenheimer era begins with a loss that left a lot of encouraging things on the field, but nonetheless still a loss that sets the Cowboys back not only at 0-1 overall, but already tagged with a division loss. They will have a chance to level out both records in their home opener against the Giants next Sunday.
Schottenheimer wasn’t the only new play-caller in this game for the Cowboys, as defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus also becomes the third coordinator in three years. The former Cowboys linebacker coach’s first test was a challenging one, going up against Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and a quality Eagles offensive line.
Of course, the amount of attention the Cowboys received by trading away all-world pass rusher Micah Parsons just a week before this game was the main story for the Cowboys on defense. In a shocking plot twist that came out of absolutely nowhere though, the Eagles defense also became a unit having to adjust on the fly to not having their best player in this game. Following the opening kickoff, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Philly’s best overall defender in the trenches and a beast against the run, was ejected with an unsportsman’s like conduct penalty for spitting on Dak Prescott. Yeah, that really happened in the very first game of this 2025 season.
With the Cowboys missing Parsons and the Eagles now without Carter, this game did not see it’s first non-scoring drive until the ninth possession of the night, well into the third quarter. It happened with the Cowboys threatening to score another red zone touchdown too, but a Miles Sanders lost fumble quickly ended that hope.
The game would go to a lightning delay right after the fumble recovery by the Eagles, giving both teams a chance to regroup yet again following halftime. The result coming out of the hour-plus delay was the screws being tightened even more defensively, with not a single point being scored the rest of the game. The last scoring play of a game that began with an opening drive Dallas touchdown came on Jake Elliot’s 58-yard field goal in the third quarter.
With the defenses having this much of a say down the stretch, it would be easy in recapping this Cowboys loss to chalk it up as yet another game where the Cowboys couldn’t stop the run, Eagles DC Vic Fangio got the best of yet another Cowboys offensive game plan, and Prescott did not have enough support around him to win a game that was right there for the taking for the league’s highest paid passer.
While some of these things did happen in the ebbs and flows of this game for Dallas, doing this would be wrongly forgetting about the way the Cowboys marched down the field on their first two possessions and scored rushing touchdowns with Javonte Williams. It would be forgetting about seeing improved offensive line play nearly across the board with Tyler Guyton back from injury at left tackle and Tyler Booker making his rookie debut at right guard. It would also be forgetting about a multitude of crucial drops by the Cowboys clear cut best wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, any one of which could have seen this be a massive upset win for the road team.
Now with nine days before their next game, it is a mortal lock that Lamb’s inability to make the big plays in front of him won’t be forgotten, in fact they will be discussed over and over again until proven otherwise. Of all players to perhaps take the narrative away from the Cowboys missing Parsons (which they still did in this loss), it is still one very much carrying the expectation to perform given his contract in Lamb.
The Cowboys new culture of competitiveness was clearly not just lip service by Schottenheimer and his staff this offseason, as it manifested itself as soon as the inactive list came out. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith did not dress for this game, and Jaydon Blue was also held out. It is Smith’s inactive status that is the most telling long term for the former first-round pick, but in this same line of thought the Cowboys playing the experienced Sanders over Blue, then seeing him create the game’s only turnover, could be all they need to move Blue up to the active roster next week. This coaching staff is going to play the players that give them the best chance to compete and win, full stop.
With Lamb, the question is obviously not whether he will be in the lineup or not against the Giants, but more so how the Cowboys can restore the confidence of a player they will still need to be his usual self all season long. Dallas’ distribution of touches in this game left more to be desired when it comes to opening up the offense even more as this early season goes on. Lamb led the team in targets against the Eagles with 13 to Jake Ferguson’s six, and was the only receiver to have a catch over 20 yards – finishing with 110 on the night.
A season ago, the Cowboys came into the year seemingly far too dependent on the Prescott to Lamb connection being their only chance to win games. This plan fell apart beyond repair when Prescott was lost for the season to injury, and Lamb battled through playing hurt on and off as well. The Cowboys showed a lot of potential things that can help them improve from this loss and win games moving forward under Schottenheimer, but were undone most directly by a now healthy Prescott and Lamb just not being able to connect in clutch time.
What were some of those other things, and what else can be done in the passing game to balance out a rushing attack responsible for the Cowboys’ only two touchdowns against the Eagles? Let’s get to our first weekly edition of game notes.
- How much the Cowboys’ plan for their opening drive on offense changed after Carter was ejected from the game may never be known, but his absence certainly didn’t hurt them get off to the best possible start in the areas they put the most emphasis in the offseason – running the ball and being physical. Running back Javonte Williams was fresh off of sitting out the preseason, and showed why he earned the right to be on ice during exhibition season right away running hard between the tackles. The Cowboys also used the run game to set up a beautiful play-action throw to Lamb on third-and-a-yard to set up first-and-goal from the one.
The route and catch on the run was the highlight of this play from Lamb, but equally important was the way George Pickens running a vertical route to the post took coverage away from the safety. Getting dynamic play makers the ball in space is a goal for every good offense in this league, and Lamb had plenty of room in this instance to beat his defender on an inside out move and create easy separation.
The Cowboys tried to finish the drive with a Lamb touchdown on a fade the very next play, but he was interfered with to keep it first and goal. Again from the one-yard line, the Cowboys put 12th overall pick Tyler Booker to the test, running Williams behind the pulling right guard and into the end zone for six.
Williams capped off the very next Cowboys drive with another short yardage touchdown. This time it was second year center Cooper Beebe climbing to the second level to take out a defender at the goal line and pave a path to pay dirt for the Cowboys’ new starting back. This is as good of a sign of growth from Beebe as possible, as the Cowboys offensive line wants to continue to play out in space and make blocks downfield. Beebe only showed the tip of the iceberg as a rookie starter when it comes to executing these blocks from center, but spending the offseason reunited with former Kansas State line coach Conor Riley and OC Klayton Adams is already paying off.
- In between the two first half scores by Williams, Jalen Hurts ran in a touchdown on the Eagles’ first possession to tie the score. The Cowboys were not afraid to play man coverage in this game, but it left them unprepared for the rushing threat of Hurts who finished as the Eagles’ leading rusher with 62 yards.
By far the bigger concern when it came to run defense in this game for the Cowboys was how they would deal with Barkley and the true ground-and-pound game of the Eagles, but it turned out to be Hurts that frustrated them much more with his legs from start to finish. The Cowboys were often caught in between wanting to commit their linebackers to coverage to take away easy throws, and also have them account for Hurts as a runner. With new contributors like Jack Sanborn and Kenneth Murray playing the majority of the snaps, this early season dilemma and some of the miscommunications that happened because of it are understandable for now.
On Hurts’ first touchdown scramble, it was Murray that ended up with his back turned to the QB following a route towards the pylon that opened the lane for a touchdown. The Cowboys actually had DaRon Bland in great position for Murray to pass off this route, but it did not happen. In the second half when the Cowboys were forced to bring more pressure off the edge to close down the escape lanes for Hurts, they did a much better job passing off routes downfield to their safeties. For a week one defensive performance, the Cowboys showed they have a very solid foundation under Eberflus, but not after conceding touchdowns on the Eagles’ first three drives and a field goal on the fourth.
It was Sanborn at the MIKE linebacker position on Hurts’ second touchdown run, unable to burst out of his backpedal and win a footrace to the pylon and stop Hurts from scoring. Sanborn did well to drop into coverage and take away Hurts’ first reads over the middle, but this is a player that is also capable of making plays along the line of scrimmage. He was used in that way previously by Eberflus with the Chicago Bears.
The Cowboys will possibly have to mix in more of Marist Liufau at linebacker, as well as more of Donovan Wilson or Markquese Bell on the second level, to pair with Sanborn and Murray to give them better contain against the run on the edge.
The Hurts run that was fatal to the Cowboys chances of winning this game late in the fourth quarter to clinch it also involved Sanborn, but was more about excellent scheming on Philadelphia’s part. By motioning Barkley out wide, the Cowboys had to shift their man coverage responsibilities, and this drew Sanborn away from the middle of the field before the play.
The Eagles put themselves in these types of situations to keep the playbook open and the Cowboys defense on their heels at critical points down the stretch of this game. They did a better overall job than the Cowboys of staying on schedule and avoiding long down and distances or the need for heroics from their quarterback, the closest thing being the four-yard run on third and three that iced the game. Still, Hurts’ 82.6% completion rate in this game was the second highest of his career, and that’s with the Cowboys holding A.J. Brown to one catch for eight yards. Talking about the Cowboys lack of a pass rush against the quick passing game is not exactly surprising given who wasn’t out there for them, but having it arguably be more of a concern going forward than the run defense or play at cornerback following this matchup with the Eagles is at least a mild surprise.
- Solomon Thomas was responsible for the majority of the Cowboys noticeable plays from defensive tackle, a first year Cowboy being thrust into some 1-technique as the team made a statement they do not trust Mazi Smith solely in this role at the moment. Thomas was in on a tackle against Barkley that led to the game’s first three and out and first punt, immediately following the weather delay. Getting the Eagles into second and third and long was all the Cowboys needed to bring some pressure and quickly get the ball back after Sanders’ fumble. The way both teams were scoring at will prior to this, it felt like a big deal the Cowboys were going back on offense with this momentum, and an even bigger one when the defense continued to produce stops by being stiff against the interior run.
It may not have been all positive from the Cowboys’ defensive tackle group, as it was Thomas and rookie Jay Toia who both got pushed up field and were still being blocked when Barkley crossed the goal line on his ten-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles the lead for good. With two of the newest players here in Thomas and Kenny Clark making a noticeable difference in the way Dallas held the line of scrimmage though, there is a lot to like about the trajectory of the play this front is capable of. Their development and understanding of Eberflus’ scheme will only continue to allow this defense to create different looks on the backend and hunt for takeaways, something they failed to create against the Eagles.
- There were a lot of turning-point type sequences in this game, but for a week one contest, it is slightly ironic that both teams had a crucial series that heavily involved their backup running backs. The fact this chess match came down to depth players in just the first 60 minutes of football this season is a great testament to how prepared not only the defending champs were, but Schottenheimer and the Cowboys as well. Dallas’ execution in their end of half sequence to get the ball at their own 12-yard line with 44 seconds left, and end by spiking the ball with four seconds left at the Philly 35 to set up a 53-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal was also a positive example of their preparation and attention to detail coming into the opener.
The Cowboys’ bookmark-worthy play involving a backup running back was Miles Sanders’ fumble in the red zone, which capped off a wild turn of events that began with Sanders actually ripping off the longest run of the night for 49 yards. A George Pickens personal foul penalty took the Cowboys from first and ten in the red zone to first and 22, and eventually third and this distance. Prescott tried to hit Ferguson, and while the short throw was defended and incomplete, Eagles safety Reed Blankenship hit Ferguson after the ball arrived and gave the Cowboys a bailout first down with the personal foul. One play later, Sanders fumbled and the Cowboys were shutout in the red zone to finish two for three scoring touchdowns in this area. The Eagles were a perfect three for three, another turning point difference in the game, which it has been in previous meetings against the Cowboys at home as well.
The Eagles’ plays involving backup RB A.J. Dillon came on their first non-touchdown drive of the game, but still one that yielded points with a field goal. The Cowboys threw some different looks at the Eagles on this drive, having Donovan Wilson in the box to stop a first down handoff to Dillon along with Kenny Clark. On second down, the Cowboys got their only sack of the game with Clark and Marshawn Kneeland downing Hurts and creating one of their only obvious pass rush situations of the game at third and 18. Dante Fowler got another hit on Hurts on this third down, which was a short completion that forced the field goal try.
It may have been a brief moment in a game with lots of memorable plays, but this was a glimpse into where the Cowboys defense wants to make their money this season. The edge rush by Fowler on third down to explode off the ball compared to the early down runs Fowler looked out of place trying to defend was a major difference. The Eagles’ offense is one of the hardest to get out of rhythm in the entire NFL, so credit the Cowboys for doing so at least in flashes, but as they go into more favorable matchups they will have to take advantage even more.
- If the Eagles offense wasn’t going to be behind schedule much in this game, the very least the Cowboys own offense needed to do was keep pace with their own run game and control the ball the best they could. The Cowboys looked more than capable of doing this all night when they had the run, pass, and play-action game all working from the opening kickoff.
In a game of inches between old-school rivals though, a few plays that backed the Cowboys up late in the third quarter and throughout the fourth were killers. Following their first defensive stop, the Cowboys had a negative pass play on a screen to Lamb, which led to one of Lamb’s key drops on the ensuing third down. On their very next drive, the Cowboys had a negative run on first down that led to Prescott being pressured again on third down, and yet again another missed opportunity to Lamb on fourth down. Prescott and Lamb couldn’t connect on a diving attempt by Lamb down the numbers to get behind the Eagles’ coverage.
It is these areas where it would have been nice to see the Cowboys be able to depend on high percentage throws to not just Lamb but Pickens, Ferguson, or even KaVontae Turpin who was involved early. Not doing so in a loss doesn’t leave the Cowboys in bad position at all to work on adding these layers to an offensive scheme that is still new to players that didn’t get any preseason work, but having this one go in the loss column when the plays to be made were right out in front of this talented offense is painful. Some of these more minor plays may be overshadowed and forgotten about because of the Lamb drops, but internally Schottenheimer and the Cowboys will see there was potential for more big plays from everyone offensively, hardly just #88. For now, this is the area to look for the quickest improvement in for a Cowboys team that will play one of just five currently scheduled early kickoff games at home against a Giants team they’ve dominated as of late in week two at home.
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