The Dallas Cowboys lost their season opener on Thursday night to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a chaotic game in many ways as it began with a player ejection for spitting and featured a lightning delay. That makes two in a 365-day period for the Cowboys. It was a tough loss that Dallas will have […] The Dallas Cowboys lost their season opener on Thursday night to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a chaotic game in many ways as it began with a player ejection for spitting and featured a lightning delay. That makes two in a 365-day period for the Cowboys. It was a tough loss that Dallas will have to sit on for a while what with the game taking place on a Thursday. There were some pretty noteworthy performances and others we would like to see improved upon when this team hosts the New York Giants next week. Let’s get into those. Here is our first Stock Report of the regular season. Stock Up: Javonte Williams When the Cowboys chose not to have any of their running backs participate in the preseason we all rolled our eyes. Maybe you didn’t, but I will certainly raise my hand. While Javonte Williams hardly set the world on fire he did have the team’s only touchdowns on the night. Yes, plural. More important than anything Williams looked the part of an RB1 and justified the faith that the coaching staff was seemingly placing in him. We certainly still have some issues with it overall, but he significantly raised our expectations of the room, and that is important. Stock Up: Kenny Clark The Cowboys made mention many times in the aftermath of the Micah Parsons trade as to how important receiving Kenny Clark in return was. Kudos to them, they called their shot. Even though Jalen Hurts had just about everything he wanted from a running perspective, it was Clark who helped mitigate the damage. He very clearly is going to help this team bolster the run defense, which the front office swore was part of their reasoning behind the trade so in that sense have been partly justified, and that he played so well only a week after being dealt is very impressive. Stock Up: Marshawn Kneeland Sorry to continually bring up the Parsons trade, but it obviously impacts the context of everything, at least in the first game that Dallas played after moving him. In that sense there were always going to be eyes on the new starting pass rushers, recall this was also the first game without DeMarcus Lawrence, and second-year man Marshawn Kneeland stepped right up. Despite some questionable holding penalties that were not called which would have benefitted him even more, Kneeland proved that he has a lot for the Cowboys to work with. His impact was notable as he kept forcing Hurts to move around, which he unfortunately did very well. Stock Up: Sam Williams The same logic here is applicable to Sam Williams and the Cowboys have gone as far in the wake of the trade to suggest that he could be in line for an extension soon. If he plays like he did on Thursday then that may very well happen. Obviously the team’s pass rushers struggled throughout the first half and ultimately could not contain Hurts, but they stood tall when they were needed most in the fourth quarter. There is something to work with there. Stock Up: Matt Eberflus As noted the Cowboys defense really answered the call late. While the weather delay clearly disrupted things for both offenses, just before it the Cowboys defense “stopped” the Eagles for the first time on the evening in that they only allowed a field goal as opposed to a touchdown which had been the case on every possession prior. We can acknowledge that the delay changed things all the way around, but that shouldn’t take away from what Flus and Co. did to do their part down the stretch. They gave the offense a chance and deserve props for not caving like a lot of people thought they would in the aftermath of the Parsons stuff. Stock Up: Brian Schottenheimer Schotty is listed only once here, but he deserves a stock up as both the team’s head coach and offensive play-caller. From a head coaching perspective Schotty navigated a really treacherous situation and had his team ready to play. This isn’t specific to the Parsons stuff, either. From the moment that Schotty was hired he faced inordinate questions, and then a lot of drama that surrounded the team. He made sure none of that mattered. From a play-caller perspective, the Cowboys offense came out incredibly hot. The delay may have served to cool the entire game off, but Schotty was firing away and proving that he can fully handle things. The run game was successful (see Javonte Williams up top) and Dak Prescott looked as comfortable as he has been in some time. Static Stock: Dak Prescott Dak is a static stock this week, which may come as a surprise. In the aftermath of the game I tweeted that some blame should fall on his shoulders and was met with a lot of pushback. My logic, for those interested, requires the acceptance of multiple things being true simultaneously. There are far bigger and more primary culprits for why the Cowboys lost (you can see we are about to reach the stock down portion of this exercise), but the offense got the ball back with a chance to take the lead on three straight possessions. They obviously failed to do much, a lot of that was because of the stock downs we are about to discuss, but some of that blame has to fall on the quarterback. Prescott can’t throw and catch passes at the same time. We all know this. He was let down severely by several players around him. Expectations of the franchise quarterback can be unfair a lot. This isn’t

After the drama-filled offseason the Dallas Cowboys had, there was some expectation that the Cowboys would be overwhelmed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas was an 8.5-point underdog against their division rival. Many pondered: What will the Cowboys do without Micah Parsons? What will they do to slow down the Eagles? Like the weather in Philadelphia, […] After the drama-filled offseason the Dallas Cowboys had, there was some expectation that the Cowboys would be overwhelmed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas was an 8.5-point underdog against their division rival. Many pondered: What will the Cowboys do without Micah Parsons? What will they do to slow down the Eagles? Like the weather in Philadelphia, the Cowboys just needed to weather the storm to give themselves a chance at the upset win. For most of the game, they held serve, but they couldn’t get one more scoring drive when they needed it most, and an untimely turnover by Miles Sanders left the Cowboys one possession short of winning and hindered their chances to steal the road victory. However, there were a few positives that Dallas can hang their hat on and carry a positive outlook into their next game against the New York Giants. Here are three encouraging signs from Dallas’ loss in the season opener. The offensive line performed well most of the time Yes, the offensive line for Dallas had a much easier time because Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter foolishly got himself ejected after the opening kickoff by spitting on Dak Prescott. His boneheaded blunder allowed the offense not to have to account for him, and they performed well. Tyler Booker, Dallas’ first-round pick, was good in pass protection for the most part. Cooper Beebe did an excellent job in the running game to open holes for the running backs and got to the second level, overall giving Dallas a more balanced attack on offense. Collectively, the Cowboys’ running backs benefited from the offensive line’s run blocking. Dallas combined for 119 rushing yards for an efficient 5.4 yards per attempt. Also, if anyone needed a bounce-back year from 2024, it was Tyler Guyton. Guyton needed to improve in pass protection and clean up his technique. He handled the Eagles’ rushers well and did enough to give Prescott time to take some deep shots downfield. The offensive line kept Prescott clean in the pocket and didn’t allow a single sack. Of course some of that credit goes to Prescott who played Houdini on several pass blocking breakdowns. Dak Prescott is sharp in his return from injury Dak Prescott was locked in at the line of scrimmage. He was conducting the offense, deciphering the Eagles’ coverages before the snap, and working to get his team in the right position. While it is true that the offensive line didn’t allow any sacks, Prescott saved a few by shaking off defenders to get out of the pocket and keep the offense in better down and distances than the alternative. On one occasion, he shook off Jordan Davis to avoid a sack and scramble for a modest gain. He also managed to sidestep the pressure in the pocket to extend plays to find his receivers down the field. Prescott orchestrated a two-minute drive to get the Cowboys points before the half, drawing the Cowboys within one point going into the break. Prescott had a few throws he would like to have back, but he was mostly crisp with his throws and made great decisions. Prescott put many throws right in the hands of his receivers who could not make the catch. Also, Prescott made a touchdown-saving tackle on Quinyon Mitchell after Miles Sanders fumbled, which would have heavily altered the game. It says a lot about Prescott that a tenth-year veteran coming off injury is still risking his body to give his team a chance to win. The defense held when/where it mattered It is frustrating that the Cowboys could not contain Jalen Hurts from escaping the pocket and scoring twice. Yet, Dallas did a great job of bottling up their other star players. Saquon Barkley is always a threat to score when he has the ball in his hands, but Dallas held him in check. Barkley was held to only 60 yards on 14 carries. Dallas as a whole buckled down in the running game in the second half after the Eagles had nearly 100 yards rushing midway through the second quarter. Also, credit to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. He called some timely blitzes that to speed up Hurts’ timing and force him into rushed throws and the Eagles’ offense off the field. The defense also responded late in the game, when Dallas got the ball back not once but twice to give the offense one more chance to win the game late. Also, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown had four catches for 24 yards. Under those circumstances, you should expect to win. It’s not perfect, but there is progress. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys General

CeeDee Lamb awful drop costs Cowboys chance to win vs. Eagles – Billy Heyen, The Sporting News Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb had a frustrating night. CeeDee Lamb had a shaky drop earlier in the second half, but that would’ve been forgotten if he made this play. There he was, open down the middle of the […] Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb had a frustrating night. CeeDee Lamb had a shaky drop earlier in the second half, but that would’ve been forgotten if he made this play. There he was, open down the middle of the field, about two and a half minutes to go. The Dallas Cowboys were down by four to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Dak Prescott let it fly toward his top receiver. Lamb stuck out both arms to reel the pass in but somehow, inexplicably, he didn’t hang on. The ball nearly was intercepted off the deflection but instead fell to the turf. There’s no way Lamb should’ve dropped it. Lamb is one of the most polished receivers in football. He runs precise routes and doesn’t drop passes. This was shocking. 3 takeaways from Dallas Cowboys’ loss vs. Eagles in Week 1 – Tyler Reed, SI.com Some key takeaways from the Cowboys week one loss. Costly Turnover Just before the agonizing weather delay, running back Miles Sanders would have a costly fumble that changed the trajectory of the game. Losing the turnover battle is always going to be a recipe for losing. Same Story, Different Year Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The defense tightened up after the weather delay, but the Eagles had already done enough damage on the ground to give them an edge in the season opener. It doesn’t mean the unit has gotten better, but their debut was uninspiring. Javonte Williams showed up and showed out in week one. The Cowboys started their first drive at their own 47. They started their second at their own 12 after unnecessary roughness penalties on Marist Liufau and Markquese Bell on the kickoff. The Cowboys also had to overcome a 10-yard holding penalty on left guard Tyler Smith. They faced second-and-23 after a 3-yard loss on a pass from Dak Prescott to Miles Sanders. No matter, Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell grabbed the neck of George Pickens’ jersey on a long pass. Pickens still nearly caught the ball one-handed but instead it was Mitchell’s 34-yard penalty that set up the Cowboys’ second touchdown. Three plays later, Javonte Williams had his second 1-yard touchdown and the Cowboys had a 14-7 lead. A lightening delay in the third quarter was not cool. The Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys game Sept. 4 at Lincoln Financial Field has been suspended because of lightning. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued and lightning was in the area. According to NFL rules, if there is a lightning strike within 8 to 10 miles of the stadium, the game is suspended for at least 30 minutes. Fans at The Linc were told to see shelter as the storms passed through. The Cowboys and Eagles game started off in one of the oddest ways possible. Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected from the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys before the first offensive play of the game after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. It’s unclear what was said between Prescott and Carter, but Prescott is usually lined up in the huddle on the far side from the line of scrimmage. As Prescott and Carter started talking, Prescott went through the huddle to approach Carter. The two exchanged words, and as they started backing up to their respective sides of the field, Carter spat toward Prescott’s chest. Miles Sanders had a huge run, but a massive fumble. Sanders broke off a 49-yard run that brought Dallas down to the Philadelphia 11-yard line. Rather than going back to Javonte Williams, who has run for two touchdowns and seemingly established himself as the leading man in the backfield, Dallas stuck with Sanders and got burned because of it. Sanders fumbled in the red zone, as Quinyon Mitchell would soon recover and help the Eagles get the ball back right before a lengthy lightning delay. Sanders has hit the skids in his pro career, and moments like this show why. The Cowboys pass rush was nonexistent for most of the night. The primary focus of the Dallas Cowboys’ opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles was always going to center around the absence of Micah Parsons, and there’s no denying they felt it. Jerry Jones cited a need to stop the run as the main reason for agreeing to trade Micah Parsons. When he sat down to do a press conference after confirming the trade with the Green Bay Packers, it was all he could talk about. However, amidst the endless speculation surrounding the Cowboys’ performance against the run and the insertion of defensive tackle Kenny Clark, Micah Parsons’ primary role went unspoken. On the field on Thursday night, it was obvious. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys News

Coming into Thursday night’s NFL kickoff between the Cowboys and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, nobody was believing in America’s Team. They were the biggest underdog of any team in Week 1, and hardly anyone was predicting the Cowboys to win. They didn’t win, of course; Philadelphia held on to win 24-20 in a […] Coming into Thursday night’s NFL kickoff between the Cowboys and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, nobody was believing in America’s Team. They were the biggest underdog of any team in Week 1, and hardly anyone was predicting the Cowboys to win. They didn’t win, of course; Philadelphia held on to win 24-20 in a game that saw a flurry of scoring in the first half followed by just three combined points in the second half. But the manner in which this game unfolded – Dak Prescott returning to form, the Dallas defense shutting the Eagles out of the endzone in the second half – offered real hope for the season after a week that seemingly extinguished all of it. It was a peculiar game through and through, too. The opening kickoff featured an Eagles player, fullback Ben VanSumeren, suffering an injury that required him to be carted off. As that happened, Eagles star defensive tackle Jalen Carter got ejected after spitting on Prescott. The Philadelphia defense lost its best player before they’d even played a down. That prompted a hot start from Prescott and the Cowboys offense in their first real showing with Brian Schottenheimer calling plays. And boy did the offense look good, too. There was pre-snap motion, play-action, jet sweep motion with KaVontae Turpin, and some really, really strong running from Javonte Williams. Before long, Williams had two rushing touchdowns, and the Cowboys were up 17-14 with just over two minutes left in the half. A touchdown run from Saquon Barkley put the Eagles back up, but Prescott made just enough plays to get in range for another Brandon Aubrey field goal, cutting it to a 21-20 halftime score. The problem in the first half had been defense, and that went both ways. The Eagles couldn’t stop Prescott, but Matt Eberflus’ unit was also struggling. There was hardly any pass rush, and Jalen Hurts was running all over the place. He and Barkley helped rack up 100+ rushing yards in just the first half. Something clicked, though. The defense tightened up in the second half, making a big stop on third down to limit Philadelphia to a 58-yard field goal from Jake Elliott on their opening drive of the third quarter. It felt as if things were starting to shift in the Cowboys’ favor. That feeling was intensified when Miles Sanders, a former Eagle, broke off a 49-yard run to flip the field. Suddenly, the Cowboys were just 11 yards out from taking the lead. Then, more strange things happened. An unnecessary roughness penalty on George Pickens backed them up, an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Eagles moved them forward, and then Sanders lost the ball. The Eagles recovered that fumble, and a gutsy diving tackle from Prescott prevented a touchdown return, but the drive had been killed. And just to make things even more peculiar, lightning started to strike nearby, and the game went into a rain delay that lasted just over an hour. When the teams finally came back out, the Cowboys defense was playing on another level. They held Barkley to -1 rushing yard the rest of the way on seven carries, and Hurts was constantly under duress. The Eagles never even reached Dallas territory from then on, and the only drive they didn’t punt on was the final drive that saw them take a knee. The problem was the offense took a step back, notably star receiver CeeDee Lamb. All told, Lamb had four drops throughout the night, with two huge ones on the final offensive possession for Dallas. The first was a deep shot that Prescott dropped that was right into his hands, one that would have set the Cowboys up right outside the red zone, but Lamb couldn’t corral it. The second one came on fourth down, and was a bit more difficult to catch. Lamb had a step on his man, and Prescott lofted it up for him, but Lamb had to fully extend to get his hands on the ball. Ultimately, he was unable to bring it in, but it’s the kind of catch that a player of Lamb’s caliber should be making, especially in that situation. The game was far from perfect, but there were notable positives to take out of this one. Prescott didn’t look like someone who needed preseason reps, Lamb was electric outside of those drops in big moments, the run game actually averaged more per carry than the Eagles, and the defense proved it has some juice. The Cowboys were also the more disciplined team, drawing just four penalties compared to Philadelphia’s nine. There was a lot going on in this game, and it will be remembered for many things, but Schottenheimer’s debut as a head coach was certainly promising. It’s a tough one to lose, but the fact that Dallas was even in it as the two minute warning arrived is better than nearly anyone expected. If the Cowboys play this way every single week, they’re going to win plenty of games. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys General

Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. Real, meaningful football will be played tonight, as the Eagles will unveil their Super Bowl banner and then host America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, against whom they are a meager 57-71 all time. Of course, recent developments have resulted in the Eagles being a heavy favorite. Blowing out the […] Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. Real, meaningful football will be played tonight, as the Eagles will unveil their Super Bowl banner and then host America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, against whom they are a meager 57-71 all time. Of course, recent developments have resulted in the Eagles being a heavy favorite. Blowing out the Chiefs in the Super Bowl will do that, as will the Cowboys trading away Micah Parsons right before the season starts. As it stands right now, Dallas is an 8.5-point underdog, the largest spread of any game in Week 1. Is that justified, though? Our writers aren’t so sure. Let’s take a look at what they think will happen when the NFL kicks off its 106th season. When Philadelphia has the ball Find out what Kenny Clark is worth Lost in all the chaos of the Micah Parsons trade is the fact that Dallas made perhaps its most legitimate investment in shoring up their run defense in two decades. Kenny Clark may not be in his prime anymore at 29 years of age, but he’s still a capable and savvy run defender. He may even be the Cowboys’ best nose tackle since the Jay Ratliff days. The question on everyone’s minds is if it will actually matter. The Eagles are a run-heavy team, what with their elite offensive line and Saquon Barkley and the dual threat ability of Jalen Hurts. Stopping the run is Plan A, B, and C to disrupting the Eagles on offense, and Clark is a big piece of the puzzle in trying to accomplish that. When Dallas has the ball Remind everyone what Dak Prescott is capable of It’s been a while since Dak Prescott suited up for the Cowboys, and many people have forgotten what he’s capable of. He’s been nails against the NFC East, and is 9-4 against this franchise in particular. You have to go back to 2019 to find the last time he didn’t throw multiple touchdowns against the Eagles, and you have to one more year back from there to find the last time he threw multiple interceptions. Now, he’s got an upgraded receiving corps, with George Pickens providing a verifiable deep threat that should open things up underneath for CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. He’s also facing an Eagles defense that has the youngest secondary in the league and lost two of its top three pass rushers from a year ago. Brian Schottenheimer has spoken about fielding a strong run game, but he may want to start off with a vintage Dak Attack for this game. Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers… Tom Ryle: It is hard to look at the Cowboys and the Eagles without seeing that Philadelphia has the stronger, deeper roster. The only way I think Dallas can win is to just outscore their opponents, which is not outside the realm of possibility if Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens are what we think they are. However, I don’t think that happens. Eagles 38, Cowboys 27. Matt Holleran: It’s hard to believe the Dallas Cowboys enter the first week of the regular season as the biggest underdog of any team in the entire Week 1 slate. The Micah Parsons trade moved the line an entire point, and the Cowboys currently sit as 8.5 point dogs in their opening matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. I think the spread is indicative of how this game will go, and I see it being a struggle for Dallas on both sides of the ball. Prescott and the Cowboys offense looks rusty after no preseason work, and their defense wears down in the second half, giving up some big plays. Philly pulls away in the late third quarter and gets a comfortable win to start the year. Give me the Eagles, 24-13. Mike Poland: This is tough to do being the ultimate Cowboys optimist of the group, and although my head says this is Cowboys loss, my unwavering positivity is going to get me in trouble this week. Dak is 9-4 against the Eagles and has won four out of the last five meetings between the two teams. The wildcard player this week is George Pickens. He led the league last year in deep receiving yards (577) where the Eagles defense allowed the seventh-most air-yards (2,324). Cowboys win this week 23-21 (thank you Brandon Aubrey). Brian Martin: Due to the majority of the Cowboys starters sitting in preseason and with a completely new coaching staff, I have no idea what to expect from Dallas in the season opener. I do think it’s going to be a low-scoring, sloppy game by both teams though, but one where home field advantage makes all the difference. Score prediction: Cowboys 13, Eagles 17. Jess Haynie: The Dallas offense does its part, but the defense struggles in its first post-Parsons attempt. Eagles 31, Cowboys 27. David Howman: I’m with Mike on this one (sort of). I see one of two outcomes in this game: either the Cowboys will score a last second victory in a close, competitive game, or the Eagles will absolutely dog walk them in embarrassing fashion. I think the culture that Schottenheimer is building will result in the former outcome, but I could be wrong. I think we see a more pass-happy version of this offense than we’ll see the rest of the year, but for a good reason. Dak Prescott has this team’s number, and the Pickens factor can’t be ignored. Prescott will be dealing early, CeeDee Lamb will put up numbers, and it’ll come down to a 60-yarder from Brandon Aubrey to shock the world and send