Hurts, Eagles weather the storm, defeat Cowboys in season-opener
Goforitradio Staff
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On Thursday, the world-champion Philadelphia Eagles (1-0), who unveiled their championship banner before the start of the game, began defense of their title against the Dallas Cowboys, and the first game was a success as they defeated the Cowboys(0-1) 24-20 at Lincoln Financial Field.
The game took a little longer than expected, as it was delayed an hour due to lightning.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Philly’s ‘Big 3’ and their outstanding performances on Sunday:
-Jalen Hurts was everything the Eagles wanted him to be and more, at least in the first half. Hurts led the Eagles on three touchdown scoring drives in the first half, and punctuated two of those drives with touchdown runs. In the second half, the offense could only muster up three points, but the one-hour delay may have impacted that.
Despite the second-half struggles, when the Eagles needed Hurts the most, he delivered. Hurts ran for the first down that put the game away on the team’s final possession.
Overall, Hurts finished the game completing 19-of-23 passes for 152 yards, and he added 63 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.
–Braden Mann punted three times for 146 yards and a 48.7 average, including two punts of 50+ yards (51 and 51) and two punts inside the 20-yard line, pinning the Cowboys at the DAL 11 and DAL 18. Those punts helped the Eagles.
-The Eagles’ defense struggled in the first half as they allowed the Cowboys to score points on all four of their first-half possessions; Dallas had 177 total yards, and they scored 20 points. However, the second half was a different story. The Eagles forced a turnover, held the Cowboys to 130 total yards, and most importantly, Dallas was held scoreless. The delay may have helped, but who knows?
Honorable Mention:
-Jahan Dotson caught three passes for 59 yards, including a 51-yard reception before halftime, which set up a 10-yard Saquon Barkley touchdown run.
-Dallas Goedert had seven receptions for 44 yards.
End of the Day:
The Eagles did not play their best against the Cowboys, but they managed to do enough. Offensively, they started fast, mainly due to Hurts’ legs. Obviously, the passing game has to be better, especially getting A.J. Brown(one catch, eight yards) more involved.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson struggled against the Cowboys. That’s a spot the Eagles may have to find a way to upgrade.
Before the Cowboys’ first snap from scrimmage, Eagles Pro Bowl DT Jalen Carter was caught spitting on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Carter was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty and was ejected from the game.
Carter lacked impulse control, which could have cost the Eagles the game. He’s the Eagles’ best player on defense, and they missed him against Dallas. However, it wasn’t as bad as it first looked. Later in the game, NBC showed a different angle, which showed Prescott spitting, but he was pretty far away from Carter. In the end, Prescott’s action could help Carter avoid suspension.
One more thing…
-According to Elias Sports, Nick Sirianni became the eighth head coach in NFL history to start their career with five consecutive season-opening victories.
With this victory, the Eagles have extended their winning streak at Lincoln Financial Field to an impressive 11 games, a record that all Eagles fans can be proud of.
