Eagles Win In Wacky Game To Start Season: This Week In Philly Sports

PHILADELPHIA, PA — What a wacky game.

The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a close win against the Dallas Cowboys to start the NFL season 24-20 on Thursday night at The Linc in a game that featured a little bit of everything.

First off, what in the world was Jalen Carter thinking?

The star stud of the defense never even played a defensive snap. He was tossed from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before a nationally televised audience watching a special edition of "Sunday Night Football" on NBC.

That came right after special teamer Ben Van Sumeren suffered a serious knee injury.

So basically, the Birds lost two players after the kickoff.

While the Carter incident is the talk of the town, Mother Nature also made an appearance.

Lightning warnings in the region suspended the game later in the third quarter, delaying the game at 24-20 for an hour. (Nothing like fans — and players — sitting around for an hour.)

When the game resumed, the score never changed.

Two teams that were scoring at will in the first half basically couldn't get rolling again after the game as both offenses stalled, and mishaps by the Cowboys allowed the Eagles to ice the game.

Jalen Hurts Picks Up From Super Bowl

Quarterback Jalen Hurts could have been playing in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs again. Talk about sharp. Hurts basically carried the team on his back. He made great decisions, keeping pace with the Cowboys after they scored first and what Carter did.

Hurts looked fast, confident, and assured. His deep ball to wideout Jahan Dotson was right on the money. He was elusive running the ball, scoring two touchdowns for the 18th time in his career.

He may have played the best first half of his career. If Hurts keeps this kind of play going, he might be an MVP candidate during the regular season once again.

Highlights of the Game

• The Eagles won this game because of Jalen Hurts.
• Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis was impressive. He moved fast (losing 30 pounds in the off-season) Davis picked up the slack for Carter when it wasn't expected for him to play that many snaps.
• Kicker Jake Elliott nailed a 58-yard field goal right down the middle. This was important for Elliott, who went 1-for-7 from 50 and out last year.
• Give credit to Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. He pieced together a defensive unit that lost its best player and had some holes in the secondary.
• You need to tip your cap to Prescott. He looked like he recovered from a devastating hamstring tear last year and performed at an MVP level of a few years ago.
• They're two players who do the dirty work: Linebacker Zack Baun and Tight End Dallas Goedert. Both played well under the radar when the team needed their steady play.
• Linebacker Jihaad Campbell looks like a big-time player. He was 30 yards downfield covering a tight end. He helped cause the Sanders fumble. And he flashed his versatility.
• While Saquon Barkley didn't dominate (only having 61 yards rushing), he made some nice moves and did score a touchdown.
• Coach Nick Sirianni is now 5-0 in season openers.

Lowlights of the Game

• After the Carter incident, Nolan Smith's taunting penalty was plain dumb. Should have never happened after he made a great tackle.
• This game took four hours! There are a lot of sleepy people in the Philadelphia region on Friday.
• The first eight drives of the game produced scores for both games. The last eight drives led to zero points.
• The Birds need another cornerback. That was evident on Thursday night.
• Where was star Wide Receiver A.J. Brown? He wasn't even targeted until the third quarter. This man is one of the best at his position in the NFL. New Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo better get Brown in the game plan fast, especially against the Kansas City Chiefs next week.

The Birds pulled off a win in a strange game. And they beat the Cowboys, which is the cherry on top. Hurts proved his leadership is growing. Things can only get better from here. As they say, a win is a win is a win.