Eagles Sneak by Cowboys in Super Bowl Banner Game

Jalen Carter stole the thunder from the Philadelphia Eagles crowd on Super Bowl banner night. The Dallas Cowboys came to town in what was supposed to be a glorious game that showed the arch-rivals what championship euphoria looks like.

While the Eagles snuck away with a 24-20 victory in Week 1, the story after an expected victory turned elsewhere.

The best defensive player on the Eagles spit on Dak Prescott and earned an ejection before the first play from scrimmage. A lightning delay pushed the final whistle past midnight.

But.. the Eagles are 1-0.

Jalen Hurts didn’t light up the night with a prolific passing attack. He targeted DeVonta Smith only three times and A.J. Brown only once, and the Eagles finished with only 152 passing yards.

The running game picked up the slack. Saquon Barkley hit the ground running after one of the best running back seasons in NFL history in 2024. He ran for 60 yards. Hurts also carried the ball effectively, especially in the first half. He scrambled effectively on the first three Philadelphia drives and erased any concerns about shortcomings in the passing game.

Hurts led three touchdown drives during the first half. Although the offense stalled at points during the second half, they took the ball with 1:54 remaining on the clock and never handed it back.

Carter’s absence impacted the defense early and often. Prescott’s plan to target his top wide receiver CeeDee Lamb became much easier without a force in the middle of the Philadelphia defensive line.

Lamb finished with seven catches for 110 yards. He torched the struggling Adoree’ Jackson on continuous pass plays during the first half. Dallas knew the weakness in their NFC East rival’s secondary, and they exploited it consistently. Jackson also allowed a key first down to George Pickens with three minutes remaining on a drive that the Eagles eventually stopped.

Prescott finished with a modest 188 yards through the air. The Eagles, however, struggled to slow down the passing attack after losing key contributors in the secondary and along the defensive line after the victory in Super Bowl LIX.

They have their fair share of concerns before facing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. The suspect unit stopped the Dallas running game effectively despite the overall questionable opening night. 

The Super Bowl banner night didn't turn out like any of the pundits planned, but the Eagles are where they expected to be in first place in the NFC East.