Cowboys Lose Closer Than Expected Opener at Philadelphia

On a night that was the coronation of the 2024 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and supposed to be a game that the Dallas Cowboys had no business being in, Brian Schottenheimer’s group put up a courageous effort in his coaching debut, albeit an effort that ultimately came up short. 

After Eagle defensive tackle Jalen Carter spit on Cowboy quarterback Dak Prescott, leading to an ejection of the Pro Bowl defensive lineman before a snap was played, and after a sixty-two minute lightning delay in the third quarter, the Eagles prevailed 24-20 thanks to a Cowboy defense that provided zero resistance in the first half and courtesy of crucial late game drops from star Cowboys’ receiver CeeDee Lamb. 

The Cowboys outgained (307 to 302) and out-threw (188-144) the Eagles, but it was the ground game that was the separator for the home side, even though the Cowboys did better than expected in that department. 

Twenty-two rushes for 119 yards was the Cowboys’ total (5.4 yards per carry) while the Eagles tallied 158 yards on 38 attempts (4.2 yards per rush). A lot of that Cowboy YPC was due to a 49-yard Miles Sanders run in the third quarter. Unfortunately for Dallas, five plays later Sanders fumbled the ball at the Eagles’ 10-yard line. The score at the time was 24-20 Eagles and the Sanders’ cough-up prevented the Cowboys from potentially taking the lead. 

After the third quarter lightning delay - over an hour - the Cowboys’ defense looked completely different when play resumed than it did in the first half. On the Eagles’ possession out of the delay, Cowboys’ defenders Osa Odighizuwa and Jack Sanborn stuffed Saquon Barkley for a one-yard loss and Odighizuwa provided pressure on the next play as Hurts threw an incompletion. On third down, Cowboy corner Trevon Diggs blitzed off the edge and forced Hurts to scramble. 

The Cowboys though could not capitalize on the quality defensive series, as a 2nd and 7 toss to CeeDee Lamb netted negative yardage and set up 3rd and 10. Prescott threw incomplete to Lamb on third down. The teams exchanged punts again, until the Cowboys had one more chance to go and win the game. 

With 2:52 on the clock and facing a 3rd and 5, Prescott found receiver George Pickens toward the sideline, who made a great catch being covered by the Eagles’ Adoree’ Jackson. On the ensuing first down, Prescott looked for Lamb deep and down the middle. Prescott unleashed a beautiful ball, placing it right in Lamb’s chest. The star inexplicably dropped the ball though, and three plays later as the Cowboys faced a 4th and 3, Prescott unleashed a deep ball down the left side. It would have been a tough diving catch for Lamb, but it was definitely a makeable play nonetheless. The ball trickled through Lamb’s hands as he dove to make the play. Another drop. 

It was heartbreak for a Cowboys’ team that went into the game as underdogs and performed well enough offensively to win the game. The defense could not prevent the Eagles from doing anything in the first two and a half quarters but played marginally better late in the game. The Cowboy run game was successful early on and maintained a solid level of play, though you would have liked to see more touches for Javonte Williams, who ran for 54 yards on 15 carries with two scores. 

One of the questions emerging from the game is the lack of targets (four) for George Pickens. The offseason acquisition caught three balls for 30 yards, and his last catch of the game was a clutch grab that kept the game alive for the Cowboys. He also yielded a downfield defensive pass interference call early in the game and there could have been another defensive pass interference call on a Prescott throw to Pickens in the end zone. You would also like to see him get more targets. He is a big receiver with great playmaking ability. Surely head coach Brian Schottenheimer will better utilize him going forward. It is, after all, Week 1. 

The Cowboys head home this week for a Week 2 clash on September 14, a 1 p.m. eastern start against the New York Giants. 

Game Notes

Dak Prescott: 21/34, 188 yards

CeeDee Lamb: 7 catches, 110 yards

Jalen Hurts: 19/23, 152 yards. 14 rushes, 62 yards, 2 TD

Saquon Barkley: 18 carries, 60 yards, TD

Jahan Dotson: 3 catches, 59 yards

Malik Hooker (DAL), Kenneth Murray (DAL), Zack Baun (PHI): 9 tackles each

The Cowboys’ committed just four penalties in the game. Per ESPN’s Todd Archer, it is the fewest total that they have had since the 2015 opener against the Giants when they were called for three penalties. Their 42 penalty yards were their second fewest in eleven seasons. In 2015 and 2020, they had 35 penalty yards in a game. New acquisition Kenny Clark registered five tackles. When Clark was on the field, the defense allowed 2.8 yards per rush. When he was off the field, the defense allowed 6.6 yards. For the most part, he did a solid job of occupying blockers and getting up the field creating pressure. Solomon Thomas, the 29-year-old veteran who spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets, also played a decent game inside.