Eagles beat Cowboys in the opening game of the new NFL season

(AFP) The Philadelphia Eagles prevailed 24-20 over the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) in the opening game of the 2025-26 NFL season, a game that was marked by Jalen Carter's ejection and an hour-long thunderstorm delay.

Five touchdowns were completed in Thursday’s action, all of them coming on the ground.

A night of celebration for the Eagles as they raised their championship banner quickly took a different turn when defensive tackle Jalen Carter spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

According to preliminary reports, the action is under investigation and subject to possible sanction by the NFL.

On the sports side, running back Javonte Williams scored the first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard carry.

Williams, 25, delivered the same dose in the first minutes of the second quarter, becoming the main offensive weapon of the Texans.

For the Eagles, Jalen Hurts also targeted the ground game and tallied a pair of touchdowns of four and eight yards.

"It's important to get off to a good start," Hurts told NBC. "It's a new start, a new way, we have a lot of respect for the other team, we have to improve some things but we had a good collective effort."

Hurts, winner of the Most Valuable Player award in Super Bowl LIX, scored 62 yards outpacing Saquon Barkley who finished with 60 and a touchdown.

"The only thing that matters is winning games, he did a great job," Barkley commented. "It's important to be back, we have to improve a lot of things but it's important to get off on the right foot against a division rival."

Although tonight's success for Hurts was with the ball in his hands, he maintained effectiveness in the aerial game by connecting on 19 of 23 passes for 152 yards, with no interceptions.

For the Cowboys, Prescott completed 21 of 34 passes for 188 yards, failing in the final stretch of the game in which he could not complete decisive passes with his main receiver, CeeDee Lamb.

The defending champions secured the victory with a spectacular 58-yard field goal by Jake Elliott.

The first week of the NFL regular season will continue this Friday with the game between Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil.