The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 1 clash that kicked off the 2025 NFL regular season. After plenty of scoring in the first half, both teams struggled to put up points in the second half (with a weather delay also impacting both teams).
With no passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, neither quarterback wowed through the air, but both teams’ wide receiver struggles stood out.
Jalen Hurts Delivers on Precision, but Yards Are Hard to Find
Jalen Hurts set the tone for Philadelphia with a methodical approach, completing an impressive 19 of 23 passes (82.6%) and avoiding turnovers. Hurts’ accuracy was reflected not just in his completion rate, but also in the consistency of his short and intermediate throws. On a night when the Cowboys’ defense clamped down on explosive plays, Hurts used his legs and short passes to keep the chains moving.
Hurts finished with 152 yards, averaging just 6.6 yards per attempt. Many of his completions came on throws of 0-5 yards past the line of scrimmage, optimizing for ball security and catchable passes rather than pushing the ball downfield. He found some success targeting the left and right flats with swing passes and well-timed checkdowns, demonstrating versatility and poise against different looks.
Notably, Hurts’ most impactful throw was a more than 50-yard deep shot, displaying touch and confidence on a critical third down, but that was the exception.
JALEN HURTS WITH A DIME TO JAHAN DOTSON FOR 51 YARDS#FlyEaglesFly
pic.twitter.com/8gZ6JWFCyM— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) September 5, 2025
A.J. Brown finished the game with just one target and one catch for eight yards, while DeVonta Smith had three targets and three catches for 16 yards. Surprisingly, Jahan Dotson was the Eagles’ leading receiver with 59 receiving yards, while Dallas Goedert had the most targets (seven) and receptions (seven) for 44 yards.
The Eagles effectively blended pistol and shotgun formations, sprinkling in play-action to buy Hurts extra time. Even when pressured, he made smart choices, leading to throwaways rather than risky passes. Hurts did most of his damage on the ground, rushing 14 times for a game-high 62 yards and two touchdowns.
Dak Prescott’s Aggressiveness Yields Mixed Results
For the Cowboys, Dak Prescott attempted 34 passes and completed 21, good for a 61.8% completion rate. Prescott actually outgained Hurts in total passing yards with 188, but his performance showcased the downside of taking more chances against a disciplined defense. Several of Prescott’s incompletions were the result of effective coverage or drops, not ugly mistakes on his part, yet he also missed out on a few big opportunities.
Prescott’s targets stretched the field vertically, with multiple deep balls mixed in. His best throw, a 35-yard completion on a pressured vertical route, showed his ability to keep plays alive and deliver under duress. That said, the Cowboys struggled to generate consistent separation on intermediate and deep routes.
Several plays required receivers to make difficult adjustments or fight through contact. Prescott didn’t throw a single touchdown pass, but he avoided interceptions, and despite throwing into tight windows on several occasions, his accuracy graded well on catchable balls. Notably, he was also on the receiving end of some pass interference penalties that mitigated the impact of incompletions and kept drives alive.
🚨NEWS: #Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a career high FOUR DROPS in tonight‘s game — with two of them on the final drive.
Lamb only had six total drops the entire last season — in just one game this season he had four.
An awful performance from Lamb… costing his team. pic.twitter.com/qSoSYIjVVg
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 5, 2025
If Lamb didn’t drop multiple passes, including two deep bombs in clutch time, Prescott’s stat line would have looked better. The game’s script forced the Cowboys to throw more late, amplifying Prescott’s volume but not his efficiency.
Lamb spoke to the media after the game and took accountability for his performance.
“That’s terrible. I can’t point the finger at anybody else. I take full accountability and everything else that comes with it. As a player, I train for moments like that and the ball to come my way. I need to catch the damn ball” he said.
