The Philadelphia Eagles didn't make it through one play before chaos broke loose, starting with a key special teams injury with Ben VanSumeren hurt while blocking. While the fullback was being attended to, Dak Prescott took the time to spit in the direction of Jalen Carter and smirk in the star defender's direction. Those familiar with Carter's history both in college and in his first years as a pro know that much is rarely needed to push the star over the edge. The pass rusher took the bait, spitting on Prescott, and was promptly tossed from the game.
It didn't matter that Prescott started it, Carter wasn't able to control his emotions and acted selfishly. This easily could've cost the Eagles the game, and it was just the start of an incredibly sloppy first two quarters of football. While this would bleed into the start of the third quarter as well, it appears an extensive weather delay allowed Vic Fangio to get his players under control and focused back on playing their game.
Jalen Carter Sets the Tone for Eagles Defense in Frustrating Early Performance
What was so infuriating about watching Philly's defense in the first few quarters of the year was the sloppy plays that simply cost the team points. Nolan Smith had two awful mistakes; the first one was walking over to the running back after a nice tackle and flexing in his face. It is the peak of stupidity when you simply could walk in any other direction and celebrate the play flag free. This was followed up by what appeared to be an accidental swipe of Prescott's helmet, attempting to get to the quarterback.
Regardless, Smith cost his team points and gave the Cowboys free first downs on a night when the franchise was already missing its best player. Quinyon Mitchell pitched in with an ugly pass interference early on in the game despite being in a great position to play the football. Mitchell panicked and opted to grab the Dallas receiver rather than attempt to make a play, and it would cost Philly a touchdown.
Another penalty was called when the Eagles made a play on a ball in the end zone and accidentally caught the head of the would-be Cowboys' pass catcher. The point being, Philly's defense went into tonight's game incredibly sloppy and appearing entitled. It was alarming to see these levels of mistakes being made even by a young defense.
The core of the championship team is still intact, and losing your poise so easily early in the year was an alarming sight. However, the Eagles appeared to be completely unprepared and let the heat of the moment overwhelm them more than once. Luckily, Jalen Hurts and the Philly offense got off to an incredible start, allowing Fangio time to figure things out.
While the weather delay wasn't welcomed by fans or players, it was exactly what was needed to allow the Philly defense to find its composure and shut down the Cowboys in the second half. Dallas wouldn't score a single point in the final two quarters with Philly's defense finding its poise and locking in.
Still, these were noteworthy hiccups that demand accountability from the players, with Carter and Smith standing out. Both Georgia products made poor decisions on Thursday night that could've cost their team the game. Something that cannot be overlooked even after an impressive Philly win.