The NFL’s opening game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys has been a wild one.
The game already saw the Eagles’ Jalen Carter suspended before a single play from scrimmage after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
From there, it’s been a back-and-forth battle that ended with the Eagles leading 21-20 at halftime.
Getting the ball to start the third quarter, the Eagles went 32 yards in 10 plays to extend their lead to 24-20. On the ensuing drive, Dallas marched all the way down to the Philadelphia 11-yard line after Miles Sanders ripped off a 49-yard run.
However, that momentum quickly vanished. After a three-yard run from Sanders, wide receiver George Pickens was flagged for unnecessary roughness on safety Reed Blankenship. Pickens essentially pulled off a clothesline maneuver, dragging Blankenship down by the head and helmet area.
George Pickens pic.twitter.com/AVEEMGTfvC
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) September 5, 2025
It was a classic case of Pickens letting his emotions get the better of him, something he became notorious for in Pittsburgh with his knack for drawing costly penalties. That same reputation is part of the reason the Steelers decided to deal him in the offseason.
The penalty proved more costly than anyone imagined. It pushed the Cowboys all the way back to the Philadelphia 23, forcing them into a 1st-and-22. The next two plays were straight incompletions, before Blankenship was flagged for a 12-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson that moved the ball back to the 11.
Yet disaster struck on the very next play. Sanders fumbled, and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell pounced on the loose ball at the Eagles’ 11.
The Eagles, however, couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, at least not yet. The game was halted by a weather delay with lightning in the area.
As for Pickens, he has two catches for 15 yards. The leading receiver for Dallas has been CeeDee Lamb with four catches for 86 yards.