The NFL returned with a flurry of action on Thursday, from Jalen Carter's immediate ejection for spitting on Dak Prescott to an offensive onslaught from both teams.
Then it came to a halt.
The league's season opener between the Cowboys and Eagles was suspended in the third quarter due to lightning near Lincoln Financial Field, sending fans to the concourse and both teams back to their locker rooms with the game in the balance.
Here are the latest weather updates as the Cowboys and Eagles wait for storms to clear.
LIVE: Follow updates from Cowboys vs. Eagles in NFL opener
Why is Eagles vs. Cowboys game delayed?
Update: The game resumed at 11:30 p.m. ET after a 65-minute delay.
Thursday's game was suspended as a storm cell moved into the area surrounding Lincoln Financial Field. The stadium itself was not dealing with heavy rain or visible lightning at the time the game was suspended, but the NFL took action with a storm coming in from the south and west.
With lightning in the area of Lincoln Financial Field, the Cowboys-Eagles game has been delayed. pic.twitter.com/Mjm9DJbl5r
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 5, 2025
Per the NBC broadcast, the NFL expects the area to be clear of lightning by 11:15 p.m. ET. Once the lightning clears out, the players will receive another 12 minutes for warmups. Following that timeline, the game might not resume until close to 11:30 p.m. ET and would almost certainly end after midnight local time.
The NFL later confirmed players will return to the field at 11:15 p.m. ET and resume after 15 minutes of warmups.
Fortunately, most of the storms in the northeast as of late Thursday night are north of Philadelphia. The area should be clear of storm threats after the one that forced the game to be suspended moves through.
NFL teams can play through heavy rain, but league policy requires the suspension of a game if lightning is in the area.
The Eagles led the Cowboys 24-20 at the time of the suspension and had possession of the ball after a Miles Sanders fumble in the red zone.
How long is lightning delay?
Update: The game resumed at 11:30 p.m. ET after a 65-minute delay.
There is no firm timeline for the resumption of the game, but the NBC broadcast reported the NFL expects lightning to clear out of the area by 11:15 p.m. ET, followed by a 12-minute warmup for the players. That puts the game on track to resume close to 11:30 p.m. ET, though the movement of the storm can change those plans.
Last season's kickoff game was also delayed by weather, with storms pushing back the kickoff time for the Ravens and Chiefs in Kansas City. Storms thrive on heat, so lightning delays aren't common in the outdoor northeast stadiums — with summer not yet over, however, there was enough heat to feed storms in the northeast on Thursday night.