In an NFC East showdown to open the 2025 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles edged the Dallas Cowboys 24-20.
The defending Super Bowl champions had their hands full against their division rival on Thursday night. Dallas opened the game with a six-play, 53-yard touchdown drive to go up 7-0. Philadelphia answered immediately with a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive of its own.
The first half featured seven possessions and seven scores, ending with the Eagles ahead 21-20.
Philadelphia began the third quarter with a 58-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to extend the lead to three. That proved to be all the Eagles needed, as the Cowboys never answered the rest of the way.
While no one in Philadelphia will complain about the victory, the lack of involvement from one of the team’s biggest offensive stars was puzzling.
For nearly the entire game, A.J. Brown didn’t see a single target. It wasn’t until the Eagles’ final drive, on a crucial 2nd-and-11, that Brown hauled in his first catch of the night. The eight-yard reception moved the chains, allowing the Eagles to kneel and drain the clock.
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Brown nearly made unwanted history. If Jalen Hurts hadn’t finally looked his way in the fourth quarter, it would have been the first game of Brown’s career without a target.
Brown finished with one target, one catch and eight yards. Overall, Philadelphia’s wide receivers combined for 19 receptions, 152 yards and no touchdowns. Jahan Dotson led the group with 59 yards, while tight end Dallas Goedert paced the team with seven receptions.
Nights like this likely won’t continue for Brown. He’s simply too talented of a receiver to be left out of the offense. Still, it was surprising to see him invisible for nearly the entire game until the closing minutes.
That said, the six-year veteran is coming off his lowest reception total since his rookie season, finishing last year with 67 catches on 97 targets for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns.