What kind of a rivalry would the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles be if there wasn\u2019t a bit of drama? While it\u2019s never unexpected, it was the manner in which the drama unfolded for the 2025 NFL season opening matchup between the two NFC East teams that left fans league-wide stunned.<\/p>\n
Before the first snap of the Cowboys vs. Eagles matchup on Thursday, Sept. 4, trash talk had already ramped up. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter began going back and forth while officials discussed a penalty on the opening kickoff, then a whistle blew, and Carter\u2019s night was over before it even began.<\/p>\n
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Carter was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game for spitting on Prescott before the two teams even broke the huddle a single time.<\/p>\n
After a game in which the Eagles went on to win 24-20 following a lightning delay and a brutal second half for both offenses, Prescott offered up details of how the situation transpired with Carter. He also explained the angle of the video that shows him spitting first, in which Prescott admitted he \u201cprobably spits 1,000 times throughout the game\u201d and wasn\u2019t aiming at Carter.<\/p>\n
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Regarding the incident with the Eagles\u2019 2023 first-round draft pick, Prescott told reporters the following, according to Cowboys beat writer Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News:<\/p>\n
“You trying to spit on me?\u201d Prescott said Carter asked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would I need to spit on you for?\u201d Prescott replied.<\/p>\n
Prescott explained that Carter then spat on him after the brief exchange, leading to the penalty and ejection.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are two sides to every story, and it\u2019s certainly a possibility that one or both of the players added a few other NSFW words in during the exchange. It\u2019ll be interesting to see if any other players provide additional context on the situation, but for now, it doesn\u2019t sound like Carter is going to dive too far into the situation.<\/p>\n
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After Thursday\u2019s game finished, Carter spoke to the media and was asked about the situation leading to the ejection. The 24-year-old Pro Bowler took responsibility and apologized to his teammates and Eagles fans, as ESPN\u2019s Tim McManus revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a mistake that happened on my side, and it just won\u2019t happen again. I feel bad for my teammates and the fans out there, I\u2019m doing it for them,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n
He doubled down on his initial statement as well, re-stating that it \u201cwon\u2019t happen again, I can make that promise,\u201d as well.<\/p>\n
While Prescott’s details of the exchange sound straightforward, Carter doesn\u2019t sound likely to push back on how the situation transpired, at least not in the immediate aftermath. It\u2019s unlikely that he\u2019ll be dealt any form of discipline from the NFL for the incident, so he can rest a bit easier now that the Eagles are 1-0 to start the season and that he\u2019ll be back in Week 2 when they face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n
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Related: Reports of Cowboys Locker-Room Tensions With Micah Parsons Before Packers Trade Surface<\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Sep 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What kind of a rivalry would the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles be if there wasn\u2019t a bit of drama? While it\u2019s never unexpected, it was the manner in which the drama unfolded for the 2025 NFL season opening matchup between the two NFC East teams that left fans league-wide stunned. Before the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":89884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[89,54,1909,10,11,327],"class_list":["post-89871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-dak-prescott","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-jalen-carter","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-philadelphia-eagles"],"yoast_head":"\n