By Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — Thursday’s NFL season opener, which saw the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20, also gave fans a little bit of everything, including touchdowns, scuffles, a weather delay and a spitting scandal.

After the opening kickoff, Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 24-year-old appeared to spit at Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and was ejected before the offense took a snap.

As boos rained down from the Philly crowd, the former first round pick out of Georgia walked off the field, holding his helmet without a single drop of sweat on his face.

“One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent,” referee Shawn Smith told a pool reporter. “It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”

However, NBC cameras later showed Prescott spitting in the direction of Carter before the All-Pro got into the quarterback’s face.

After the game, Carter told reporters that he made a “mistake.”

“I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out here,” Carter said. “I’m doing it for them. Doing it for my family also but fans, they show the most love. … It won’t happen again. I’ve already made that promise.”

Prescott, however, downplayed the spitting incident, claiming he was trying to “mess” with one of his offensive lineman and felt the “need” to spit, which riled Carter up.

“I’m sure he probably regrets that to a certain extent,” Prescott said. “Pretty sure he knows that I didn’t try to spit on him or wasn’t even aiming at him. Something thats probably going to get a lot of coverage and attention that I’m sorry for. … Unfortunate circumstances.”

A tale of two halves

The first half was all offense while the second was all defense.

Both teams combined to score 41 points in the first two quarters with just a measly three combined points in the last two.

All the talk of late has been about who the Cowboys’ owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, has traded away, but not who the team has signed.

Running back Javonte Williams, a former second round pick of the Denver Broncos, signed in the Lone Star State this past offseason and quickly provided a spark for Dallas.

The 25-year-old barreled his way in for two 1-yard touchdowns to give the Cowboys much needed points against the high-powered Eagles offense.

However, it was star quarterback Jalen Hurts that kept the game from getting out of reach.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP finished the game throwing for 152 yards, 62 yards on the ground and two touchdowns to lead the Eagles.

As the clock slowly ticked and Cowboys down four points, needing a touchdown for the win, it was all on Prescott.

Despite throwing his best balls, Cowboys receivers weren’t able to reel them in, including a ball going right through CeeDee Lamb’s hands. The drop led to the Eagles getting the ball back and running down the clock to secure a tough first victory in their title defense.

“It means everything to come out and start strong,” Hurts told the NBC broadcast.

“It’s a new team, it’s a new journey, and we got tested tonight. They played a hell of a game. We know how they are when Dak (Prescott) is back and they got their crew all together, so a lot of respect for that team on the other side.

“So we just gotta clean up some things and play better football, but it’s always good to say that and find a way to win.”

Last year’s offensive player of the year Saquon Barkley finished with 60 yards rushing, which garnered a chuckle out of him when learning he was beat out by Hurts.

“I love it. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning football games, and what do we say? By land, by air, it don’t matter, and (Hurts) did everything we needed for him to do today,” Barkley said.

Hurts described he and his running back as “Yin and Yang.”

“A complimentary force,” Hurts explained.

“Approach things in a very similar way, same mentality, but may express it differently. And so I think it’s as complimentary as it gets. He’s a hell of a player and he’s had all the success he’s had for a reason.”

Mother nature had other plans

The weather in Philadelphia looked threatening ahead of kickoff and finally made itself known with the Eagles leading the Cowboys by four with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The game was suspended around 10:25 p.m. ET due to lightning in the area and the delay lasted over an hour.

The break in the action provided an interesting dilemma for Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs. The broadcast showed the 26-year-old All-Pro looking for food during the delay.

The Dallas defense showed up after the delay, holding the Eagles scoreless after play resumed, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win as the Cowboys offense could not break through against Philly.

While the Eagles are certainly enjoying the win, a tough test awaits them next week – Super Bowl LIX rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Cowboys will face another division rival, the New York Giants, at home.

The-CNN-Wire
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