Dak Prescott Doesn’t Hold Back on Refs Ejecting Jalen Carter After Defending Himself

The season-opening matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys was everything the old-fashioned NFC East rivalry had to provide — energy, noise, and tension. But before either team could find a rhythm, the evening erupted into controversy. Only seconds into kickoff, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected. Lincoln Financial Field buzzing in upset and outrage. For Dak Prescott, the play was not merely about a penalty; it was about a decision he feels still doesn’t sit right with him.

Prescott was quick to deflect one thing above all else: he didn’t spit at Carter. “I spit down, not at him,” Prescott explained in a press conference. “He came over and asked, ‘You trying to spit on me?’ I said no. That’s when the rest of it happened.” For Prescott, it was a case of bad timing and misunderstanding, nothing more. But the backlash was anything but minor.

When refree threw Carter out before the Eagles had even had time to make their first offensive play, Prescott admitted he was surprised. He was not trying to hide his feelings after the game. “Honestly, I didn’t think he’d get thrown out,” Prescott said. “I thought maybe it’d be a 15-yard penalty. To have him get ejected like that… it was surprising. Unfortunate circumstances.”

Prescott continued to explain that the referees’ call did more than making headlines. Stretching out a defender of Carter’s caliber, altered the manner in which the Cowboys attacked the trenches. “It surely changed our blocking scheme, our game plan,” Prescott said. “Anytime a player of that caliber is suddenly out, it shifts things.” What could have been an easy penalty, he felt, ballooned into a juncture that distorted the course of the game.

For Dallas, that meant making protection schemes and running plays in a different manner than they had all week. Since Carter’s absence revealed different looks across the Eagles’ line. It forced Prescott and his linemen to be forced to change calls on the line of scrimmage. And forced the Cowboys’ offense to be more conservative in their approach. And though this time Dallas was the team adjusting, the message is bigger: every team needs to be ready to handle sudden switches like this. With the NFL getting tougher on discipline, players and coaches realize that an instant loss of composure. Even one confusion can ruin a game plan before it has even been able to get underway.

And that shock had wider resonance beyond this night. Previously, players involved in spitting controversies had been penalized, sometimes severely, but not necessarily ejected. That the referees enforced the most extreme penalty prior to the game ever beginning signaled how much stricter the NFL has gotten in policing conduct. The league’s message was clear: even a micro-moment of sportsmanship can shift a game.

Eagles stand firm for season-opener win against Dak Prescott’s Dallas

In the end, all the drama was banished to the sidelines as the game itself delivered the back-and-forth action. Philadelphia ended up with a 24-20 win, counting on Jalen Hurts’ steady play and a defense that cracked no further in the second half.

The Cowboys took the first lead, going 53 yards with CeeDee Lamb catching a 32-yard reception before Javonte Williams scored the first touchdown. Dallas counted on Williams again midway through the second quarter with him rushing for a second touchdown and having the Cowboys up 14-7.

But the Eagles had answers. Hurts tied the game twice on rushing touchdowns of his own, showing patience. Saquon Barkley tied it with a 10-yard run, and Jahan Dotson was sent into a frenzy by a 51-yard Hurts throw. At halftime, the Eagles were up 21-20.

The second half was a slog. A booming 58-yard field goal by Jake Elliott extended Philadelphia’s lead, and the defense finished it out from there. With less than five minutes left to play, the Cowboys had one final shot, driving deep into the Eagles’ territory. But on 4th-and-3, the defense shut the door. Hurts topped it off with a run for a first down, and the Eagles kneeled out the clock to start their season off in style.

As the players extended hands and the spectators exited. The scoreboard told one tale, but the opening night controversy told another. With rules tighter than ever, one miscalculated move was all it took to turn the spotlight and redefine both the game and its discourse.