Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

NFL 2025–26 Season Opener Starts with Drama – Cowboys Nearly Shock Eagles after Jalen Carter Ejection

A shocking start to the season opener sees Jalen Carter ejected from the game

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The new season of the NFL got off to a crazy start as tempers flew between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Following the opening kickoff, the two teams assembled for the first snap of the game, but even before that could take place, Eagles’ defender Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott.

The second-year defensive tackle is a major player on the defensive side of the ball for Philadelphia. With him gone, Dallas was able to move the ball well in the first half; in particular, the run game was less problematic.

But what happened on the field that led to Carter’s actions? Here is an overall account of what went down between Prescott and Carter, resulting in the latter’s ejection.

What Led to Jalen Carter Spitting on Dak Prescott?

Initially, the first thing the cameras picked up was Eagles’ second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter spitting directly on Dak Prescott, which led to the ref throwing the flag. Consequently, Carter was not only ejected from the game just six seconds into the start, but Philadelphia was also hit with a 15-yard penalty.

Later on, as more angles surfaced, cameras also picked up Prescott first spitting in the direction of Carter, but his spit was aimed at the ground and not the player himself. Carter took objection and retaliated, which was obviously seen by the nearby referee.

THE PLOT THICKENS.

More angles and context have surfaced about Jalen Carter's ejection.

📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/2eFceHs14V
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 5, 2025

Prescott Clears His Stance While Carter Regrets Actions

During the press conference following the game, the Cowboys’ signal caller spoke at length about what all went down between him and Carter.

As per his account, Carter was engaging in banter with the Cowboys’ rookie guard Tyler Booker, and Prescott just needed to spit somewhere. Since he couldn’t do so on his linemen, he just spat ahead on the ground. The veteran quarterback also went on to explain that he would never spit on anyone and felt Carter was insulting him through his accusation.

Dak Prescott on Spitgate. Says Jalen Carter was messing with Tyler Booker. “I guess I needed to spit. I wasn’t going to spit on my linemen. I just spit ahead.” Says he felt insulted Carter suggested he tried to spit on him. pic.twitter.com/zJcWmX4ob0
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 5, 2025

There is no way to tell exactly how things played out and if Prescott really did intend to spit on Carter. What we can attest to is that the matter on the field seems to have settled down. The Eagles’ defender, for his part, owned up to his mistake and clarified the same while also saying that “it will not happen again.”

Role Model: Jalen Carter apologizes to his teammates and fans for spitting on Dak Prescott and getting ejected.

Carter took full accountability and made no excuses.

That's precisely the attitude you want from a star player.pic.twitter.com/1qQzmTdQgA
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 5, 2025

The Eagles ended up taking the win, although the game turned out to be closer than expected. Being the underdogs by 8.5 points, Dallas was able to stay close till the end, but could not cross the finish line as they ended up losing 20-24.

Next up for the Eagles is a week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Cowboys have another NFC East showdown against the New York Giants.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!