The defending Super Bowl champions got their title defence off to a winning start as they beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the NFL season opener on Thursday night.
But the game may well be remembered for an incident before a play had even been made from scrimmage. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected just six seconds after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Carter, one of the Eagles’ best players, approached Prescott as the teams lined up after the kick-off. The pair exchanged words, and Carter then spat on his opponent. Prescott looked shocked as a gob of phlegm landed on his chest and Carter was immediately sent from the field. He shook his head and smiled as he walked to the tunnel but did not argue with the decision as Eagles fans booed. Replays that emerged later showed Prescott had spat in the general direction of Carter, but at the ground, before the confrontation.
“One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent,” referee Shawn Smith said. “It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”
The effect on the Eagles was immediate: the Cowboys drove down the field and scored on their first possession. When Javonte Williams ran in the touchdown, the Eagles line was notably missing the disruptive Carter.
The Eagles chose Carter with the ninth overall pick in 2023 after his stellar college career with Georgia. He soon established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the league and helped the Eagles to their Super Bowl victory last season.
Carter was given a year’s probation shortly before he was drafted after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing after a crash that killed his Georgia teammate Devin Willock and a team staffer, Chandler LeCroy.
The 24-year-old is known for his aggression and edge, and this week Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised the attributes the tackle brings to the team.
“I don’t know that nastiness is the right word,” Fangio said. “I just think he has to play with the right mindset to reach his potential, or come close to reaching his potential. He’s just got to be on top of the details, play with great effort, and be focused.”
