FRISCO, Texas – For the first time in 305 days, Dak Prescott took the field as the Cowboys starting quarterback on September 4 against the Eagles.
Things got interesting before he even took his first snap. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter spit on Prescott's chest and was ejected for the act before Dallas' first drive even started. Prescott spit on the ground a ways away from Carter first, which Carter took exception to.
"In that case, he was trolling, I guess you could say, trying to mess with Tyler Booker," Prescott explained as to what happened leading up to the ejection. "I was just looking at him. I was right here by the two linemen and I guess I needed to spit, and I wasn't going to spit on my lineman, and I just spit ahead."
"I would say he was back there and was in that sense and he goes, 'Are you trying to spit on me?' At that point, I mean I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn't spit on somebody. 'I'm damn sure I'm not trying to spit on you.'"
Initially, Prescott didn't know that Carter was going to get ejected. When he did though, it changed things.
"In that moment, it was more of a surprise than anything," Prescott said of Carter's act. "Refs obviously saw it through the flag. I was like, 'Hell yeah, we get 15 yards to start the game off.' Didn't realize he was getting ejected. Unfortunate that he did. He is a hell of a player. It changed our plan and our blocking scheme."
Sure enough, the Cowboys ran the ball on four of their first seven plays of the game, resulting in a one-yard Javonte Williams rushing touchdown on their opening drive.
It was the first showing of Brian Schottenheimer's play calling duties as the Cowboys head coach, after admittedly using a "seven-iron" in the preseason. While the Cowboys lost the game 24-20 to the reigning Super Bowl champions, he thought Schottenheimer played his part, and that both sides of the ball need to execute better in order to come out on the other side.
"He did everything he could to give us an opportunity, especially one as a head coach in terms of having us prepared. With the way we went out there, we were physical and we played together," Prescott said.
"We've just got to play a little bit more complimentary. And what I mean by that is defense gets some stops in the first half and we score points in the second half. Then we're going to be proud of the outcome of this game. But as a head coach, he did his job and as a play-caller, he gave us every opportunity and he was dialing it up."
As for his own performance, Prescott finished the night completing 21 of his 34 passes for 188 yards. It was a performance that Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones was very happy with.
"I thought Dak may have played one of the best games I've ever seen him play..." Jones said. "I just can't say enough about this effort... I am encouraged."
External factors prevented Prescott from having better numbers, but he recognized there were a few short comings as well from his play.
"That offensive line and those receivers just felt good, felt great out there," Prescott said. "Obviously there's some throws, particularly to Jake [Ferguson] right there, one to [Brevyn Spann-Ford] that I want to get a little bit higher, give him a little bit more of a catchable ball, but I felt like I played a smooth game."
One of the external factors from Prescott's performance was a rare sign of struggle from CeeDee Lamb, who had some crucial drops down the stretch as the Cowboys attempted to drive down the field and take a late lead over the Eagles. Despite his best receiver getting off to a slow start, Prescott doesn't believe that Lamb's struggles will linger.
"There's throws out there that I want back, but it's game one and he's a guy that makes those plays," Prescott said. "He's going to make those plays. We're not going to get down on him. I'm not going to lose confidence by any means and he will make those plays."
It wasn't just Lamb that missed opportunities in Prescott's mind, it was the entire offense, and they need to perform better going forward. That said, he feels that the physical play the team exhibited was encouraging.
"If we continue to compete and play physical like that, we're going to be proud of the team that we can put together each and every week," Prescott said. "It's one of 17 [games]. I didn't think we were going to go undefeated. It sucks. Wanted to get the first one obviously, especially against a good team in the division, but we got to move on and we got another division game next week."
Following the game, Schottenheimer said that he thought Prescott "played really well" but that the offense had limited opportunities because of their time of possession. Still, for a quarterback that still hasn't played in the preseason since 2019 and missed the back half of the 2024 season, Schottenheimer was a fan of what he saw from his starter and still knows there's room for improvement.
"How many snaps has the guy played in the NFL? I thought he played really well, and Dak is going to come on here and say the same thing: There's no moral victories," Schottenheimer said. "We had a chance; we did not make enough plays. When plays are there against a good football team, you have to make plays, and that's coaching and playing and all that together."
Defensively, it was the first showing for Dallas without their All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. Similarly to what Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams said on Thursday night, Dallas' mind wasn't on what Parsons could have done in a hypothetical situation and was instead focused on who was and has been on the field in their uniform.
"I don't think that was on anyone's mind. They're professionals and particularly on that side of the ball they went out there and did their job," Prescott said. "I don't think it was like we're going to miss this or miss that. He's a hell of a pass rusher and probably would've made plays, but we're not going to live in that and I don't care to be honest."
"We wish him the best and truly wish him the best. This is about this team, this is about the 2025 Cowboys and that defense, those young rushers making a name for themselves."
In order to make a name for themselves offensively in 2025, Prescott knows they must play better going into Week 2 against the New York Giants and through the rest of the season.
"We have to finish," Prescott said. "We have to come out and score in the second half. We've got to get points. All 20 [points] were in the first half and you can't score 20 in the first half and then lay a goose egg in the second half… So a lot to grow from."
