Eagles beat Cowboys, Brou grades Dallas, Jalen Carter’s ‘Spitgate’ concerning? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Eagles beat Cowboys, Brou grades Dallas, Jalen Carter’s ‘Spitgate’ concerning? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

live from New York. It’s a show that is asking a simple question. Who carried who? You tell me. You watch the game. All superstar players on offense. Who was the one that who’s the one that carried the team? Well, say it. That’s based off of a bumper sticker I saw. Who saved who when you adopt the dog? Banner night. Jaylen Herz scrambles for two touchdowns. Throws for 188. Eagles hang on. Jaylen now 5-0 in season openers. Are you more or less confident in Philadelphia after last night? I have an announcement. Another announcement. First major one of the year. You’re not making the playoffs. No. Come on. Don’t try to jump my announce through. That might be it. Uh all summer long I was heckled worldwide, including at a couple in a couple different countries in Europe. Yeah. By Eagle fans maniacally asking me some version of when are you going to stop doubting the Eagles? And honest to God, I thought my answer to them was enjoy your Super Bowl and leave me alone. But in my head I thought was honestly you’ll probably see that this year because as evidenced by I think what I when yesterday right before the game I tried to be get like on the record my take on Jaylen Herz Wilds has moved me a bit on Jaylen and I do think more highly of him going into this season than I have at any point point of his career and I don’t look at you know the NFC as a whole as having the the best of the best teams compared to the AFC with Kansas City, Baltimore, and Buffalo. So, even though I didn’t see them, pick them to go to the Super Bowl, I thought I was probably going to be higher on them this year than I had been any year in the past. And I know it’s going to seem reactionary. But through one game, I have seen enough. That team is not getting back to the Super Bowl. that team w when and when it starts to go sideways and it starts to look like oh yeah they’re not quite the same team you know what’s going to be said should have seen it coming remember how the year started the first play of the season they unluckily suffer an injury and before the second play of the season their best player on their defense is spitting on the league’s highest paid player going into the year if there was a concern. What was it? Pass rush in secondary immediately. First game of the year, it’s like, “Oh, yikes.” Like, they don’t look the same in that regard. And other bubbling potential stories going into the year like if he got off red. Well, you know what about AJ Brown getting, you know, being able to eat? Well, he had his career low in targets all in the first game of the year against a team that none of us think is great. So, I have oddly more faith after that game in their quarterback because he did and I know you’re going to talk about it. Everything Wild says he does. I have less faith in the overall quality of that Eagles roster than I’ve had at any point in the last three years. So, I have less faith, Brew, and I do not think they’re going to defend their NFC Championship. Well, or Super Bowl championship. Let me say a couple things quickly. Jaylen obviously played fantastic. I thought fantastic. But his demeanor, you can see the difference. I’ve talked about how I think he’s going to be more confident, a better leader, more credibility in the locker room. Like I felt like just in the way he even on the field in the postgame interview, he was I felt he was smiling more than I’ve usually seen him. And you know, in that what clip we just showed, he just seems to exude a confidence. Yes. Because I’ve done it. You can question me all you want, but I know I’ve done it and I and you know I’ve done it. So I like that. Um I also think this Nick, because I’m not going as far as you I I didn’t pick them to get to the Super Bowl, so I But you’re not you wouldn’t be shocked by it. No, no, I’m not writing them off. But what I said I watched the game with a friend last night. What I said to him afterwards was next week and I know we’ll have plenty of time to talk about that. No, but that’s going to be interesting. If they certainly if they route the Chiefs, but if they beat the Chiefs fair comfortably, you know, then to me what that says is they have the Chiefs number. Not that they’re to your point, not that they’re way better than everybody else in the NFL, but that what for whatever reason they are a tough matchup for the Chiefs. And you know, we saw it in regular season victory. We obviously saw it in the Super Bowl and even the Super Bowl they lost. They played well. So that’s what I’m going to be watching. Um but yeah, I got less confidence. I don’t see how anyone a Philadelphia Eagles fan or whoever couldn’t have less confidence in this Eagles now than they had two days ago. And I’m not writing them off, but they were run on the Cowboys who none of us thought had a great running game. You did privately like Javvante Williams. I did. And he looked like the Javvante Williams I fell in love with in Denver his rookie year. 5 and a half yards a carry. That’s right. And then they couldn’t they obviously ran for a lot of yards. A lot of it was Jaylen. But Squan averaged 3.3 yards a carry. That’s he only had one game last year where he averaged fewer than that. Well, that was the other thing. Squin getting bottled up if you were like, “Hey, is how is he going to respond to the 2,000 yard season again?” and I think he’ll be fine. But that’s Dallas played better and they just couldn’t get their run game going. And you mention Adteray Jackson. I mean Adory Jackson like I mean come on like well they got real questions throughout the secondary and they have real questions and even Mitchell made some some mistakes. So Eagles defense because I agree with you although I want to be steadfastly pro Eagles lest I get torn apart. That being said, the last two times we’ve seen this Eagles defense in the Super Bowl, six sacks, 11 QB hits, and the uh Chiefs converted 27% of their third sound. Last night, zero sacks. I don’t even know if we were close to a sack to be honest. There was one or on a big Dak completion where it looked like they were about to get a strip sack. Dak got it on the pickins DPI, I think, actually. and they did tip a ball and third down uh uh conversion at 64%. Now the one reason to have confidence there you go. You get to peacock now buddy in the Eagles is a very mahomesian game from Jaylen Herz. What needs to get done? I will get it done. Do I need to throw the ball? I will if I have to. Do I need to pick up a pivotal first down that really won’t show up in the highlights, but is sort of a backbreaking oop, you’re not going to get done with this drive. Tush push. Third and one. Get across. And I also have an announcement to make. Oh my. The show has been going on for far before I joined. And there are segments have come and segments have gone. And sometimes you get rid of segments that you don’t think are working. Sometimes you lose things that are working but no longer make editorial sense. The announcement is that we are back with one of our favorite graphics. Dussy, can you hit the music? And Brew, could you do the honors of calling for what is simply known as you got to call for the graphic? Just say Dusty the graphic. Dusty the graphic. Now, what is football about? Oh my goodness. We’re back. We are back. 70% of your graphic. Oh, but what was known as the Jimmy G graphic is now known as the Mahomes Brady Lamar, Roger Stalach, Joe Montana, Pton Manning, and Jaylen Herz graphic. Brew, welcome back. It’s really yours. It’s almost like my gift of the show and gift to you. Th This is awesome. I just could not be happy. And for the viewers that think we may know this, we didn’t know this was coming. Only Wilds knew this was coming. I But when he when he said, “Well done, Wilds. It’s not me. It’s Jaylen Herz. It Yeah, he is fame. If you’re new to the show, back, believe it or not, I know this will shock people. Brew used to love Jimmy Gar. I call it being fair. Exactly. I call it being fair. And one of his favorite go-to stats when we would argue and I’d be like, he’s not good. And we were like, well, if he’s not good, explain the graphic. And it was Jimmy Garopolo on there. Jimmy out, Jaylen in. Now, I could see Congratulations, Wilds. How you could throw me over the ropes on that one. Yeah, I’m not. But today’s not the day. That being said, today’s not the day because I thought Jaylen made all the plays. I also think Yeah, I I actually and and obviously we all know how great Mahomes is. I wouldn’t call it Mahomes. Like Momes had a lot of wins last year where you didn’t think he played that well and then and situationally he made the plays. I I watching that game, I felt Jaylen was great throughout the whole game. I know his passing numbers aren’t huge, but obviously ran for two touchdowns and they weren’t two yard runs. No, his runs were back breakers, including the one that iced the game in the past. Rushing touchdowns last year, none on scrambles. Both on scrambles this time. So, can I say something on that note? This is, and maybe it’s better framed this way. It’s not that I don’t value the quarterback sneak touchdown. It’s that I value that so much more. I think that’s fair. And so, like, you know what I mean? When we talk about a guy’s rushing touchdowns, I am I the the play the touchdowns he got last night to me are I know they’re all touchdowns, but I’m saying it awkwardly. Like those are No, that’s different than a whether he gets it or they are more valuable than if it’s first and goal at the one after a pass interference and you have a million different ways you’re almost assuredly going to score and they just tush push it instead of handing it to Squan. Those were, you know, the critical plays and then the third down to end the game, you know what I mean? When the again I think the word too and and I get I get valuable. They’re more impressive. Yeah. Than a oneyard sneak from the one yard line. Uh meanwhile, the Cowboys came in as 8 and 12 point underdogs, but to me looked pretty good. I’m not giving out the grade, but I thought they looked good. Dak haunted by dropped passes. Shottenheimer still has high hopes for Dallas. Uh, Brew, your grade for the Cowboys. And with a quick introduction of although we were fond of you awkwardly trying to pull out a large letter and then revealing it as you tried to put it on the desk, HubS has come up with a new system with a large question. You like this better. This is easier. Um, let me say this first. Last night for me was like going to a movie you have no expectations for. you you think we’ll see. Not really excited about it. I’m not expecting much. Then you go and even if it’s solid, it’s like I really enjoyed that. I wasn’t expecting to at all and it was really good. Love it. You’re pleasantly surprised. And last night, Cowboys, I was pleasantly surprised by the way they play. Now, I don’t want this to come off as a negative. Some people take it that way. I don’t mean it that way. I don’t mean it in a condescending way. It’s just the truth. And everyone who watched that game felt it. They might not admit it, but inside they felt it. Well, the game went kind of exactly how I said how I said it was going to go. So, it’s not exactly how I felt. Well, maybe you won’t agree with you. You might be one of the few on earth that doesn’t agree with this. The Cowboys got a moral victory last night. Oh, I do agree with that. They got a moral victory last night. So, Cowboys, good for you. Add a boy. At a boy, I expected you to get run over. I expected you to not be able to run the football. You ran the football. And And let’s keep it real. And I if CD Lamb could catch the football, and I know he’s a great receiver, but I’m paying you what? 34 million. Yeah. Third highest, fourth high, whatever he is in a rece. if he and forget not even the diving one. There were a few others that one right there I think that was third and 10. Was that third? What? Yeah. I mean he if he catches the football Miles Sanders nice throwback run on that 49 y. You did get caught by a linebacker but still if you don’t fumble they probably win that game. So they played well. Uh Kenny Clark made his impact felt against the run. I thought Nick even as Dallas was stacking the box at a lot to show slow down Saquon their quarterbacks they they guarded. I mean they obviously didn’t get exploited by AJ Brown and Devonte the whole time. So yeah, their defensive backfield did a good job. So I look I I was impressed. I’m not going to go overboard because Dak Dak as good as Dak was and I heard he was perfect. I heard on the air earlier he was perfect. He wasn’t perfect. He had a 74 pass already. He almost Quinn Yan Mitchell work on your hands. Get some gloves if you’re not wearing them. Catch the football. You got an interception. B. It was a B. I don’t know why that even funny. I don’t either, man. It was just a lot. And I I loved the analysis. It was lead you when I was in great grades were explanation grades. No, you got a a minus. Here’s why. Yeah. No, bro. I thought it was great. I want to uh I’m going to quickly, if I may, give out individual grades to people involved in the game. It’s going to take all day. No, I’m going to do it quick cuz I know we want to get to Jaylen Carter. So, I would have given Dak an A. I don’t care about his stats because I the some the reason the yards weren’t higher, not just the CD drops, the pick and DPI, you know what I mean? Where the and so like that to me and I remember I couldn’t give him an A cuz Quinn Yan Mitchell should have had a pick in that would have Yes. I mean, it would have been a good play. I agree with you. I understand that. I also thought Dak escaping the rush. There was a time Jordan Davis had him. I thought Dak made some really good plays and I think Dak keeping his composure when he got spat on before the game plays into it, but we’ll get into that in a second. I would give Brian Shottenheimimer an A minus. I thought and I I was coaches talk about the motions and the tight formations is exactly right. CD is the opposite of deck. I don’t care about his stats that they were good. I give him a D. You know what I mean? Like I seven for 110. I might I might give him an F. Yeah. But then can I just You’re one of the best receivers in the league. You got to make I’m not going to kill him on the D. The other two. Come on. And then lastly, and I’m just I’m just going to continue. I’ve already planted this flag. I’m either planting it deep or another one. I’m giving George Pickkins an F and I’m reminding everyone he is not a winning player. George. Well, okay. So, he had no impact in the game other than the drawing the DPI. He at one point in the end zone tried to catch a ball, didn’t and then tried to grab the knee and trip the defender and then let go and then after and there’s a good cuto of this going around after not doing anything in run blocking the entire game. At one point decided to just take Reed Blankenship’s head off and get a 15- yard penalty when you’re in the red zone. I’m telling you guys right now, if in game one of a contract year with a new team, he’s already loafing getting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, that’s not going to work. I I I agree with all of that. I wouldn’t give him an F, though. Okay. I mean, the PTI was a big play. Say it again. He had that catch. Yes, he had one catch. He had three catches. Three catches, 30 yards or something like that. I mean, I I hear you. He I didn’t think he’d make an impact. I said that yesterday, which is surprising considering Well, they put Mitchell on him. They did the opposite what I thought. Um, all right, we got to get to Spitgate. Dak uh revealed later in the broadcast that Dak spat near Jaylen Carter. Now, in that angle, it looks a little closer than it was in real life. Then he smiles. Uh, then Jaylen Carter, uh, that makes it a little more obvious. Spits on Dak. Jaylen’s tossed. Maybe more discipline coming. And you can see the distance here, which I think is an important piece. Like, so Dak, when Dak spits is right then, right there, and then cuz the the overhead angle or the other angle looks like they’re much closer and then is when that happens. Uh, all right. Listen, what Dak did happens all the time. H like the idea of cuz Jaylen Carter is not supposed to be where he is. Like you’re not supposed to be across the line. And it is I you know I will hand up say this. I have at some point in my life maybe multiple times been like to show disgust with you. I’m talking about as a young much younger person show disgust spit on the ground like like that that you agree Brew. Correct. Yeah. Yes. I still spit on the ground sometimes. No, but I’m saying yeah show disgust. Yeah. Yeah. So what Dak did I don’t think is outside of full bounds of certainly NFL society much less polite society. what Jaylen Carter did. I am here to tell you I think Brew would have fought him and I think that for a lot of people it is maybe okay and by him in for the context of the one rule change the NFL had this off season was we’re cracking down on taunting and taunting adjacent things. It is the first play of the first game. And the guy, and maybe this shouldn’t matter, but the optics of it does, who’s one of only six or seven guys in the league to have that really cool insignia on his patch, which is the Walter Payeyton man of the year, and he’s also the league’s highest paid player and the quarterback for the league’s biggest team. You walk over into his huddle and spit on him. It’s maniac behavior flatly. And it’s it would not shock me if he gets suspended for the next week. I think because this happened two seconds into the game, they might look at it like he’s already been suspended. If it happened with a minute left in the game, I would have expected him to be suspended. But it’s insane behavior. I look, I agree. I mean, and I hate to say it, and I’m I’m not a mind readad or anything. Jaylen Carter doesn’t look like he understands the gravity of it. He’s obviously sorry he got suspended, but just kicked out. Yeah, kicked out. Yeah, I mean, I think the win helped. Yeah, maybe. I mean, I I just Whatever the case, obvious theory out there. If he was, then so be it. But I don’t think he was because I don’t think you expect another person to spit on you no matter what you do. Like you say, I’m sure players spit on the field all the time. And so there’s no excuse. How I would handle if I’m the Eagles and apparently I read in the reports. Uh Jaylen Carter did apologize to his teammates, talked to them during the game. You know, they had the long break and everything. So that’s good. But if I’m Nick Serriiani, I meet with Jaylen and I just reemphasized to him, look, man, we need you. I mean, we you saw we almost lost the game. You are too important to be doing things like this. And not only that, you can’t be throwing a punch at somebody. Don’t kick a play. Like anything related to you cannot do any of that. You are too great of a player and too important to this team. I would then have him go ap you know, again, if it needed, apologize to the teammates. Now, if I’m the Eagles, I don’t suspend him. Like you said, I view he was basically suspended for that game. And I’m just keep it real. We got the Chiefs coming out. Now, if the league I’m taking the approach of the league suspending him like I did with Rasheed Rice. If the league wants to say you get a game because it’s a horrible look for all the fans watching, the kids watching, then hey, it is what it is. And I’m not going to complain about it. It’d be hard to feel bad for him. Can I add one more thing? I I don’t think he will get suspended, but I I I won’t fight it if strategically I would apologize to Dak via the Eagles PR to try to mute any discipline from Yeah, but the other strategy side I know we have to go game one Chiefs Lions two years ago. Jawan Taylor keeps lining up behind and it’s like and the whole world’s watching and there was a target on him from the rest the rest of the year on that penalty. Jaylen Carter’s always been in the margins as far as like unnecessary roughness and those types of things. It’s what makes him so great. He now has a referee target on his back on all this stuff the rest of the year. No, you’re right. There’s no question. That wasn’t smart at all. Thanks for watching. Subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1.

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the 2025/26 NFL season opener. Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes discuss whether or not the Eagles can repeat as Super Bowl champions, and Broussard grades the Cowboys’ performance. Plus, they discuss Jalen Carter being ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott.

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Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes team up on First Things First. The trio offers their take on a bevy of sports stories alongside special guests from across the sports world.

Eagles beat Cowboys, Brou grades Dallas, Jalen Carter’s ‘Spitgate’ concerning? | FIRST THINGS FIRST
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