You hear coaches and players say it all the time: You win as a team and you lose as a team in the game of football. It’s the truth, because a game doesn’t “come down to one play,” or one player. It is all about T-E-A-M, and a great illustration of that is the way the Eagles beat Dallas on Thursday night to open the 2025 season.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts was a dominant player and he is a prime reason for the NFC East victory, but there were many under-the-radar players who contributed. Let’s take a look at some of those players …

The fourth-year defensive tackle played one of the best games of his NFL career in the opener. He recorded six total tackles, one for loss, and added some pass-rush pressure, and he stepped up with Jalen Carter out of the game. Davis played stout against the run, was consistent with his pad level, and kept his energy level high, playing 53 snaps.

The rise we saw in the summer translated to the start of the regular season for Dotson, a key piece in the Eagles’ offense as a slot receiver. He hauled in a perfectly thrown 51-yard pass from Hurts to convert a third-and-6 situation and the catch led to a touchdown by running back Saquon Barkley just before halftime. Look for more from Dotson moving forward.

It is clear, at least from the first game, that the Eagles want to utilize all of the talent in their offensive backfield. There is more than just Barkley back there, and Shipley and A.J. Dillon are likely to be factors moving forward. Shipley was productive in the early going with three carries for 26 yards, including a gain of 20 yards on a swing pass that was executed perfectly. Shipley’s night ended early when he went out with a rib injury, but the early production is an indication of what he can provide to the offense.

4. S/Special teamer Sydney Brown

Brown played 14 snaps rotating with Andrew Mukuba at safety alongside Reed Blankenship and played well there, and he also led a very strong kickoff coverage team working against a dynamic Dallas kickoff return game. We saw a lot of big kickoff returns on Sunday as nearly 80 percent of the kickoffs were returned in Week 1, but Dallas averaged only 20.2 yards on five returns. Brown had one tackle and one assist in a great effort by the entire coverage unit.