PHILADELPHIA (AP) \u2014 Jalen Hurts shrugged on a TD celebration and did his best to be like Mike.<\/p>\n
Through spit and rain, a ceremony and a setback, Hurts and the Super Bowl champion Eagles weathered the storm and showed why they\u2019re again a favorite to hoist a second straight Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n
Hurts rushed for two touchdowns for the Eagles, who lost hot-tempered star defender Jalen Carter early for spitting on Dak Prescott<\/a>, then withstood a rare weather delay<\/a> and needed a late stop to beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 early Friday in a wild start to the NFL season.<\/p>\n With one last chance at a comeback, Prescott threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-3 with 1:54 left to send what was left of a thinned out Eagles crowd into a frenzy.<\/p>\n The game ended at 12:18 a.m. <\/p>\n It was delayed 65 minutes because of lightning in the area. The Eagles led 24-20 with 4:44 left in the third quarter when the game was stopped \u2014 and that\u2019s the way it ended.<\/p>\n \u201cSome weird circumstances tonight,\u201d Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. <\/p>\n Business as usual for the offense.<\/p>\n Hurts wore out a defense playing without Micah Parsons<\/a> for the first time since he was traded to Green Bay on TD runs of 4 and 8 yards \u2014 no legal tush push<\/a> needed. Saquon Barkley also ran for a 10-yard score, even if his final rushing total of 60 yards was minuscule compared to last season when he topped 2,000 yards.<\/p>\n Hurts punctuated one score by chucking the ball into the stands and shrugging his shoulders much like his friend and mentor, Michael Jordan,<\/a> who received a nice ovation when he was shown on the big screen.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you have a special guest, a special friend in attendance, there\u2019s only one thing you can do and that\u2019s win,\u201d Hurts said.<\/p>\n Hurts, Barkley and the rest of the Eagles spent a pregame ceremony inside the locker room when the team revealed their 2024 championship banner<\/a>, per Sirianni\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of everybody weathering the different adversities that came our way today,\u201d Hurts said. \u201cIt\u2019s always good to get a win.\u201d<\/p>\n Even the victory came with a major headache. Carter headed right back inside to the locker room when he was tossed only moments after the banner was unveiled. <\/p>\n Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott\u2019s jersey before backing away. Prescott quickly motioned to a nearby official who threw the flag and sent Carter packing. Fans booed as Carter walked off slowly, the standout defensive tackle holding his helmet in his hands behind his back.<\/p>\n Carter could be headed toward a hefty financial penalty, if not worse, in the first major test of the NFL\u2019s increased emphasis this season on sportsmanship<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carter apologized after the game \u2014 Hurts said he spoke to the tackle about his conduct \u2014 and said, \u201cIt won\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n Prescott said he simply spit straight ahead as he usually would, only for the saliva to land in the area near Carter, which raised the ire of the defenseman.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t spit on somebody.\u201d Prescott said.<\/p>\n Still one of the NFL\u2019s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.<\/p>\n Dallas running back Miles Sanders, though, fumbled the ball at the 10 and the Super Bowl champions recovered. Prescott made a touchdown-saving diving tackle on cornerback Quinyon Mitchell on the play.<\/p>\n It would be a while until the Eagles got the ball back, thanks to the delay.<\/p>\n The scores by Hurts and Barkley made the Eagles the first defending Super Bowl champions to score touchdown on the first three drives of the season since Green Bay in 2011. Jake Elliott put the finishing touches on the scoring with a 58-yard field goal.<\/p>\n Javonte Williams had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs \u2014 the first on the opening driving after Carter was ejected \u2014 and Brandon Aubrey kicked field goals of 41 and 53 yards.<\/p>\n Injuries<\/p>\n Eagles offensive lineman Landon Dickerson left with a back injury.<\/p>\n Debut loss<\/p>\n Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer<\/a> lost his head coaching debut. He was promoted him from offensive coordinator to be the 10th coach in the storied franchise\u2019s history.<\/p>\n \u201cI still think we can win a Super Bowl,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to change. I mean, we\u2019ve got the right type of guys. We\u2019ve got good players.\u201d<\/p>\n Catch it if you can<\/p>\n Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb had seven catches for 110 yards but failed to reel in a pivotal catch in the second half. Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown was only targeted once and had one catch for eight yards. DeVonta Smith, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver, had just three catches for 16 yards for the Eagles.<\/p>\n \u201cA.J. Brown and Devonta Smith,\u201d Sirianni said, \u201care selfless.\u201d<\/p>\n Up next<\/p>\n Dallas plays its home opener against the Giants.<\/p>\n Did someone say Super Bowl rematch? The Eagles head to Kansas City<\/a> seven months after a 40-22 romp in New Orleans.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n