Then the second half happened like chapters three and four in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.
In other words , downhill really, really fast.
Thirty years after a Dallas Cowboys Dynasty dominated the NFL, the Eagles were in position to take one step closer to establishing their own with a complete game of their own on Sunday. Three weeks after Jerry Jones made certain that Philadelphia could not obtain Micah Parsons during a trade to Green Bay , it didn’t seem to matter at all, at least not during the 1st two quarters.
Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Eagles’ 2025 season woes didn’t seem to follow them on the fight to Texas at all as the Eagles jumped out to a 21–0 advantage at AT&T Stadium as Philadelphia opened the scoring with a sixteen-yard connection from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown. A healthy dose of Hurts to Brown continued as Jalen Hurts ran for two additional scores — one after a long drive directly preceding a Turbin fumble. That would be the end of the Eagles’ scoring.
The rest of the game would see the Eagles turn the football over twice, amassing ninety-six yards in penalties as the Dallas defense continued to pick away at the Eagles’ defense , tying the game at 21, thanks to 354 yards passing from Dak Prescott, and finally leading to a 42-yard Brandon Aubrey Field Goal.
The only saving grace — the Eagles play again against Chicago in five days.
As he knocks on the door of both passing yards and touchdowns, it will be a question he will have to answer quite a bit as the next couple of seasons carry on. Potentially, with the pace he’s on to begin 2025, he could reach both by the end of this season.
“It’s awesome,” Prescott said. “It’s something I never take for granted. It’s not something that I’m patting myself on the back for, but it’s something that I understand the history before me.”
Prescott has had, let’s say, a unique relationship with Romo. For one, he did essentially retire the onetime Cowboys decade-long starter in the span of 15 weeks in 2016. Now, their careers have almost completely mirrored each other.
Romo was 78-49 as a starter, Prescott is 77-48-1. Neither has made the NFC championship game. Both dealt with factors both in and out of their control that led to a general lack of playoff success. Romo was 2-4 in the postseason, Prescott owns a 2-5 playoff record.
As the record books also start to reflect their careers against each another, Prescott is acknowledging the impact Romo had in Dallas. But in finishing his answer about passing the former four-time All-Pro in completions, he implied that his sights are set higher.
“I understand the players who have come before me and it’s an honor,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I want to win games and I want to chase Roger [Staubach] and Troy [Aikman] and the accomplishments they have.”
What do those two quarterbacks have that no other Cowboys starting quarterback can claim? Super Bowls. Five between them, to be exact.
While it might seem like a dig at his predecessor, Prescott should have every right to feel that way. The Cowboys have been plagued by a lack of playoff success since Aikman left the building, and there’s nothing from Romo’s career in the win column that should be worth emulating.
And that’s nothing against Romo. He had a spectacular career that a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL could only dream of. It’s just the facts. It’s why he won’t hear his name called at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s likely why he won’t have his name in the team’s Ring of Honor.
So while Prescott still has the opportunity to reach those heights, why should he set his sights lower? He’s playing some of the best football of his career to begin the season, and if this team can ever get its defensive issues figured out, it will have Dallas sniffing playoff contention once again.
“The experience is paying off,” Prescott said about this stage in his career. “On top of the film study, my preparations, and then just the clear communication on when a play’s being not only called for, but what that play’s been designed for and how we feel like getting to attack this and attack that. I think it’s just resulting in me knowing all of that and putting it all together. I’m feeling good out there.”
The confidence is coming through from the Cowboys’ on- and off-the-field leader. And he shouldn’t have to apologize to anybody for how high he lets that confidence get, as long as it results in, well, results.
“[I’m] as confident as I’ve ever been,” Prescott said. “I would say I am … I think that’s why every year I feel like I’ve gotten better, making strides, and never getting complacent in every part of my game. I know sometimes the numbers and things don’t always show that, but I think right now they are.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM.
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.
Physical Matchups Are Like Second Nature When the Eagles Meet the Packers.
PHOTO: Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
In the waning moments of the Eagles and Packers Game on Friday night, with Green Bay’s offense down 34–29 and needing a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and desperately trying to get into range for one last-gasp hail mary — Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love was sacked by Jalen Carter.
Writhing in pain on the night Brazilian Turf—Love was taken off of the field and replaced by Malik Willis — who was also then sacked to secure the first Philadelphia win in a season where the Eagles are considered a top contender in the NFC for the Super Bowl.
In another season when the Eagles were a Super Bowl contender, the 1991 season they opened with Philadelphia playing at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles began the season with perhaps the franchise’s best defense in team history, coupled with one of the NFL’s most dynamic quarterbacks in Randall Cunningham. In the second quarter, Packers linebacker Bryce Paup landed on Randall Cunningham’s knee — tearing his ACL — an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the 1991 season.
That 1991 team did give us some amazing moments. The defense was number 1 against the pass, the run, and total yards. During an away game at Houston in a stadium designated as the House of Pain — the Eagles obliterated Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers’ Shoot Offense. In week 3, the Eagles sacked Dallas Quarterback Troy Aikman eleven times in a 24–3 romp at Texas Stadium. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, the Eagles would return from a 24–0 deficit to win 32–30.
Unfortunately, without Cunningham and an injured two-time Super Bowl Champion in Jim McMahon — the Eagles had to rely on a carousel of signal callers like veteran Jeff Kemp — and would miss the playoffs with a 10–6 record.
Some will blame the turf at Corinthians Stadium or the Eagles defense for Love’s injury in Brazil. Everyone must expect a physical matchup for two of the oldest franchises in NFL history. In Brazil, that’s exactly what we have.
After the 1991 win in Houston against the Oilers, Eagles Defensive Tackle Jerome Brown said, “They brought the house. WE brought the pain.”
