For the record, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was wrong and deserved to be ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first offensive play in Thursday’s 24-20 Eagles victory at Lincoln Financial Field.

But replays showed that Prescott spat first, albeit on the ground as Carter was jawing at Cowboys rookie right guard Tyler Booker. Prescott admitted as much. And he said he was further angered that Carter thought he was spitting at him, resulting in the Eagles defender ultimately losing his cool and spitting on Prescott without eye view of the officials. It was an automatic ejection.

Carter apologized after the game.

And while Prescott didn’t mean to bait Carter and cause the Eagles to lose their best defender for the entire game, it was an example of the fight in a Cowboys team that gave the defending Super Bowl champions a battle for four quarters before ultimate losing a close game in a hostile environment.

There are no moral victories, as coach Brian Schottenheimer said. But there was plenty for the Cowboys to be encouraged about regarding their play and performance against the Eagles in a game that was ultimately decided by a red zone fumble from running back Miles Sanders and four uncharacteristic dropped pass from All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb, including two in their final possession that could have led to a game-winning drive.

Given all that the faced the Cowboys leading up to the much-anticipated opener against the Eagles, they proved to be a tougher out than expected against the reigning champions on the night they raised the banner before a sold out and raucous crowd at Lincoln Financial Field l0ooking to feast on their arch rivals.

There was the distractions of the contract dispute between owner Jerry Jones and defensive end Micah Parsons which led to their best player being traded to the Green Bay Packers seven days before game, Brian Schottenheimer making his NFL debut as the 10th coach in franchise history and Prescott playing for the first time since missing the final nine games of 2024 with a torn hamstring among others.

No one gave the Cowboys a chance and the Cowboys left knowing the game was theirs to be had, if not for the Lamb drops and the Sanders fumble.

So excuse Jones for beaming with pride and optimism outside the post game locker room.

Although he said he was “sick” the Cowboys didn’t get the win for Schottenheimer in his first game, he couldn’t help but be encouraged about the team’s performance and his neophyte coach having them ready to play.

“I’m encouraged, I’m real encouraged,” Jones said “I’m encouraged by the meat on the bone. These guys played hard. They played good. They played consistently. I’m not so sure we had one pre snap penalty offense that’s so far different from the past, it’s unbelievable. That’s coaching, that’s coaching, that’s emphasis. And so I’m really proud for Brian. I know that no one wants to think that there’s not one way to go and that’s end up on the top end of the score, but I’m proud of him. He had us ready to play.

“I’m sorry that we lost the game. It would have been a fairytale to step up here and beat the world champions in his first game. But it doesn’t always happen. I’m pretty proud of this team.”

Not only was Jones encouraged by Schottenheimer, he was proud of Prescott, who played well enough to win and made the throws that should have led to a comeback victory _ if not for the drops.

Prescott completed 21 of 34 passes for 188 yards. But he was 12 of 17 of 127 yards in the first half and his numbers would have looked a lot better at the end _ if not for the drops.

Prescott looked healthy and in control for much of the game. It was not lost on Jones.

“We had the ball where we wanted to have it,” Jones said. “We’ve got that ball and got it in the hands of the right people, especially the way Dak played. I cannot say enough how proud I am for Dad and proud for us. He was outstanding. We’ll win a lot of games if comes down to the people that you saw it in that fourth quarter trying to get it done.”

Down 21-20 at halftime time and 24-20 in the third quarter, the Cowboys had several chances to take the lead. The Sanders fumble came in the third quarter on 1st and 10 at the 11. It was Prescott who saved the touchdown with a tackle on cornerback Adoree Jackson, who had nothing but green grass in front of him after picking up the fumble

Then came a 64-minute lightening delay. And a Cowboys defense that allowed the Eagles to score three touchdowns on three possessions in the first half and a field goal in the third quarter suddenly got stingy.

The Eagles rushed for 123 yards in the first half, including three rushing touchdowns. They ended the game with 158 yards rushing.

Running back Saquon Barkley finished with 60 yards on 18 carries. He had 10 carries for 49 yards in the first half.

Of course, the Cowboys scored nothing in the final two quarters. There is no question they their chances. The fumble and the Lamb drops proved to be too much to overcome.

Down four with three minutes to play, Lamb had two drops that could have been game changers.

“That’s terrible,” Lamb said. “I can’t point the finger at anybody else. I take full responsibility. I need to catch the damn ball.”

He does and he knows it. No one doubts that Lamb, a four-time Pro Bowler, who became the second youngest player to record 500 career catches, will not let them down again.

The Cowboys also know this was a game they could have a probably should have won.

They are a young team and will get better. They will learn from this one.

The pass rushers who had to replace Parsons will be better the next game.

Prescott’s discipline in not punching Carter for spitting on him showed up in the box score. The Cowboys have routinely been one of the most penalized teams in the NFL over the last five years under former coach Mike McCarthy. They had four for 42 yards compared to 9 for 110 for the Eagles. And no pre-snap flags on offense, as Jones pointed out.

That’s encouraging.

And so was how the Cowboys played and the fight they showed in their first game after a disappointing 7-10 finish a year ago.

The offense line held up. The running game was solid. And Lamb was Lamb, with 7 catches for 110 yards that was marred by the drops.

“We all the change and a new head coach, the group went out there and was physical as hell together,” Prescott said. “Obviously, we thought we had a chance. We had opportunities. We are process oriented. But he we can compete and play like that we are are going to be proud of the team we put together. I didn’t think we were going to go undefeated. It sucks. I wanted to get the first one. But we got to move on.”

The Cowboys host the New York Giants in the home opener at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 13 where they hope to build on their encouraging play against the Eagles and get their first win of the season and first win of the Schottenheimer era.