Q1 8:48Mike Tirico:YouTube TV. It's in the 70s, rained earlier, showers about an hour and 45 minutes away on the radar. Kickoff rule has been adjusted, they're expecting more returns this year. KaVontae Turpin is an All-Pro kick returner. Jake Elliott will kick off for the Eagles, who won the toss, deferred the option to the second half. Our honor to start and end the season opener here. We've got Super Bowl 60 on NBC. Who's coming with us? The 2025 NFL NFL season begins with Turpin returning from the 5, trying to find an opening down the sideline, out of bounds right around the 32-yard line. That's where the Dallas offense will begin. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State. Javonte Williams, North Carolina.
Q1 8:27Mike Tirico:Terrence Still High School.
Q1 8:26Mike Tirico:An offensive line, big part of the story for Dallas. 3 Tylers, all first-round picks. Injury for the Eagles right away. Ben Ben VanSumeren, linebacker and fullback, and, uh, you can see he is really distraught about it right away. Here he is engaged in blocking. Meantime, while you're watching this replay, a penalty flag has gone down, and Ben VanSumeren right away on the plant, grabbed that leg and went to the ground. So I mentioned the flag as the athletic training staff was looking at Van Sumeren. Sean Smith, the referee, had to get between the teams, and one of the other officials threw a penalty flag. No surprise, edgy with the Cowboys and the Eagles. For the moment, the attention and the disappointment for the Eagles and Nick Sirianni Ron Van Sumner in there, fullback, in kick coverage.
Q1 8:05Cris Collinsworth:The attention with the fans though on the Dallas Cowboys and how that played out afterwards. So it is going to be one of those starts already to this season.
Q1 8:00Mike Tirico:We talked about the movement of the kickoff, it's to promote more kickoff returns. The touchbacks now come out to the 35-yard line. Whoa! 15-yard penalty. Whoa! Automatic first down. So Jalen Carter, the focus and the star for the Cowboys— uh, for the Eagles on the front line, out for the game before a snap. Here he goes, he walks there in front of Dak Prescott. Did he spit? Did he spit on him? I think he did. There you go, there you go. And the official was right there to throw the flag. Brian Neal, the umpire who was keeping an eye on that confrontation. No idea obviously what was said, but Jalen Carter out of this game before a snap. Chris, that's— first of all, I got no idea what he's thinking. And second, this is massive in terms of the game.
Q1 7:35Cris Collinsworth:I, I got to tell you, he's the best player they have on their defense and about 80% of what we were going to talk about on this broadcast. Because to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, you have to double-team Jalen Carter. If you don't, you don't get your offense started. Now you take off that one player on the defense that you had to focus your attention on. And it's almost like Micah Parsons now gone from the Cowboys, same impact now with Jalen Carter gone.
Q1 7:24Mike Tirico:Meantime, the injured player Van Sumeren is being carted off the field. A whole bunch of the Eagles came out to give their wishes to a guy who's going to play some in a fullback role in this offense this year. So you talk about trying to repeat his champs and the path is never easy, right? You don't pick up where you left off. And before a snap, a player you were counting on is out for this season, perhaps with a leg injury, and this man is certainly out for the game before even being on the field.
Q1 7:14Cris Collinsworth:Uh, you just can't believe what you just saw.
Q1 7:13Mike Tirico:From the 47, Dak Prescott hands. Javonte Williams is now the running back for Dallas into Eagles territory at the 46. Dak Prescott missed half of last year after the hamstring surgery, had an injury in Atlanta, it forced him have to step away. He's been multiple injuries over the last few years. Chris, when healthy, he is still a very, very good quarterback.
Q1 7:05Cris Collinsworth:I mean, 2 years ago he finished second in MVP balloting, so let's remember what he was before he got hurt a season ago.
Q1 7:02Mike Tirico:Year 10 in the league for Dak. They put it in the hands of Turpin, the return man with great speed, featured on the second down for the first first down of the Dallas season.
Q1 6:59Cris Collinsworth:I think this is going to be one of the surprises for this season is how much KaVontae Turpin is being used. Of course, we saw know what he did as a return man. And remember Tyreek Hill with his early days with the Kansas City Chiefs, he didn't play a whole lot of receiver either. Got a chance, so who knows, they're going to try to work Turpin in a lot more into this offense.
Q1 6:51Mike Tirico:At the Philadelphia 42-yard line, Prescott out quick, it's caught up to the Cowboys, George Pickens who gets tagged there. They'll mark him at the 37-yard line. First 3 years in Pittsburgh, high productivity, Star plays also caused a lot of attention with his antics. Question is, how focused will Pickens be? So far, Chris, the reports have been good.
Q1 6:43Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I think he spent a lot of time with CeeDee Lamb, and CeeDee Lamb was, you know, full of praise with Pickens. But what Pickens does is he is one of the very best in the NFL deep ball catchers. So if you're going to leave him one-on-one on the outside, they're simply going to throw it up to him.
Q1 6:36Mike Tirico:From the 36, Williams Williams running up the middle, close to a first down, shy of the 32-yard line. Javonte Williams behind a good offensive line could be a good equation for Dallas this year.
Q1 6:31Cris Collinsworth:Well, this is a dream come true for the Dallas Cowboys. You've got Jalen Carter out of the game now. Their entire game plan, they were thinking about going no huddle, so they had to substitute him out so they could throw the football. And so far now, what we've seen in the early going is Jalen Carter out of the game, no double teams, and the Cowboys are doing exactly what they hope to do in which is start out running the football.
Q1 6:23Mike Tirico:A lot on Jordan Davis, number 90, with Carter ejected before the first snap of the game. Prescott play action, about to get hit, throwing it. It's open for CeeDee Lamb inside the 5! First and goal Dallas as Prescott hits Lamb down to the 2! Dallas runs to the ball.
Q1 6:15Cris Collinsworth:What a move on the outside by CeeDee Lamb. Almost nobody could stay with him, and not Adoree' Jackson. Remember Remember Darius Slay gone for the Eagles and they're right after his replacement Adoree' Jackson.
Q1 6:11Mike Tirico:First and goal, Dak putting it up for Lamb. Contact and a flag on Jackson. Veteran in his 9th year, last 4 years with the Giants. Darius Slay was released, signed with the Steelers. Jackson takes over at corner.
Q1 6:03Cris Collinsworth:Absolutely no question. So taking advantage of both of the weaker parts now for the Philadelphia Eagles along the defensive line with no Carter and going right after Adoree' Jackson in the secondary. What a drive this has been so far for Dallas.
Q1 5:57Mike Tirico:Javonte Williams, the running back, first and goal Cowboys. And it gives to Williams left side into the end zone for the season's first touchdown.
Q1 5:51Cris Collinsworth:Well, this is where you're going to have to win the battle, right in here. And for the Philadelphia Eagles on that drive, there was nothing fancy. Tyler Smith, who is the best offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, simply had no problem at all with Jordan Davis. And Tyler Guyton was able to finish it off with Zach Vaughn. Usually you're seeing the Jalen Carter-Zach Bond combination, but that goes out the window now.
Q1 5:41Mike Tirico:2 years in the league, both years on the All-Pro team. Brandon Aubrey adds the first extra point of the year. You want to talk about a stunning start to the season. Best player on the Philly defense spits on the Cowboy quarterback. He's ejected, and the Cowboys take off the other way. Javonte Williams, the touchdown. 7-0 Dallas. Wow. Lowe's knows Sundays hit different when you earn them. You ready? It's Saturday. Dave's ready. Dave George ready. He's miles ahead of you. We flying, Dave. Cool, cool. Let's go.
Q1 5:28Mike Tirico:Plenty of runtime, and it's even got turbo mode.
Q1 5:27Mike Tirico:That's what they called me in college.
Q1 5:26Mike Tirico:No, they didn't. They called me a lot of things, different things. I bet they did. We'll take it.
Q1 5:25Mike Tirico:We got a Sunday to earn. We help you tackle that project by Saturday so you can earn your Sunday.
Q1 5:23Mike Tirico:Lowe's. Chevy makes America's most dependable trucks, like the rugged Colorado, the highly capable Silverado 1500, the powerful Silverado HD, and the uncompromising Silverado EV. With the off-road-ready Trail Boss family, dependability comes standard. Chevrolet, together let's drive. We're here.
Q1 5:12Mike Tirico:Progressive's Accident Response detected an accident and sent for help.
Q1 5:11Mike Tirico:Did we beat him? Where's Superman?
Q1 5:10Mike Tirico:Uh, saving the world, maybe.
Q1 5:08Mike Tirico:So we did get it.
Q1 5:07Mike Tirico:Yeah, I don't think car insurance is really his thing, not with us around.
Q1 5:06Mike Tirico:Yeah, I already called a tow truck and started your claim.
Q1 5:05Mike Tirico:I guess not all heroes wear capes.
Q1 5:05Mike Tirico:Yep. Somewhere.
Q1 5:05Mike Tirico:Tummy capes.
Q1 5:04Mike Tirico:What?
Q1 5:04Mike Tirico:Don't say things like that out loud. No, that's embarrassing.
Q1 5:02Mike Tirico:And now your NFL Airmen, led by Peyton Manning. Omaha! Omaha! They're going for the beer! Whoa! Touchdown! Anything for Bud Light, official beer sponsor of the NFL. Thanks. With NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV, Jason Kelce can watch every game every Sunday, all in one place. But How much NFL in one place can he handle? Yes! Whoa! What have we done?
Q1 4:48Mike Tirico:NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV.
Q1 4:48Mike Tirico:Every game, every Sunday. New users pay less. Tonight's 4K Skycam coverage is brought to you by Walmart+. The euphoria in the lake has been short-circuited quickly after the bizarre start. Jalen Carter spitting on Dak Prescott, tossed from the game, and the Eagles go down the field, 6 plays, 53 yards. Now Aubrey to kick off, it goes into the end zone, landing in the end zone. That's a touchback. We have a penalty marker down at the 45-yard line. The touchback will bring the ball to the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line this year. But let's check the flag. Sean Smith Smith is the referee. Illegal motion on the receiving team, number 9 moving prior to the kick— number 39, correction, number 39.
Q1 4:29Mike Tirico:5-yard penalty, first down.
Q1 4:28Mike Tirico:So the Eagles take over at the 30, and here's their offense. Jalen Hurts, Rose-Saunders. Saquon Barkley, Penn State. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss, DeVonta Smith, Emmitt Louis-Alf. Jahan Dotson, 6'1", Dallas Goddard, South Dakota State. Jordan Mailata, Jeff Sattlin University. Landon Dickerson, Alabama. Cam Jurgens, Nebraska. Tyler Steen, Alabama. Blaine Johnson, Oklahoma. So Steen in there is the only new face in that starting lineup, replacing Mekhi Becton, who's now with the Chargers via free agency. Jalen Hurts in the champs, starts from the 30. First throw is complete. That was Goddard, toward the sideline. Pickup of about 9 off the throw from the Super Bowl MVP. You want to talk about a winner? Check out this number. Jalen Hurts has played for the championship 5 of the last 9 years in football. 3 times in college, 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls, and he's had 2 great Super Bowls, save really for one play, Chris.
Q1 4:08Cris Collinsworth:He really did. And, and the fact that he overcame what happened to him in one of those national Championships when Tua came in and threw the game-winning touchdown to do what he's done for New England.
Q1 4:04Mike Tirico:Barkley's first run will be a first down across the 40 to the 41-yard line for Saquon Barkley, 9th player in the history of the National Football League with 2,000 yards last year.
Q1 3:59Cris Collinsworth:And right in the middle of your screen there, Kenny Clark, and he's going to have to be the one that starts to solidify this run defense up front. The Cowboys are are just sick and tired of having people run the football and their inability to run the ball. And yet so far in this game, at least on offense, they have been able to run it.
Q1 3:52Mike Tirico:Just past the 40, Hurts taking off, and Jalen Hurts will slide down, mark him just shy of the 48-yard line. It'll be 2nd and 3 for a man who's very effective on the move.
Q1 3:47Cris Collinsworth:And I don't think that we recognize the ability of quarterbacks to make plays like this enough. I mean, if he completes a pass, a beautiful throw, it's great. But second down and short in the National Football League is your dream down because the way that these guys play, when they get to third and two, let's say, they could run two quarterback sneaks and pick up the first down. So they basically have a free down right here to do whatever they want to do.
Q1 3:38Mike Tirico:59 is Kenneth Murray Jr.. He's calling the defensive signals, new to the Cowboys. Edge pitch, Barkley on the move. Saquon Barkley asking Cam Jurgens to lead him forward to the 36-yard line. The first down for Barkley.
Q1 3:32Cris Collinsworth:You get all these guys here, you're going to pull this guard, everybody's going to think this, and they go flip 90 out this way. That's what I'm saying. This was a free play. This was a chance to just take a shot at something that might pop, and it did.
Q1 3:26Mike Tirico:We'll get into it as the night goes on. This Eagles team, Barkley the 2,000 yards, Hurts the Super Bowl success. It starts up front, and they are as good a unit as there is in the league. Will Shipley is now the back. Hurts over the middle for Goedert. Tagged at the 30, Jack Sanborn punching at the ball. New Cowboy linebacker joins Malik Hooker on the tackle.
Q1 3:17Cris Collinsworth:And, and Mike, for the Dallas Cowboys, they're playing Jalen Hurts and this tremendous offense and great offensive line, but your offense just did it, right? The Cowboys offense took it right down the field and scored a touchdown. You got to answer that effort on defense. You got to come back and make a stop, hold them to at least a field goal here.
Q1 3:09Mike Tirico:Go, go, go! The 30-yard line, Shipley, quick hitter to the right And a first down for Will Shipley, the second-year back out of Clemson with the back end of a blowout NFC Championship game win over Washington. Had a couple of really nice runs, including a touchdown.
Q1 3:04Cris Collinsworth:I, I don't know what you do when the Philadelphia Eagles get off the bus. Everybody except DeVonta Smith. I mean, it just looks like big-time wrestling or something coming off the bus. They are just big and tough.
Q1 2:59Mike Tirico:Out quick to Shipley. Receivers blocking. Shipley inside the 10, first and goal, Philadelphia at the 6. So the second-year man, Will Shipley, a little more part of the offense.
Q1 2:54Cris Collinsworth:And we are seeing blocking out of everybody on the outside. The Philadelphia Eagles have really come together as a team. Watch DeVonta Smith, all 170 pounds of him, on the outside doing a job for his teammates.
Q1 2:49Mike Tirico:It's—
Q1 2:48Cris Collinsworth:he's the only guy that when you look at him, you go, there's only one guy dumb long on the field right now because they're all so big. And yet here he is constantly making plays just like that.
Q1 2:45Mike Tirico:These are guys who went to high school, right? First and goal, Philly. Barkley back in, left side, Saquon, couple yards, mark him down near the 3. Second and goal, closing in on that area where Philly's so effective power running. Inside the 5.
Q1 2:39Cris Collinsworth:And now it's just a matter of what Nick Sirianni wants to do. I mean, theoretically, he could take his quarterback and just run 3 of those plays there, but I would think they would not want to run him quite as much until it was 100% needed. When you got Saquon Barkley right behind him, really no need.
Q1 2:30Mike Tirico:Second and goal. Barkley inside. The Cowboys surge with Solomon Thomas, new to Dallas, last 3 years with the Jets, played for San Francisco and the Raiders as well, in there on the stop.
Q1 2:25Cris Collinsworth:Kenneth Murray Jr. in there as well, and one of the things that they have to do with Kenneth Murray Jr. now is more of a speed linebacker, is exactly what he did there, get through the initial line of scrimmage. It's not his job to take on 330-pound offensive defensive lineman. He's got to use his speed to get around him, and he did it there.
Q1 2:19Mike Tirico:3 receivers to the top, and the motion man is Jahan Dotson. Third and goal. Hurts has time, takes off. Jalen Hurts, touchdown Philadelphia!
Q1 2:09Cris Collinsworth:Biggest job for any quarterback in the NFL, to convert on third down and convert in the red zone. You want to throw a touchdown pass, great. You want to run it in the end zone, great. This guy is tremendous at doing both.
Q1 2:04Mike Tirico:Pass rush handled. Sants Parsons, hurts to the end zone. Now Jake Elliott. 2 drives, 2 touchdowns. Jump right into the deep end of this season. Jalen Hurts did it so well at the end of last year, picks up where he left off. All tied at 7, and you're watching the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV. Let's go! Okay, Brian, craziest touchdown ever.
Q1 1:53Mike Tirico:Tennessee Titans, Music City Miracle.
Q1 1:52Mike Tirico:Tyson snags it, starts running like he's double parked. What does a play like that do to the locker room? Man, it's everything. That's it. Where's Shaq? Is Shaq available? Really? Yeah, because he's not going to say it's everything. Or if he did say it, he'll go, new customers bet $5 to get $300 instantly in bonus bets, plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube TV. The crown is yours. Chevy makes America's most dependable trucks, like the rugged Colorado, the highly capable Silverado 1500, the powerful Silverado HD, and the uncompromising Silverado EV. With the off-road-ready Trail Boss family, dependability comes standard. Chevrolet. Together, let's drive. For years, everyone thought Verizon had the best network because they did. But now the best mobile network in the U.S.
Q1 1:25Mike Tirico:is T-Mobile. Some fancy experts finished a network test, and T-Mobile sort of opened a can of whoop-up.
Q1 1:23Mike Tirico:T-Mobile's network has the most advanced 5G G with more towers and their signal reaches further than ever.
Q1 1:21Mike Tirico:So you can text and InstaTalk and say, you won't believe where I am.
Q1 1:19Mike Tirico:Seriously, where am I?
Q1 1:18Mike Tirico:Hey, I got signal.
Q1 1:17Mike Tirico:We sell products made out of paper, toilet tissue, and local newspapers.
Q1 1:16Mike Tirico:That is in order of quality.
Q1 1:15Mike Tirico:It's gonna take a little time.
Q1 1:14Mike Tirico:My name is Ned Sampson. I am your new editor-in-chief.
Q1 1:13Mike Tirico:Have you read this paper?
Q1 1:13Mike Tirico:Uh-huh. It sucks, but we are going to make it better. I hope it's not too disruptive to have me shake everything up.
Q1 1:10Mike Tirico:Don't be so self-defecating.
Q1 1:08Mike Tirico:God, not again. The Voice is back. Snoop, Bublé, Niall, and Reba, get ready for some big voice energy. Got a brand new season of The Voice which debuts September 22nd on NBC and Peacock. Philly's done a great job getting ready for this opening night. Center City has been all lit up in green, and 4 miles down Broad Street here in South Philly, the Link as well. Tied at 7. Kick away from him, but it can't, and it's taken by Turpin from the 3, and the return will stop him at about the 23-yard line. And Melissa, that's where Prescott, the Cowboys offense. Once the fisticuffs end with Marist— Lea Fowle with the helmet off. Fisticuffs are gonna end.
Q1 0:49Mike Tirico:Flags everywhere.
Q1 0:48Mike Tirico:Welcome back to Cowboys-Eagles. We've got 4 different flags thrown after the scrum. Lea Fowle's helmet was off. He was right in the middle of it. 35.
Q1 0:42Cris Collinsworth:The other game linebacker, Leofau, was definitely working the helmet, had the face mask, and was trying to work it off, but his was already off, so it's hard to tell what happened to him first.
Q1 0:38Mike Tirico:Again, a lot of tone-setting with these teams. Two blowout wins with Prescott missing both games for Dallas last year. But it doesn't matter the records or the current records for these teams.
Q1 0:33Cris Collinsworth:And Cooper DeJean looked like he was the one that was— grabbed the face mask. Couldn't tell if he was actually the one that took it off, but then it was Leaphal trying to do the same back to him.
Q1 0:28Mike Tirico:There's two personal fouls on the play, both against Dallas. Personal foul, unnecessary roughness, receiving team number 35 and number 14. Half the distance penalty.
Q1 0:23Mike Tirico:First down.
Q1 0:23Mike Tirico:So we'll take Dallas back deep in their own territory. You saw Jejean, first one, but very often as it's tight in there, second one is the one who gets caught.
Q1 0:19Cris Collinsworth:Dallas Philly, here we go, right? And this is exactly— we've been talking about this all week. The shot that the Dallas Cowboys had was that this offense really was sort of put together. And that they were going to be able to run the football enough to set up their passing game, which is what they did on that first drive, hitting that big pass to CeeDee Lamb down inside the 5. Now can they continue with the run game? That's the most important question, and it's been made a lot easier with Jalen Carter out.
Q1 0:08Mike Tirico:From the 12, Williams goes left for 3, has promise. Melissa, on Dak?
Q1 0:06Mike Tirico:Yes, Dak Prescott missed the final 9 games of last season after after suffering a right hamstring injury in Week 9. He tore 2 of the 3 hamstring muscles off the bone, an injury that required surgery in November of last year where he had 3 screws inserted to stabilize the hamstring. Dak told us his rehab was tough. Now he feels totally comfortable and confident, saying his mobility won't be affected. He's just as fast as he was before the injury.
Q2 14:57Mike Tirico:And we went down to Dallas, as you alluded to earlier, Melissa, on Monday, and Dak walked in the meeting look great, look great in practice as well. Play pass here, trying to find some space, protected the ball and threw it complete to CeeDee Lamb. Zach Bond thought he had a pick, was going after it, but Dak kept it alive and Lamb has a first down.
Q2 14:49Cris Collinsworth:This is what Dak simply could not or did not do successfully a season ago. Scramble to the right, all the way back get up, get out, turn his body, and watch CeeDee come back inside the cornerback to make that catch. He had to take his hand off the ball, Prescott did, and still able to complete it. What a start for this Cowboys offense.
Q2 14:41Mike Tirico:Jordan Davis out of the lineup for the moment for the Eagles. Their two big tackles are not there in the middle, and Javonte Williams takes advantage of that into a 5-yard to the 38-yard line.
Q2 14:36Cris Collinsworth:Javonte Williams was actually drafted by Vic Fangio, who's the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. And Mike, we got to watch some tape on him during the course of the week from his rookie year in 2021. He made some of the most spectacular plays we saw that season, and if he's anywhere close back to that form, he's really going to be a valuable value for the Dallas Cowboys.
Q2 14:27Mike Tirico:He'll go to the left here in game 3, marked at the 41-yard line with 3rd and a couple coming up. Andrew Mukuba, John Campbell, the rookies over there making the tackle. There's more pushing and shoving after the play, now being separated. Vic Fangio knows about Javonte Williams, had him when he was the head coach in Denver This year too for Vic as the defensive coordinator here in Philly.
Q2 14:18Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, he, he was talking about how special he was that first year before he hurt his knee. And Mike, we have seen every single snap, I think, CD and George Pickens on opposite sides of the field trying to stretch that defense.
Q2 14:12Mike Tirico:Tight formation here on third and two. Prescott scanning and throws complete to Lamb, who came across the field And CeeDee Lamb takes it right around the 30-yard line. Effective start for CeeDee Lamb here in the opener.
Q2 14:06Cris Collinsworth:One of the big questions coming into this one was whether or not Tyler Booker right here was going to be able to hold up against Jalen Carter. Well, guess what? That really never happened in this game. So huge advantage for the Dallas Cowboys breaking in their new right guard.
Q2 14:00Mike Tirico:26 of those Lamb's 76 yards on the last catch. Yeah!
Q2 13:57Mike Tirico:Hey, you got the iced coffee, iced coffee!
Q2 13:56Mike Tirico:Miles Sanders the back, off in time Prescott. There is a different flag down as the pass is complete to the 30-yard line to Sanders, 7th-year man out of Penn State.
Q2 13:49Cris Collinsworth:No problem calling that one. That was pretty easy right there. Tyler Smith got beat right off the ball, and as soon as it happened, he knew it was over for him, and he simply just made a tackle, and it was a good decision for him.
Q2 13:43Mike Tirico:Got a hand on Byron Young, 3-year man from Alabama, started with the Raiders. There's Smith. You see how good he was. Remember, he was at tackle early on in his career, been moved inside to guard. Gonna stay there now and a really solid player inside. Final 2 minutes of this opening quarter. Prescott has to get away. Sanders has it. Zach Bond in the open field brings him down. Loss of 3. Zach Bond went from a special teamer and an edge rusher to an All-Pro linebacker last year.
Q2 13:31Cris Collinsworth:And one of the things that Zach Bond does absolutely best is bring down people in the open field. A remarkable story. He was never an off-the-ball linebacker. He played on the edge and rushed the passer for the New Orleans Saints for multiple years. Comes here, they try him at inside linebacker, and he's the best in football in his first year. Now, he was working behind Jalen Carter, which certainly helped, but just a remarkable story.
Q2 13:20Mike Tirico:Tirpin in motion, second and 23. Prescott taking the shot towards Pickens on the sideline, trying to come up with a one-hand grab, could not. Working on Quinyon Mitchell, who had his left arm pinned. The flag is thrown by the back judge.
Q2 13:13Mike Tirico:The ball will be placed at the spot of the foul, automatic first down. And that's what Pickens Pickens does best— contested catches.
Q2 13:11Cris Collinsworth:And just got Dallas out of a huge hole with that. And you can see that Mitchell has his hand inside the front of the jersey right there, and Pickens just couldn't get off. Tried to make the catch with one, and Sirianni wants no part of it. But that was a huge play because of the way the Cowboys were backed up.
Q2 13:02Mike Tirico:34-yard penalty. From the 12, Prescott play action, throwing back in the end zone towards Jalen Tolbert. That's Mitchell all across the defense to make the play. Quinyon Mitchell, what a rookie year he had last year.
Q2 12:56Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, Dak is going for the, uh, the jugular on that one, but I should have just taken the quick one right here. Sometimes when you get it going and you hit some of those big plays down the field. This is a first down throw, just take one, take a little gain. Completely covered on the back line of the end zone.
Q2 12:50Mike Tirico:First incompletion of the night for Prescott. Number 12, the second down run inside, and a good run. Williams powering forward to the 2, inside the 2, and it's first and goal for the Cowboys here at the back end of this first quarter. Power running here. Cowboys get on the ball, don't have to run a play. Looks like they're just playing out And this first quarter will come to an end. Two full drives, two touchdowns, an ejection of the Eagles' best defensive player. We're all tied at 7 after the opening quarter of the season. And time now for our Accenture in-game update. Of course, the big story coming in was the Micah Parsons deal a week ago today. Danny Clark, who you've seen in this game, and two walks. Mentioned we were in Dallas. We've talked to Jerry Jones, talked to Stephen Jones, talked to Micah Parsons' agent. Look, there's a lot of he said, she said about the TikTok of how this played out, but that's all backwards. Jerry Jones did say to us when Micah and he met back in the spring, there were two fools in the room, one who offered the deal and one who turned it down. Jerry's words, great line. But what about the future? What does this whole deal mean in your mind?
Q2 12:16Cris Collinsworth:Well, if Jerry had signed Micah Parsons, he would have had 50% of his cap covered with 3 players, and that's a dangerous place to be, to be honest with you. And as the number kept going up, they started thinking about what that might mean. And I think Jerry just likes the action, to be honest with you. You know, now he has money to spend on new contracts. We've already seen him doing a little bit of that that. And more than anything else, he has 4 players now in the first round of the next 2 drafts, and they're supposed to be very good drafts that he gets to play with. So now Jerry gets to play Wheeler-Dealer.
Q2 12:03Mike Tirico:They've talked some rationalizing missing Micah. Is it going to impact them too much? Only time will tell for the Packers and the Cowboys. Right now the Cowboys are at the 1 trying to take the go-ahead touchdown on the opening play of the second Back to that right after this. In life and in business, the goalposts often move. But at Accenture, we say game on. Because whatever goal you're heading for, together we'll get there. Make some noise!
Q2 11:45Mike Tirico:We know what America wants.
Q2 11:44Mike Tirico:Freedom sucks, baby!
Q2 11:43Mike Tirico:Yo, now you should see the underwear I'm wearing.
Q2 11:40Mike Tirico:Tonight's kickoff sights are provided by Nationwide. Right across the parking lot, Citizens Bank Park, home of the Fightin' Phils. Got another win today, beat the best team in baseball, Milwaukee, 2-0. They're 6 games up in the NL East, but they are also extending their congratulations to their neighbors, the champion Eagles. Here in the sports complex in South Philly, second quarter begins. With the Cowboys knocking on the door. First and goal from the 1. Javonte Williams the running back, and Prescott gives to Williams inside for the touchdown. 2 drives, 2 Javonte Williams 1-yard touchdown runs, and Dallas leads 13-7.
Q2 11:23Cris Collinsworth:You know, Mike, I I think we have to talk about something here. And the Dallas Cowboys certainly running the football and doing well. But remember how many players now the Philadelphia Eagles are missing on this defense. Josh Sweat, who led them in sacks. Milton Williams, who signed a $104 million contract with New England. Nakobe Dean still out. They get Jihaad Campbell, Darius Slay, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Brandon Graham. That's a lot of people on the defense, and it's showing up right now without Jalen Carter in there.
Q2 11:12Mike Tirico:Yeah, take Carter out of there to start tonight too. That's a lot of guys who played a lot of great snaps with them. Hopper, the extra point. 14-7 Cowboys on top.
Q2 11:07Mike Tirico:Why do it?
Q2 11:06Mike Tirico:Why would you make it harder on yourself?
Q2 11:03Mike Tirico:Why change chance it?
Q2 11:01Mike Tirico:Why put it on the line? With so much at stake, with so much room to fail, why risk it? Why would you dare? Seriously, why? You could give everything you have and still lose. But my question is, what if you don't?
Q2 10:47Mike Tirico:Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like needing the leadership of this captain but getting that captain.
Q2 10:43Mike Tirico:Again.
Q2 10:43Mike Tirico:Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Q2 10:42Mike Tirico:Chipotle just dropped Build Your Own Chipotle, a mini Chipotle experience at home.
Q2 10:40Mike Tirico:Feeds 4 to 6 people.
Q2 10:39Cris Collinsworth:We have a lot of food here, lots of protein, rice, and beans.
Q2 10:39Mike Tirico:Everybody can make whatever they want and there's plenty to go around. Absolute game changer. Okay, let's rewind. A freak hailstorm hit, cracking this group's windshield and causing the night to take an unexpected turn. Inside, they were greeted by Edna's warm welcome, a blank stare— be cool, guys— and a TV showing football that no one wanted to change, ever. So they pulled out the BetMGM app and put together a live parlay. But what would the fourth leg be? Bingo, New York. Soon the whole bar was pulling for that parlay. Make it a place you'll never forget. BetMGM Sportsbook, make it legendary. NBC's NFL Kickoff Special, brought to you by Hyundai. Welcome to more in the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid. And by the Farmer's Dog, real food made fresh, delivered. The Eagles delivered and so did their fans. Great parade on Valentine's Day to celebrate the title. Jeffrey Lurie, the terrific owner of the Eagles, and Howie Roseman, quarter century in this organization. The terrific job he has done with personnel and Nick Sirianni, another hire for this team that has worked out. The kickoff does not work out for Aubrey. Second touchback. This time Philly will get it at the 35-yard line. The rule adjustment from last year when it came out to the 30.
Q2 10:10Cris Collinsworth:And I, I could get the feeling that Aubrey's just missed those two kicks, don't you? It looked like he was trying to bounce them into the field of play in the corner, and he just was too much adrenaline on both of them.
Q2 10:06Mike Tirico:And a lot of the kickers are around the league have talked about kicking a dirty kick, dirty ball. The special teams guys are talking about one you can get rolling on the field inside the landing area and slow down the return man. Drive 2 for Hurts. It was a 10-play touchdown drive. Barkley bounce and a move across the 40 to the 41-yard line. Uso Otigisua. In there for Dallas.
Q2 9:56Cris Collinsworth:I'll tell you, how many games last year did we do, Mike, with Saquon Barkley? And I mean, it felt like he was running for 70 yards every other play. It was remarkable, the performance that he had in LA, first of all, right? And then the one back here in the playoff game in the snow and just dominated, really. Probably would have held the NFL record had he been able to play in that last game. And there's Stefon Diggs in the game now for the Dallas Cowboys.
Q2 9:47Mike Tirico:Last couple of years, knee issues, no action in the preseason, but in the lineup here. Only one snap on that opening drive. Out on the field now, underneath, DeVonta Smith has it. Brought down by Kenneth Murray Jr., the linebacker out in coverage, but it's a Philadelphia first down.
Q2 9:41Cris Collinsworth:And let's talk a little bit about this secondary for the Dallas Cowboys. Diggs coming off the knee injuries. And of course, he was just remarkable back in '21 when he had those 11 interceptions. DaRon Bland had the stress fracture in his foot last year. They got Kier Elam, a former first-round pick out of Florida, but he basically was a fail in Buffalo. And now he's the starting corner out here against the Eagles on opening night.
Q2 9:32Mike Tirico:He's opposite A.J. Brown right now. Barclay, what an elusive move to get away midfield, a run of about 5 yards. Magic, those feet, those quick moves.
Q2 9:25Cris Collinsworth:Well, Ozo Digizua did his job there. He was 5 yards into the backfield to be able to make that play and just wall it off. And the fact that Saquon somehow escaped that pass, and really the blame's going to go on Dante Fowler Jr. for that. He had to clean that up and keep that containment on the outside.
Q2 9:18Mike Tirico:The Cowboys 49, Hurts underneath his tight end Dallas Goedert. Got it, takes it for about 3 yards. It'll be 3rd and a couple coming up. Goedert, 42 catches career low in games last year. He played 10, but when healthy, still a player who will be a part of this Philly offense this season.
Q2 9:08Cris Collinsworth:The Eagles on offense are like a good boxer. It's like they just jab, jab, jab, hit you in the belly a couple times, jab, jab, and then all of a sudden you start creeping in and trying to make plays and stop Saquon. And then one of these two wide receivers, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, They get the one-on-one they want, and it usually does not go well for the opponent.
Q2 9:01Mike Tirico:Third and 3, Hurts comes back to the middle. Big hit in the middle, but held on to by Goedert for the first down. Took a look to the outside but connects with Goedert. Back-to-back trips, first down at the 39. New play caller for the Eagles, Kevin Petullo, has been with Nick Sirianni for a while, Chris. Now he's the man with the voice in Jalen Hurts' headset.
Q2 8:52Cris Collinsworth:And Kellen Moore was here last year and of course did such a great job, but it really was those three that really created the offense for the Philadelphia Eagles in that championship run. And now it's those two, and for the first time at least with the Eagles, Patullo is the one calling the plays.
Q2 8:46Mike Tirico:Moore off to be the head coach with the Saints. From the 39, Hurts out of the pocket. Couple yards. I mentioned Indy a moment ago. Kylen Granson is a new tight end in Philly. He was with the Colts before and signed as a free agent with Philly here this year.
Q2 8:40Cris Collinsworth:Does it look like Jalen Hurts is even more calm than he was in the past couple of years, which is hard to do?
Q2 8:38Mike Tirico:He's always calm. Yes. Always.
Q2 8:37Cris Collinsworth:But I mean, here's a guy that really seeks out advice from championship-type people. You know, Peyton Manning certainly topped the list for him for a long time. Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, guys that have won championships. And now he's only interested in winning again, and he made that very clear to us.
Q2 8:31Mike Tirico:Add Michael Jordan to that list as well. Jordan, great guys. Second and 9, Hurts, nothing open, buys some time and has a lot of space and the first down inside the 30. Cowboys sideline irate. They wanted a holding penalty as Hurts escaped, but he's got a first down at the 29.
Q2 8:24Cris Collinsworth:He's killing them, and he kills a lot of teams with this because he's willing to stay in the pocket. The Cowboys finally answered with some man coverage. The problem with man coverage, you got your back turned to the quarterback, and the minute you turn your back on this quarterback, it's going to be First and 10 for the Eagles.
Q2 8:18Mike Tirico:So 41, the Cowboys rookie edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku out of BC, Boston College. He was the one the coaching staff thought was being held. First and 10, Barkley, powerful run for the 35-yard line before Marshawn Neeland. Part of that edge rotation, the guys who were trying to fill the Micah Parsons void. Neeland made the stop.
Q2 8:09Cris Collinsworth:I'm not sure how Saquon Barkley held on to that ball. You saw a great hustle out of Marshawn Neal, and you'll see it every time he plays football. Watch the tail end of the play. 94 is going to come right back here and get his hand right on the ball. That is a fumble almost 90% of the time, and somehow the strength of Saquon Barkley held on.
Q2 8:02Mike Tirico:He's got plenty of strength. Nuts to watch his workout stuff. Inside run, Will Shipley gives Barkley a break and runs for a yard. How do you get that big? You do things like this. This is new and fresh, it's not the old stuff. 585 off the rack, you got it, pal.
Q2 7:53Cris Collinsworth:Just one time I'd like to do anything with the bar bending like that, other than die. I would prefer not to die, but anything else.
Q2 7:49Mike Tirico:That's the same thing, first place your eyes go to, that bar.
Q2 7:48Mike Tirico:Oh my gosh, man.
Q2 7:48Mike Tirico:When all those strong guys watch the show themselves, it's a wow. Third and 5 for Philadelphia. Dallas twisting 4 men. Hurts has all kinds of time and escapes, runs, first down to the 9. Pass rush not getting there. Hurts getting there. First and goal, Philadelphia.
Q2 7:39Cris Collinsworth:I mean, the Cowboys played this perfectly. All they wanted to do was squeeze Jalen like that, and they did. They had him covered. They got him all contained in there. Watch this little loop, little cross. They got it, and somehow he's still weaving through there. I remember Aaron Rogers was like that when you tried to rush 4 against him. He could just always find a way through the crease, and there are 2 creases in there.
Q2 7:30Mike Tirico:1 inside for a yard or 2. Each team has 9 first downs. Everybody scored on the first 3 drives, 2 for Dallas. Philadelphia is trying to make it 2 for them halfway through the second quarter.
Q2 7:24Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and And converting third downs. That was a third and five when he made that run right there, when Jaylen made the run. And that's out of tush push range. That's when the Cowboys have to win. That's your chance to get off the field. And that one they blew it.
Q2 7:18Mike Tirico:Only 3 of 3 on third downs thus far tonight. Second and goal. Hurts again, the time now chased, now taken off to the pylon, got there! Jalen Hurts for the second time tonight.
Q2 7:07Cris Collinsworth:All right, no Micah Parsons and you're starting to feel the pain right now, you really are. Donovan has it Roku, a non-factor, got knocked to his knees, left this entire side wide open, and Jalen Hurts is killing them. I mean, he has simply been a one-man show out here tonight. Been doing it with his arm, doing it with his legs, and there's a ring, uh, on his finger for that very reason.
Q2 6:58Mike Tirico:Jake Elliott. All even at 14. 6 for 6 throwing, 5 rushes for 43 yards, 2 touchdowns. Jalen Hurts has 2, Javonte Williams has 2, and we're tied at 14. He's got an NFL offer. Don't play with me.
Q2 6:50Mike Tirico:Think I'm going to take it?
Q2 6:50Mike Tirico:Aren't you a little too old to be playing football?
Q2 6:49Mike Tirico:Wait, what? They want somebody that can run a 40, not somebody that is 40. When the coach calls your number, you going to say G56. Bingo! How How you gonna celebrate a win? You gonna give everybody butterscotch candy? Probably out your pocket with no wrappers on it. Just gonna give them raw candy. That's nasty, by the way. New customers bet $5 and get $300 instantly in bonus bets, plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube TV. A screen that doubles in size. Hold the phone. What is it that makes an SUV extraordinary? Hmm, well, hang on, Parker, what are you doing?
Q2 6:34Mike Tirico:Is it the capability to tackle absurd obstacles?
Q2 6:33Mike Tirico:Oh, now what?
Q2 6:32Mike Tirico:Is it being stylish and techy enough? Or is it about how many lovable pets it holds comfortably?
Q2 6:30Mike Tirico:Ah, who doesn't love dogs?
Q2 6:29Mike Tirico:What about putting safety first?
Q2 6:28Mike Tirico:Okay, that's smart.
Q2 6:28Mike Tirico:What if it's all of that and more?
Q2 6:27Mike Tirico:Well, it's got to be the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
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Q2 6:20Mike Tirico:Missing your team's games on Sunday? Not an option. So whether you're a picked up an afternoon shift fan or just a moved to a new city fan or at a Sunday afternoon wedding fan, Verizon's got you covered. Get NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube TV on us. Every out-of-market game, every Sunday afternoon.
Q2 6:14Mike Tirico:That's up to $480 in value.
Q2 6:13Mike Tirico:Only on Verizon.
Q2 6:12Mike Tirico:See you Sunday. Attrition on the defensive side of the ball for Philadelphia includes Brandon Graham, played the most years for the Eagles. He was part of that defense last year. It was first in the league in points, but he's one of the 10 players lost to the Super Bowl team. That's most by a champion on the defensive side of the ball. And now this is a very very young group. Average age just under 25, so Philly has the youngest defense in the NFL. Of course, they miss the leadership of a guy like Graham, 206 games in 15 seasons, but they have some young guys trying to figure out— Turpin, the return brought down at the 32 by one of those young guys, Sydney Brown. And then on top of all the guys not coming into the season, Chris, there's this with Jalen Carter spinning on Dak Prescott while an Eagles player was injured and Carter was ejected.
Q2 5:54Cris Collinsworth:Jalen Carter is one of my favorite players. I think you know that. That was one of the most ridiculous things. You just might as well have spit in the face of your entire football team, head coach, and everybody involved in the organization. If they lose this game tonight, it will be because Jalen Carter did that before he even played one snap in this game.
Q2 5:48Mike Tirico:31, Prescott out, caught Ferguson for a couple to the 33-yard line. Jackson and Blankenship are there, and they really need Jake Ferguson—
Q2 5:43Cris Collinsworth:the Cowboys do— to get back to the form that he had 2 years ago. He was a Pro Bowler, had a great year, had a few injuries he had to deal with, as did Dak Prescott. But if they can you get Jake Ferguson and KaVontae Turpin working with Pickens, and of course CeeDee Lamb on the outside, they've got something.
Q2 5:35Mike Tirico:Prescott, just one incompletion on the night, keeps it that way. There's Turpin down the sideline, the punch towards Dorian Jackson's chest to create space into Philly territory for a first down.
Q2 5:31Cris Collinsworth:Great job by Dak. He saw the slot blitz, so he knew that was going to be man coverage against one of the toughest guys to cover one-on-one, KaVontae Turpin. Get him the football and take a chance. Often that turns into something really big. Nice job playing quarterback there for Dak Prescott.
Q2 5:26Mike Tirico:Keep going at Adoree' Jackson, the new corner here for Philly. Here from the sideline in Dallas. First time out, Dallas Cowboy ball at midfield, first and 10, 5:26 left in this first half. 14 all.
Q2 5:19Mike Tirico:Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company. They're also one of America's largest financial services companies too. Just like I'm so much more than Peyton Manning, I'm also Motivayton Manning. I want everyone here to know that you You too can be so much more.
Q2 5:14Mike Tirico:So I could be a chef?
Q2 5:14Mike Tirico:Sure can.
Q2 5:13Mike Tirico:Marine biologist? Follow your dream.
Q2 5:13Mike Tirico:NFL quarterback?
Q2 5:12Mike Tirico:Hmm, kind of a niche skill set, but I believe in you. For your insurance and financial needs, Nationwide is on your side.
Q2 5:10Mike Tirico:What is it that makes an SUV extraordinary?
Q2 5:10Cris Collinsworth:Hmm, well, hang on, Parker, what are you doing?
Q2 5:09Mike Tirico:Is it the capability to tackle absurd obstacles?
Q2 5:08Mike Tirico:Stairs?
Q2 5:08Mike Tirico:Course.
Q2 5:07Cris Collinsworth:How practical.
Q2 5:07Mike Tirico:Okay, what if I throw a little mud around?
Q2 5:07Mike Tirico:Yeah, that's a classic. Oh, now what?
Q2 5:05Mike Tirico:Is it being stylish and techy enough? Hey, aren't you—
Q2 5:05Mike Tirico:No. Yes. No.
Q2 5:03Mike Tirico:Does it need to be roomy enough for the family? I have no idea who these people are.
Q2 5:02Mike Tirico:Just pretend.
Q2 5:02Mike Tirico:Or is it about how many lovable pets it holds comfortably?
Q2 5:01Mike Tirico:Aww, who doesn't love dogs?
Q2 5:00Mike Tirico:What about putting safety first?
Q2 4:59Mike Tirico:Okay, that's smart.
Q2 4:59Mike Tirico:I still don't know who these people are.
Q2 4:58Mike Tirico:Anything else, Parker?
Q2 4:58Mike Tirico:Is it the hybrid engine that goes for miles and miles? What if it's all of that and more?
Q2 4:56Mike Tirico:Well, it's got to be the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
Q2 4:55Mike Tirico:Ah, there's your answer.
Q2 4:54Mike Tirico:French toast nibblers or breakfast nachos? Actually, I was thinking about heading out only because I want to beat the traffic. But that's part of the sleepovers the next time. I was gonna throw the games on. You're a Notre Dame guy. I'm from Texas. Winners never compromise. What? Yeah, I mean, how can you call yourself a sports fan without Xfinity? You got, uh, multi-view, the best college and pro games all in one place. I'm not going anywhere. You ever tried pancakes and guac? You're about to. Yes! Let's go! I got a little recipe that I can't tell you, but I think you're gonna be happy. I hired 10 everyday Americans to come up with creative ads for these iconic brands.
Q2 4:45Mike Tirico:We're spending millions of dollars.
Q2 4:45Mike Tirico:This is real money, real businesses. May the best idea win!
Q2 4:43Mike Tirico:On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, September 30th on NBC and Peacock.
Q2 4:42Mike Tirico:From the crew that brought you The Office comes a new comedy of underdogs with major issues. The Paper. You stream it after the game only on Peacock. You grab some ice cream from Franklin Fountain as well. Got a chance to check out the early episodes of The Paper The paper's terrific. If you love The Office, you will love the paper. Binge it on Peacock. You do it tonight after the game.
Q2 4:35Cris Collinsworth:6-1 defense here, Mike.
Q2 4:35Mike Tirico:Now, first down Prescott. They run into it and bouncing to the outside of Sanders, but he can't get there as Nolan Smith Jr. comes across and a late flag at the back end of it. The league has been talking about sportsmanship and unsportsmanlike conduct. Conduct in terms of taunting after plays. We try to clean it up this year.
Q2 4:27Mike Tirico:Chris, we've talked to the officials and to everyone in New York. This is something that every team has been told they're going to be watching for this year, the old point of emphasis.
Q2 4:25Cris Collinsworth:And I don't think that Sanders ever even saw it. He sort of just stood up and walked over that way and flexed a tiny bit, and that was enough. It is going to be enforced in a way that we haven't seen in the past this season.
Q2 4:19Mike Tirico:From the 35 on first down, Prescott, deep drop, covered, gets away for the moment, gets away again. Dak was looking to throw, he's gonna run. And he gets 3 yards out of it. As the slide began at the 32, Jordan Davis almost had a sack.
Q2 4:14Cris Collinsworth:I, I mean, this is terrific by Dak Prescott. This is going to end up in one of those second down and 20 kind of situations, and he scrambles out. And yes, he only gets 3 or 4 yards, but it really meant about 10, 12 yards to his offense. And so far Dak and that tied up hamstring that Alyssa was talking about. Whatever they did, they fixed him.
Q2 4:07Mike Tirico:He could not have done that a season ago, and it was before the injury as well, as it was still healing. Inside, the handoff goes, and it's Turpin to the 27-yard line. So a lot of Turpin here being used by Dallas in this opening half, and they're doing a lot with formations and motions here.
Q2 4:02Cris Collinsworth:Mike, because that time CeeDee Lamb was in motion really for the first time over to Pickett's side. And then what they're going to do, they're going to draw eyeballs there and run back that way. So they're trying to get you to adjust to their two-star players and run away.
Q2 3:58Mike Tirico:Third and two, Dak running it to Cedric Give it first down for Williams. Javonte's got the 2 touchdowns tonight, takes it to the 23-yard line, and the Cowboys continue to move it effectively.
Q2 3:52Cris Collinsworth:They're getting good blocks inside too. Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, all those young guys playing in there. Now they go to the hurry up, although really you would like to burn a little clock here. They haven't been able to stop Philadelphia. I don't know how fast I want to go. I'm not going fast. This is a smart move. Get us there, lock them in, don't let them substitute. And yet here we go, still milking that clock.
Q2 3:45Mike Tirico:I got you. Here we go, Dak and the throw inside to Lamb, caught at the— incomplete, incomplete from the far side. The official saw it hit the ground first and it will be second down. So Brian Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator last year, Mike McCarthy was the head coach. As you get a look at that ball clearly hitting the ground, is the offense different from what you've seen in this first half?
Q2 3:39Cris Collinsworth:It It is, and they've been separating their two star receivers, but we've seen a lot of tight formations and we've seen a lot of quick motions to try and force the defenses to make adjustments. Remember, this is a very young Eagles defense now. They substituted in a lot of guys that they lost in free agency and it's showing.
Q2 3:33Mike Tirico:2nd and 10, Prescott throws off of Lamb and incomplete. Almost a gift deflection interception for Byron Young. As he was reacting after his pass rush. But Adoree' Jackson in coverage.
Q2 3:29Cris Collinsworth:Best play of the night for Adoree' Jackson, and it was a big one. A little bit of a late, poorly timed throw. See the— oh, it was almost picked off by Young on the outside. Ball was late getting there, and Adoree' Jackson made his first big play of the night.
Q2 3:24Mike Tirico:Third and 10.
Q2 3:24Cris Collinsworth:Might get Pickens one-on-one with Mitchell down here. They've been playing a little of that.
Q2 3:21Mike Tirico:Prescott looking left, going Pickens, end zone. Pickens adjusting and incomplete as he and Mitchell were involved again.
Q2 3:18Mike Tirico:No flag.
Q2 3:18Mike Tirico:Fourth down, field goal attempt coming.
Q2 3:17Cris Collinsworth:It definitely got a little, a little interesting right about there. I think they were sort of pushing almost equally, and the officials probably saw the same thing, so no call.
Q2 3:14Mike Tirico:First time for either team that a third down was not converted in this one. And here is Aubrey, sensational leg, good accuracy from 41 Brandon Aubrey knocks it through, and the Cowboys back on top here in this one. 34 to go for Hurts and the Eagles back into the first half. This is the Farmer's Dog turkey. Apparently this is also turkey. Turkey, but only one actually looks like turkey, since only one is gently cooked without the ultra-processing, and only one is human-grade. Because good ingredients matter, but the best recipes call for so much more. Get 50% off your first box, available only at thefarmersdog.com.
Q2 2:55Mike Tirico:How about the new Ultimate Trio?
Q2 2:53Cris Collinsworth:Choose 3 apps and 3 sauces, over 80,000 combinations for only $14.99. Now that's a heck of an option plate.
Q2 2:50Mike Tirico:Applebee's new Ultimate Trio.
Q2 2:49Mike Tirico:Is this what life is meant to be? Could there be something more for me? I'm just a little curious. Is there something more fabulous? I need something to chase, something to map this space. I need lost faith. It's too much and never enough.
Q2 2:42Mike Tirico:Oh, where Come to Fabulous! It's spectacular, outrageous, impossible stuff. Don't stop when you're welcome to Fabulous! I think this trip is good for my brain. Stay out tonight, you'll sleep on the plane. A world of absurd, a place to converse.
Q2 2:35Mike Tirico:This is Las Vegas! Welcome to Fabulous. I could be the most amazing reporter on this planet. Some people say I am, and that takes a nose for news. This is classic long-form journalism.
Q2 2:29Mike Tirico:Well, it's not too far away. Milan Cortina, the Winter Olympics from Italy. We'll have it for you you in February on NBC and Peacock. The opening ceremony is the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday. The couple of weeks we all look forward to in February. The start to this game, 5 drives, 5 scores. Aubrey trying to put one in play this time. He does and gets a little bit of a bobble on it, so the return comes shy of the 20-yard line for Chip complete with the hit by Leifert.
Q2 2:20Cris Collinsworth:All right, let's take a look at our Next Gen Stats powered by AWS. And you know what this offense has been powered by? It has been Jalen Hurts and his legs all night long. They don't have a pass completed over 8 yards, and yet it has been play after play when they had to have it, Jalen Hurts has simply pulled it down. And you can see the man coverage running around behind line. They're doing their best to match up with these receivers, but they have yet to match up with the running skills of Jalen Hurts.
Q2 2:11Mike Tirico:10 downfield in the passing game, only 8 yards, the longest reception for Goddard. No targets of A.J. Brown yet. Getting it done on the ground tonight. Team Barkley left the waiting arms of Sam Williams, important player on this Dallas team this year.
Q2 2:06Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and we're seeing the rotation along the defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. They're going to use Marshawn Nealon and Sam Williams on early downs, and then Dante Fowler Jr. and Ezzoraku is more the pass rush kind of situation. So they're trying to keep these guys fresh in there.
Q2 2:01Mike Tirico:They're trying to find a way to fill in for what they're missing.
Q2 2:01Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, they are.
Q2 2:00Mike Tirico:Micah Parsons.
Q2 2:00Cris Collinsworth:Hello, Green Bay.
Q2 2:00Mike Tirico:Second and 6 on the other side of the 2-minute warning. You're watching the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV. What is it that makes an SUV extraordinary?
Q2 1:40Mike Tirico:Hmm, is it the capability to throw a little mud around?
Q2 1:35Mike Tirico:That's a classic.
Q2 1:31Mike Tirico:Does it need to be roomy enough for the family? I have no idea who these people are.
Q2 1:24Mike Tirico:Just pretend. Anything else, Parker?
Q2 1:21Mike Tirico:Is it the hybrid engine that goes for miles and miles? What if it's all of that and more? What is it then?
Q2 1:10Mike Tirico:Well, it's got to be the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
Q2 1:03Mike Tirico:USAA presents the Salute to Service moment. NFL All-Pro lineman Lane Johnson recently joined a military exercise that provided survival, evasion, resilience, assistance and escape training. Working with a retired Green Beret and Army Ranger, Lane completed his mission, deepening his admiration for our military. To all who have served, USAA and the NFL say thank you. See how USAA honors and protects our nation's military at usaa.com/nfl. Why do we love USAA, team?
Q2 0:19Mike Tirico:Because they still call Mom Sergeant, and they paid Dad's claim super fast after that scary thunder.
Q2 0:12Mike Tirico:Gotta make this play work for me.
Q2 0:06Mike Tirico:USAA membership Always the smart play. Become a member today.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Tomorrow, this isn't just a game. It's Chiefs versus Chargers. It's Mahomes versus Herbert. It's Carol G at halftime, and it's free only on YouTube. Buy the Old Spice NFL Collection.
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HLFMike Tirico:Okay.
HLFMike Tirico:All right, Maria, see you and the guys at halftime. Good to have our old football Night in America team on hand. Nightly News, Today Show as well last couple of days. Fun to have the whole NBC family here for kickoff game 2025. Second and six for Hurts, flushed, chased by Williams, and he'll just bench it, throw it to the sideline. It'll be third down.
HLFCris Collinsworth:I tell you, the one thing I did not expect out of this first half is that we would see no passes really thrown to the outside to the wide receivers of the Philadelphia Eagles. I mean, you have DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, for them to at this point only have one catch for 6 yards against a secondary that is coming off of injuries. I just thought we'd see more. But now is a moment for this Dallas defense. They have that 3rd and 6 that they have been begging for.
HLFMike Tirico:And Hurts with time, now snapped downfield, and it is brought in by Jahan Dotson, taking it down to the 26-yard line. Dotson able to pull it in, 51 on the play.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Well, they're just as happy with Jahan Dotson getting the opportunity opportunity against Kyair Elam, and it wasn't that Elam wasn't there, but you've got to be able to make those plays on the ball, and the Eagles just continue to fly down the field.
HLFMike Tirico:From the 26, Hurts, Elam trying to check it down. Barkley didn't take the ball with him. Passing complete. Incomplete. Jahan Dotson, the receiver they got last year in acquired in a trade with Washington. 51-yard catch, the longest since his rookie season.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Yeah, and Dotson was a first-round pick himself, 16th overall pick, and he is an excellent player.
HLFMike Tirico:Howie Roseman made a trade for John Mechie from Houston, so depth in that receiving corps as well. Philly gets the ball to start the second half, chance to double up here. 26, Hurts to Barkley again, open field, forget about it. Saquon powers through to the 18, pick up 8.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Always wondered what it'd feel like to be Daron Bland in that situation and looking at Saquon Barkley coming at you. Such a rare combination of a guy that can beat you with his moves, and if all of a sudden you're playing his moves moves, he can run right through you.
HLFMike Tirico:You want to try? No, no. Okay, I just— the way you said it, I thought you were interested in that. There's that 3rd and 2.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Now they go empty, and your first thought is they're going to run Hurts.
HLFMike Tirico:That's right. Going to throw it. Barkley brings Catches it down inbounds and then gets out of bounds to stop the clock at the 15-yard line. Chains move. Eagles keep all 3 timeouts with 64 seconds to go.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Heck of a job by Barkley right there on a big down. If they had missed that throw, they would have had to have settled for the field goal in all likelihood. Not only did he make the catch, but he got his feet down.
HLFMike Tirico:Matt Eberflug's trying to find an answer. He was the Bears head coach last year. He's calling the defensive signals for Dallas opposite Nick Sirianni, and those two were coordinators at the same time in Indianapolis. A couple of staffs who know each other well. From the 15, 5 in the pattern for Hurts, looking to escape, tucking, keeping, out of bounds at the 10. Pick up of 5. Question on the contact at the end as Hurts gets up. Also, everyone okay on the sideline there after Damone Clark was the one chasing.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I don't think Damone Clark did this. There's a— he just had momentum going and then took out somebody on the sideline, and that's really what caused the bigger issue. Of course, when you're messing with Jalen Hurts in this town, it's a good town to have your back, right?
HLFMike Tirico:Second and 5. Again, still all 3 timeouts, so plenty of run options available for Sirianni and Kevin Petullo, the offensive coordinator. And they run Barkley inside. Saquon, touchdown Philadelphia on top! And again, words exchanged. Big scrum of folks after the score. Good job by the officials to get everybody separated after Barkley's first touchdown of the year.
HLFCris Collinsworth:One of the big questions was, without Mekhi Becton playing guard, will we get that same level of play? That was beautifully done that time by his replacement, Tyler Steen, and the Cowboys Cowboys knew it. They knew if Saquon Barkley started running past the line of scrimmage, they were going to have a really tough time trying to tackle him. And just like everybody else, they can't.
HLFMike Tirico:3 for 3. Philadelphia, 3 drives, 30 plays. Hertz, 216 yards, 3 touchdowns. 2 for Jalen Hurts, 1 for the Offensive Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley. Eagles on top for the first time in 25.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Meet Luke and Jason from Fire Department Coffee, 2 guys with a dream and a little help from Walmart along the way.
HLFMike Tirico:We make coffee that supports our community, and Walmart's played a big part. You know, most of what Walmart spends goes to products made, grown, or assembled right here in the U.S. so we can invest back into our community.
HLFMike Tirico:Who knew?
HLFMike Tirico:Now you know, Jerry. And that is how you brew a mighty fine American business. Coach here to tell you about an all-star bundle. It's Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN, and right now you can get all three with special limited time offer. It's as easy as catching a football. It's as easy as catching a football. It's as easy as catching a football. Oh yeah!
HLFMike Tirico:Yes!
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HLFMike Tirico:1, 2, 3, into the 4. Let's go!
HLFMike Tirico:Well, let me just do a little now for you. Oh, Dee Dee, come I'm on my team.
HLFMike Tirico:All right, Mrs. Doubtfire, why did I sign up to do the show with this guy?
HLFMike Tirico:The Voice, new September 22nd on NBC and Peacock. This game, one of the season. Tomorrow night, game 2, São Paulo, Brazil. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs trying to make another Super Bowl run. They begin against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, streaming exclusively on YouTube. The scene down in São Paulo, the Looking forward to watching that tomorrow night. Elliott's kick bounces in the landing area. Turpin can't get it cleanly, scoops it, tries to escape like he did against Washington last year, doesn't. He's down at the 11-yard line. And Chris, as the pushing continues post-play, like every play thus far, you don't get a big return from Turpin, you start backed up. How does that impact strategy here at the end of the half for Dallas.
HLFCris Collinsworth:I would have absolutely been trying to put points on the board if you just got a normal return. Now starting at the 12-yard line, that may end up changing, but so far I think the Dallas Cowboys fully understand their only path to winning this game is to score almost every time they get the ball. Their defense cannot stop the Eagles from running the football.
HLFMike Tirico:And credit to Jake Elliott, a hard-to-catch kick kickoff forces the Cowboys to start from back of their own 12. Prescott goes sideline for Lamb. Flag in. Jakorian Bennett, who's in there at the corner spot, former Las Vegas Raiders.
HLFMike Tirico:The ball replaced that spot in the foul.
HLFMike Tirico:Automatic first down.
HLFCris Collinsworth:They're definitely looking for corners. The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to replace Darius Slay.
HLFMike Tirico:Contact with Lamb. Rule, Bennett was guilty. Takes the ball to the 21. 38 seconds. Dak over the top throw, it's complete to Jake Ferguson. Into the 26, he was flagged down around the quarterback. Let's see if this is going to push him out.
HLFCris Collinsworth:I think they might have gotten the personal foul, roughing the passer, defense number 3, 15-yard penalty on that first down.
HLFMike Tirico:Second 15-yard penalty on Nolan Smith Jr., the unsportsmanlike conduct with the taunting on the last drive. Terry McCauley, our rules analyst, 3-time Super Bowl referee. Does that fit into the category of forcible contact? I think so, Mike. He pushes his head back.
HLFMike Tirico:It's a pretty good blow to the head.
HLFCris Collinsworth:Correct call for roughing the passer.
Q2 0:27Mike Tirico:Thanks, Terry. So great to have you with us again this year. Remember, Brandon Aubrey has the longest leg in the league. Well, we've seen over the last couple of years the Dallas game, field goal range with another first down or so. Still 2 timeouts and 34 seconds. One-man rush, Prescott throws sideline, it's caught by Ferguson. Timeout Dallas at the 45-yard line. 27 seconds to go, back in 30 seconds after this from AWS. See how AWS AI levels up the game. Dallas down to one timeout, 27 seconds left, and second down coming up.
Q2 0:21Cris Collinsworth:I'll tell you, Mike, I think I might try to work inside a little bit on Jihaad Campbell, the rookie linebacker. He is super talented, but when you get in these kinds of situations, you like to go after some youth.
Q2 0:20Mike Tirico:Scott looks left, comes down to Jalen Tolbert, gets out of bounds. It's virtually no gain and brings up third down, 20 seconds left. Think of Aubrey and his leg, usually 60-yarders are in play. That would mean getting to the 42-yard line, just a dozen yards away. There is a little bit of breeze into the direction Aubrey would be kicking right now. Not a heavy wind, but it is going that direction, left to right, as you watch.
Q2 0:15Cris Collinsworth:It's like a zone defense with CD work in the middle.
Q2 0:15Mike Tirico:And on 3rd and 5, out quick, Prescott, a little bit behind. Pickens, did he bring it in? Yes, at the 45, he's got it. Clock's still running, they want to save it for the field goal. Gotta get it Snapped quickly here, 8 seconds now. It's finally stopped. Schottenheimer said he was trying to get a timeout. He's talking to the official on his side now. We'll get a conversation if time will be put back on the clock.
Q2 0:12Mike Tirico:Final charge timeout, Dallas, 30 seconds.
Q2 0:11Mike Tirico:Game clock operator, please reset the game clock to 15 seconds. 1:5 on the game clock, please. Okay, so he's trying to get the timeout. The official is trying to get the But now, Chris, you're out of timeouts. You gotta put some thought into this.
Q2 0:10Cris Collinsworth:You gotta put some thought into it. And so the Eagles have put some thought into it as well. So they're gonna protect the boundaries and not give you anything cheap to make this field goal a little easier. Now, if you want to take a chance, there's no reason you couldn't take one and throw it up down the field to one of these great contested catch wide receivers.
Q2 0:07Mike Tirico:Philadelphia's taking a timeout here. Melissa, what's been going on down that Cowboys sideline?
Q2 0:07Mike Tirico:Yeah, I've been watching Dak. After that first touchdown, he high-fived the entire offense and said to the guys, let's sustain this. After the second touchdown, so fired up, went down the bench slapping all the guys on their shoulders and said, come right back. And then before this drive, hey, be ready to score some more points. He has been so animated and so energetic on the sideline.
Q2 0:04Mike Tirico:He's 32, 10th year in the league. He's one of the senior statesmen on this team now.
Q2 0:03Cris Collinsworth:He really is. And you're going to see these corners staying out wide. They're not giving a quick out here.
Q2 0:03Mike Tirico:No timeouts for Dallas. Prescott throwing inside. It's caught by CD Lamb down at the 35. Got to try to down the ball here. They try to get it to the referee. He's got to touch it. He does. Can they get the snap off? They do with 3 seconds left, and they'll get a chance to try a field goal of inside 55 yards, be about 54, I believe.
Q2 0:02Cris Collinsworth:Beautifully handled that time by the Dallas Cowboys, and obviously we've seen that before where it didn't work out quite so well for them, but they had that well orchestrated, well coached job by Schottenheimer and his team.
Q2 0:02Mike Tirico:Aubrey in his career, 24 of 27 from over 50 50. Philly will take a timeout here before his attempt from 53 yards. So in the past, they've had these K-balls, the footballs that were just for kickers, and the kickers would only get to work those balls in out of the box for about 45 minutes before the game. Now each team, like you do with the balls that you use on offense, can work in these kicking balls during the year. So there's a feeling amongst kickers and special teams folks around the league we may see longer field goals made. It's not a problem with this guy. No, he can kick anything about 60 yards, but it's something to keep in mind this year with that slight adjustment to these kicking balls. From 53, Aubrey, of course. He's just so smooth with that swing of the leg. 7 possessions in the half, 7 scores. Dallas, 2 field goals, and Chris backed up. They're very well done to get 3 points out of that.
Q2 0:00Cris Collinsworth:One stop on 1/3 down, the only non-touchdown.
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:Melissa.
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:Ryan, 4 drives, 4 scores. What's working for you guys?
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:Uh, we're getting completion, we're running the ball well, our guys are playing playing hard. It's a hell of a football game right now, and, uh, we feel good right now.
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:And defensively, how do you contain the Eagles rushing attack, especially Jalen Hurts?
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, we got to tackle better, number one, and our rush lane discipline's not good enough.
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:We got to get that cleaned up.
Q2 0:00Mike Tirico:Ryan, thanks.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Thank you. Phillies run for 123 yards in that first half. They get the ball to start the second half. Eagles by 1, Toyota Halftime Time. And here's Maria Taylor. Maria, thanks, Mike.
HLFMike Tirico:The boss is working on this floor, which means he can see everything that we're doing. We need to show him that we can make this a great paper again.
HLFMike Tirico:We're enjoying this meeting.
HLFMike Tirico:Everyone's sort of nodding. Now, Detrick, you're going to jump out of your chair with enthusiasm. You're going to high-five Oscar. Go!
HLFMike Tirico:Yes!
HLFMike Tirico:And oh, fantastic, fantastic! And we're clapping, we're clapping, and we're thumbs upping, and we're smiling. Okay, yeah, okay, fantastic. Thank you so much. Saquan, do you think you'll win the MVP this year?
HLFMike Tirico:I already have my MVP.
HLFMike Tirico:MVP. But the awards don't get announced until later. What do you mean? I mean Most Valuable Policy.
HLFMike Tirico:From who, Saquon?
HLFMike Tirico:Who do you think? CURE Auto Insurance. Take it from me, they're the cure. CURE Auto Insurance. Drive well. Big 12 football. Big action. Big moments. You don't want to miss it.
HLFMike Tirico:Want to miss.
HLFMike Tirico:There's nothing like college football.
HLFMike Tirico:I'm going to love everything that comes with it. How you feel?
HLFMike Tirico:Go get him!
HLFMike Tirico:Big things ahead of us. Big 12 football, it's time to turn it on. It's in the name, it's big.
HLFMike Tirico:This happy couple is living the Dinkwad dream. And no, that's not a product name. Double income, no kids, with a dog. A very cute dog. Well, this guy just dreams of being the best plant dad in the city.
HLFMike Tirico:You're my favorite.
HLFMike Tirico:At IKEA, dream the possibilities.
HLFMike Tirico:Privacy.
HLFMike Tirico:Privacy.
HLFMike Tirico:Gelato. Froyo. Architecture.
HLFMike Tirico:Sharkitecture.
HLFMike Tirico:Holiday. Was that good?
HLFMike Tirico:What a vacation.
HLFMike Tirico:Don't you mean holiday?
HLFMike Tirico:My bad. We all know it, New Jersey's a mess, and all Mike Eschero wants to talk about is President Trump. Come on, what does the president have to do with rising property taxes and higher electricity bills? New Jersey's a mess because out-of-touch politicians like Bill Murphy and Mike Eschero care more about pronouns and sanctuary cities than they do solving our problems. That changes when I'm governor. I'll lower electricity bills, cut and cap property taxes, and keep our community safe. Folks, it's time to fix New Jersey.
HLFCris Collinsworth:When I'm governor, we will.
HLFMike Tirico:NFL Week 1, Sunday on Sports Final.
HLFMike Tirico:You've got the game.
HLFMike Tirico:Get live local and primetime games on mobile with NFL+.
HLFMike Tirico:Our departure has been delayed.
HLFMike Tirico:NFL+, keep the NFL in reach. Welcome to the Toyota Halftime. Let's go places.
HLFMike Tirico:That set the tone.
HLFMike Tirico:We talked about it before the game, you can't be selfish.
HLFMike Tirico:This is about the team.
HLFMike Tirico:That was selfish, disrespectful. You cannot do that. Their whole defensive game plan is centered around Jalen Carter. Guess what? He didn't play a snap tonight. Unbelievable he would do something like that.
HLFMike Tirico:He's the best defensive tackle in football. He's their disruptor.
HLFMike Tirico:He's their disruptor.
HLFMike Tirico:We haven't seen Dak Prescott under pressure, and they let off the Cowboys off the hook with a rookie right guard.
HLFMike Tirico:Yeah, it starts with number one, very efficient in the passing game, but the plays he made running the football have been big. Dallas has to address this. Rush lane integrity has not been good. Jalen has had too much room outside, especially down here in the red zone. He's made the Cowboys pay.
HLFMike Tirico:I don't understand it. I mean, if you're not going to have rush lane integrity, then you have to have a spy.
HLFMike Tirico:Did they not get the memo that he likes to run when people aren't open?
HLFMike Tirico:That's what it looks like, a bad game plan. You just said it, Sif, someone has to change this second half.
HLFMike Tirico:Hey, I'll tell you what, Dak Prescott on the other side, incredibly efficient. Two quarterbacks playing as well as they can right now, off to really good starts.
HLFMike Tirico:What drives us to live for this game? Yep, here's the catch. Do we enjoy the pain? Is it Chasing greatness, or is it passion teetering on madness? We're here for one simple reason: we love football. All in, all season. Toyota, let's go places. Next week on Today, we're diving into a new Buffalo Bills tradition and Fans take the celebration off the field and onto the water. Then, Hoda's back with an inspiring story. And NBA superstar Steph Curry's here live. Next week only on Today. Welcome to this new era of NFL football on NBC. Tonight, Sunday Night Football, that's what's going on! I said— The Manning Bowl. Brotherly love on hold tonight. What a Tonight, what a season! Most improbable win. Think of how in the world— oh my goodness, it's the doink for the division! Oh, that, that is a whack. No, spectacular touchdown!
HLFCris Collinsworth:This will be a decision they discuss for a long time.
HLFMike Tirico:Spins, flips it forward for the touchdown! Stop it! Setting one of those records for the ages. I would say you look marvelous, but that's probably a little bit of an embellishment.
HLFMike Tirico:Two decades of Sunday Night Magic. Absolutely, Coach. Season 20, Ravens and Bills going to launch this thing for us.
HLFCris Collinsworth:What's the biggest separator between these two franchises right now?
HLFMike Tirico:Well, these Offenses are so similar. Dual threat quarterbacks, running backs who can break the big play, a lot of weapons on offense. The question is going to be who can stop the other team, Rodney. And I think Baltimore's made some additions to their defense that help them.
HLFMike Tirico:Absolutely. I look at the Ravens, this is the most talented defense they've had in years. They're deep on the defensive line. Roquan Smith is still playing at a very high level. And Coach, I think in the secondary they got a chance to be special. And both these quarterbacks, so accomplished. Accomplished.
HLFMike Tirico:But who's under more pressure to finally reach that Super Bowl?
HLFMike Tirico:Lamar Jackson. He's had Super Bowl rosters last few years.
HLFMike Tirico:They got to get it done. Go—
HLFMike Tirico:I agree. Two-time MVP, but he's only won 3 playoff games. I think the pressure is on Lamar to step up and get it done this year.
HLFCris Collinsworth:What a game we have out here.
HLFMike Tirico:I can't wait.
HLFMike Tirico:Dallas had that opening flurry, but the defending champs, they have had the answers.
HLFCris Collinsworth:They lead by 1. Second half.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Coming up on the other side. This has been the Toyota Halftime. Let's go places.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Aren't you going to miss the game?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:No, I've got NFL Plus. It's on my phone. Get live local and primetime games on mobile with NFL+. Keep the NFL in reach.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:These cases are hard. It's okay if you don't want to fight, because we are going to fight for you. We have to be able to say we did everything we could.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Every move we make is being scrutinized.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:He needs to pay for what he did. Some things in life you can't run from.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'm gonna make sure that you spend the rest of your days in a 6x8 cell.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Law Order: Thursday, new September 25th on NBC and Peacock.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It's the dream we all share to be anything and go anywhere. So if you need room for your family, your gear, side hustle, or anything else, get the SUV designed for your dream. The Ford Explorer, America's all-time best-selling SUV. It's time to see Ford in a new light. Experience the legendary Ford Explorer for yourself. Visit your local Ford store for a test drive.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Caitlin hits the 3!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Hi everybody, this is Greeny here, and Spectrum gives you ESPN Unlimited with live games, original series, top analysis, and much more at no extra cost. ESPN Unlimited and more popular streaming apps are included with Spectrum TV.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's what this place is all about.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Go to spectrum.com/entertainment today.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Attention law enforcement, you took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your neighborhood safe. But in too many cities, dangerous illegals walk free as police are forced to stand down. Join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst— drug traffickers, gang members, predators. Join the mission to protect America with bonuses up to $50,000 and generous benefits. Apply now. Join.ice.gov and fulfill your mission. We're tracking storms and the return of the heat after the game. Broadcast is copyrighted by NFL Productions for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this broadcast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the consent of NFL Productions is prohibited.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:NFL Kickoff Weekend presented by YouTube TV continues tomorrow with the NFL South Palo game on YouTube. Then Week 1 continues Sunday on CBS Fox and with Sunday Night Football on NBC and concludes with Monday Night Football on ESPN. ESPN and ABC. Stream games live on your mobile device with NFL+.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:NFL Kickoff Weekend is presented by NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Watch every game every Sunday, all in one place.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Tonight's first half coverage is presented by Progressive.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:All right, it's been worth a 7-month wait. Let's do this.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Dallas Philly. Here we go.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Whoa, Carter spits on the quarterback. Dak gives to Williams for the season's first touchdown. Jalen Hurts touchdown Philadelphia!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Flags everywhere.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Oh yeah, gives to Williams for the touchdown. A stunning start to the season.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Progressive Insurance, for coverage you can count on.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Set for the second half from South Philly. Birds by one. Tonight's kickoff storylines are powered by AWS. Jalen Carter, that ejection— first player on a defending Super Bowl champ ejected in the season opener. Dallas running for a couple of touchdowns between the tackles. They didn't do that either the last two years. For the Eagles, first time they've allowed that to happen in 3+ years. And as for for Jalen Hurts, first Super Bowl MVP, to score a pair of touchdowns in the first half of the following season opener. Some of how we've gotten to 21-20 as we continue with the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV. Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark on the sideline. 70-degree night in South Philly. There's still a front to clear here. We may see a little more wind, may get lucky in the rain, could just miss us to the west. We'll keep an eye on it. Kickoff to be returned by John Metche down the sideline. He's shy of the 30th and 28. Here's Melissa a moment ago with Nick Sirianni.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Nick, 3 personal fouls, an ejection on defense. What was your message to your guys?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, we can't have any of those. Obviously we've given them short fields here. This is a good offense and we can't help them out at all. So we can't have those.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:3 touchdowns, no punts on offense. How do you continue that in the second half?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, we just got to continue doing the fundamental things—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:blocking, taking care of the football, making good catches.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Jalen's good.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Jalen's going to do a good job, but we have to be ready for them to adjust, and we will as well.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Thanks, Nick.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Thank you. All about fundamentals, and Nick Sirianni proving that with a terrific record his first 4 seasons. First down, Hurts to pass. Pass inside, perching hit by Jack Sanborn and others on Dallas Goedert out to the 32-yard line, pick up of 4.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and they've got new linebackers here for the Dallas Cowboys as well, right? Kenneth Murray Jr. comes over, they made a deal with the Titans to get him. Jack Sanborn came over with Matt Eberflus, he had him in Chicago. So a lot of moving parts, this defense is going to get better, but obviously no Micah Parsons, and it's been very apparent. Yeah, no impact.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, no sacks. Hurts has been able to buy time. Initially gain of 5. Second and 5, Hurts got it again in space. Harris, Leofau tackles him on the other side of the line. Gain of a half dozen to the first down. As Goedert's caught his 6th ball of the night.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Mike, watch Jalen Hurts in the pocket here. Now eventually going to get some pressure right here, but watch him just stand there. He is just so confident in what he's doing, and maybe more so what his offensive line is doing for him. And he's not looking to run, he's only doing it when he has to.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:39, out quick, DeVonta Smith's got it. Short gain of of a couple. That is Khyir Elam, the former Bills first-round pick, trying to hope that the change of scenery in Dallas will change the trajectory of his career. But there's what you talked about with Hurts, his ability to have time to read it and throw it well.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And he's done a good job getting the ball out here quickly too, obviously scrambling, but he's such a complete quarterback. And I hit on it a little bit in the first half, but to me, quarterbacks quarterbacks convert third downs. That's what matters, and convert in the red zone. And he has just been sensational, especially when they got into that playoff run a season ago.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:From the 42, Barkley to the left, it's strung out. Barkley's gonna have first down. Not tackling him like that. Saquon past midfield into Dallas territory at the 47-yard Gain of 11.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Sometimes you end up hitting Saquon Barkley at the end of a, of a run and you just assume he's on the ground and he's not. I don't know exactly who it was came up, made this hit, boom, right there. And it was Hooker. And you just think that he's going to be on the ground because I hit him that hard and he's not.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Barkley gets a break. AJ Dillon, the former Packer is in the backfield. Will Shipley was not in on that last kickoff return, so it's the first carry as an Eagle for Dillon, who takes it inside the 40 and is right at the mark, close to a first down at the 36-yard line. Missed all of 2024, the neck injury. Started his career with 4 good years in Green Bay.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and you get Saquon out of the lineup and you go, oh shoot, that's good, get that big guy out out of there. And then in comes another 250-pound running back that has thighs even bigger than Saquon Barkley. I mean, it's nuts when they stand side by side in practice the other day. They look like two guards standing next to each other.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Second and short. We have been pushless thus far here tonight. Inside is going to be close to a first down. We'll see where they mark them. They're going to move the chains past the 36-yard line for a Philly first down. And an Eagle slow to get up is the important guy for them in Landon Dickerson. Dickerson was a question mark with a right knee injury in camp, took part in practice most of the week, but the day he missed was because of a injury.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, he had meniscus surgery on August 10th, so like 2 weeks later he was back in the huddle and practicing, but you can tell he is in pain right now.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:36, inside again with Dillon. That time they stop him as the safety Donovan Wilson crashes down. Chris, we haven't had a chance to mention on the Dallas front, as Barkley comes back in, Mozzie Smith, their first First-round pick from 2023 inactive, a healthy scratch here tonight for Dallas.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and if you're inactive with what they've got at defensive tackle, that's as close to being cut as you can be, right? I mean, they've got Solomon Thomas and a rookie and Jay Toia, but it's quite the statement about your former number one pick.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'll take it to 10. Hurts to the air, pressure on here, and there's the first sack of the season, and Kenny Clark is involved in it along with Marshawn Nealon. So Clark, who came over in the trade for Micah Parsons, joins Nealon on the sack of Hurts back at the 44-yard line.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Marshawn Nealon's going to be the one that gets there first. And then you're going to see Clark come in and clean it up. And this Nealon has just been pushing and fighting, and every time I studied him for quite some time during the offseason because we had a lot of time and got a chance to watch him, and it— what just impressed you about him was just the pure effort. But for Kenny Clark to already be on the marker, they desperately needed that. Now they cannot give this one up on third and whatever it is.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:If they're 3rd and 18, pressure from the edge. Hurts gets rid of it in time. It's caught at the 40-yard line by Dotson. Let's check it back at Hurts, who took a shot on the edge pressure. From here, a field goal would be 58 yards. It has a little bit of wind with it, and they're going to try it with Jake Elliott.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and it's very rare that you see Jordan Mailata get beat, and that's a good sign for the Cowboys Dante Fowler Jr., who had 10 sacks a season ago for Washington. And this is a big kick right here.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:This—
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:you don't really think of Jake Elliott as a long-range kicker.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:He used to be. Last year was terrible from 50+. He made one in warm-ups from 62 in this direction. This is 58. It's plenty long enough and good. Wow. Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay told me this week that Jake Elliott's got his swagger back. Looks like the Jake Elliott we've come to know. He does on that one. Good from 58, and the Philly lead is now 4. If there's anything I know, there's no wrong way as long as it's your way. It could be simple, a little flashy, but sometimes right there, how's that? You just feel it. Does it have the distance? Yes!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:All customers get a no-sweat bet every Week 1 NFL game day. Lowe's knows tackling projects now means you can football Sunday.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Ready? It's Saturday. Dave's Ready? We flying, Dave. Cool, let's go!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Plenty of runtime, and it's even got turbo mode.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's what they call me in college.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I bet they did. Tomorrow, Chiefs-Chargers live on YouTube, and it's totally free with Carol G. It's like the universe is trying to tell you to cancel your Friday plans. Hold on, guys, I actually We think this is our year. Oh no, Jaden Daniels, Super Bowl. What? No, when pigs fly. ATL always a ton. I'm on a dolphin, not the float. Cut, cut, cut, cut, guys, my legs are chafing. I need some baby powder. Seriously. Travis hunts a dolphin for trouble like down in the black hole. Joe Cool, icy cold.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It's time to rock and roll. John Josh hopes you can handle the ridge.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But you gotta beat the champs, 'cause you know what it is. NBC's NFL Kickoff Special is brought to you by Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Let's go places. And by Lowe's. Lowe's knows Sunday hits different when you've earned it. The Eagles earned that one, that beautiful Super Bowl ring, Super Bowl 59. Slightly different from the Super Bowl I ring won by the Green Bay Packers. Those little Eagles wings pop out on the ring. It's a very cool looking piece of jewelry. They're all like 5, 6-table rings. You can see them from 5 or 6 tables away. Let's kick off to be returned. It's Jalen Tolbert from the 10, got away from one Tackle tries to come to the wide side but is chased down to the 29-yard line by John Metcalf. Special teams play.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:All right, let's take a look at our 4K SkyCam brought to you by Walmart Plus. Good chance to look inside at some of these offensive linemen. Tyler Booker was the 12th overall pick out of Alabama. Both these teams have new right guards playing for them this season, and so far Booker's been hanging in there. You know, he's kind of a mall Muller, he's still learning, especially with some of the pass protection, but he's done a good job with the running game for the most part tonight. And really, all the Cowboys on offense and all the Eagles on offense have been doing a good job all night long.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'll say, every drive has led to points here tonight. Good first down blocking, clear space for Javonte Williams out to the 35-yard line. Williams now 10 carries, 44 yards.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:It is Dallas debut. Yeah, one of the things the Cowboys have flashed a little bit tonight is some of this motion. Watch the tight end come back and then trap back here. So he's going across the face of the quarterback and then coming back and just running that inside zone back away from it. So just a little different look, and it's paid off for this Cowboys running game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Second and 4, Williams, a couple of yards there, in 3 Update for Philly, Dory Jackson, their corner, was evaluated for a concussion, wasn't on the field at the end of that first half, cleared, was out there for the opening play of this drive, is now back on the sideline, still with his helmet though.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And they're definitely trying to figure things out at that other cornerback position. Keely Ringo was in the battle, Jakorian Bennett was in there, and I don't know that they've ever really firmly settled field on who the long-term answer is going to be.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, Jalen Carter ejected before the first snap of the game. Third and one, Dallas will pitch it to the edge with Williams, gets there, couple tough yards. Zach Bond among others crashing down on him. Jalyx Hunt off the end, but a first down for the Cowboys.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Ah, we're playing some NFC football ball right now. That was awesome. You knew the big collision was coming at the end of that one, and Javonte Williams just lowered his head and plowed through it for the first down. That was terrific.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Dallas has run 33 plays here tonight, 16 rushes, Chris, 17 pass attempts. Scott, quick look down the seam, it is broken up. Trying to squeeze it in to Brevin Spann, forward, the tight end. Good job by the rookie backer Jihaad Campbell going back with him. Injury though for the Eagles, and Sydney Brown, one of the safeties, as they try to replace CJ Gardner-Johnson's spot. The veteran Traded to Houston. Athletic training staff out to look at Sydney Brown. It's time to get on the grid. Oh yeah, man, I love this game.
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Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I don't know.
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Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:When will I get there? I ain't certain. All I know is I am on my way.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Where am I going?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I don't know. What will I get? I ain't equipped to say. Toyota trucks, let's go places.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:What's up, Zach?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Check out this Echo. T-Mobile's got home internet, home internet, and it's just $35 a month. Our echoes are all-knowing. T-Mobile's got home internet, just $35 a month, and it's guaranteed for 5 years.
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Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:SGA, New Balance.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Tonight's kickoff sites provided by Nationwide. Look at the Museum of the American Revolution, steps away from Independence Hall here in Philadelphia. So much American history. Sydney Brown injured on the last play, being looked at by the training staff on the sideline. Andrew Mukuba, the rookie out of Texas, back in a safety spot. Second and 10, Prescott gives it. Miles Sanders running in open space! There goes Sanders at the 30, chased to the 20. Vaughn brings him down at the 10, but Miles Sanders, his first 4 years an Eagle, comes back to hit a big one for 50 yards against his old team.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Just beautifully done. Lead out in front of here, and you just have to be patient here. Miles Sanders just waits and waits, got some big block down the field that really sprung him. And then watch Bond at the end of it, he probably gave up 15 yards, but he had a plan. He was gonna run him down and punch this ball out, just missed it as Sanders pulled it away at the last second.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Officially 49 yards, first and 10 at the 11. Sanders remains Pickett finds the back. He's got it again inside this time. Miles Sanders. Here comes a flag. Here comes more conversation at the back end. Pickens involved. Couldn't catch the number of the Eagle engaged with George Pickens, the new addition to the Dallas lineup. Targeted 3 times times, 2 catches tonight. Here's Sean Smith.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:It's a great job by Blankenship not reacting. If he had reacted and knocked him down, they wouldn't have gotten the benefit of it. So tremendous discipline there on the part of the Eagles, not so much on the part of Pickens.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Ton of large penalties in this game right from the start. 10 total, 7 on the Eagles, that the third on the Cowboys, and now backs them up to first and 22.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Work inside here with this shell coverage.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Prescott tries the middle for the tight end again, incomplete. Taking them all the way back was Zach Vaughn, the All-Pro linebacker, would not let Jake Ferguson see the ball.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Double move is so hard when Vaughn is right here in the middle. Watch the move in front of his face, the double move, then in behind. Now he's got to try and figure it out, hits him right on the back of the helmet, but only because his speed— now 2 times on this drive— has saved big plays.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:2nd and 22, Eagles fans rise in the end zone to our left. Prescott gets it out, it is short for Javonte Williams, and we'll bring Bringing up third down, deflected.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Say, Mike, we've seen Jihaad Campbell make a few plays now. He had to stop on that middle read and looked like the big guy inside, Jordan Davis, who lost 36 pounds so he could play more. He didn't know he's gonna have to play as much as he did tonight when his buddy got thrown out of the game, but another big play out out of him and his offseason work paying off for the Eagles.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:So two of the biggest plays of this game now have been penalties on the Eagles defenders that have kept drives alive. That catch was not going to be made. Of course, Blankenship had no idea. He's just trying to get there and get contact. Dak saying, hang in there, baby. But you know, this is Dak Prescott being really aggressive too. I mean, he is, he is just not settling for anything. When they backed up on their own 10-yard line at the end of the half, he was going for it. Here he was, 3rd and 20, it's throw it in zone, let's go, we're playing the Eagles.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:25 penalty yards for Philadelphia. From the 11-yard line, Sanders, ball out, picked up by Quinyon Mitchell and down at the 16-yard line. Big play on the drive to get Get him down there for Sanders. And the former Eagle, the hand in there from Byron Young, forces it out and Mitchell recovers the game's first turnover. Two sets of hands on there. It slides out, confirmed as a turnover. First drive without points in this game. Eagles take over, up 4. Defense loves it. What drives us to live for this game? Yep, here's the catch. Do we enjoy the pain? Is it chasing greatness, or is it passion teetering on madness? We're here for one simple reason: we love football. All in, all season. Toyota, let's go places. Thursday Night Football on Prime is Back, it's on!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Thursday Night Football returns as the Commanders face off against the Packers, and it all kicks off at Lambeau Field in an epic NFC showdown.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Green Bay, and they have the lead again. To the end zone, touchdown!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Is that possible?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Stream Thursday Night Football, Commanders-Packers, only on Prime.
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Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Okay, Nate, it's just one smile, okay? One smile and then we can go home, okay? Nope, that's too much teeth. Nate, come on, you gotta look at the camera, honey.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Nate, listen to your mother, buddy. Look up, okay?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Nope, not— that's too far up. This isn't working. Uh, DeVito, you're in.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Tommy DeVito, backup me.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:If only there were backups in real life.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Hey guys, follow me on this one.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But at least there's Progressive to protect your home and auto.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:See, now that's a smile. Okay, now everybody look at DeVito on this one. Want a sleek that stays up to 5 washes? It's possible. Garnier presents Fruity Sleek and Stay Sleek Serum, patented water-resistant technology to block out frizz for ultra glassy sleek that stays up to 5 washes. Pretty Sleek and Stay System by Garnier.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:22 minutes, that's how long your computer's been inactive. What were you doing in there?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You can't ask me that.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:So not a denial. A bit quicker. Okay, turnover. Philly's got the ball at their own 16. Teams are out there right now, but I want to take a peek take a peek at the radar. We've got some lightning in the area within 6 miles of Lincoln Financial Field. Sean Smith is talking to the folks who are watching this. Yeah, I thought that was coming. So the game has been suspended with lightning in the area here at 10:26 Eastern time. There is a cell that is south of us that has crossed into New Jersey, and then we've got other weather right around the airport coming up from Wilmington, Delaware, that is on path towards here at Lincoln Financial Field. And when there is lightning involved, it requires a suspension of the game, and it happens at the 4:44 mark here of the third quarter.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:You've been hanging around with Al Roker, haven't you? I have. Pretty good. Pretty good. You've got that. I'm looking at your map there. You're working it.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Nobody beats the great Mr. Roker, but he sent through about 1,000 of these in 30 years of doing golf. So you kind of get a fake meteorology degree. And the teams will now clear the field. Oftentimes when this happens, the fans are asked to clear the lower bowl of the stadium, and you get a delay at an odd time when the players have just had half-time delay. Each team's had a possession in this third quarter, and now they're going to have to cool their heels with just under a third of the game remaining to be played. Your attention please, it's the announcer. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the area. These storms may produce severe conditions including lightning and strong winds. For your safety, We encourage you to seek shelter immediately. There was rain in the forecast all day. It has not rained for a week. It's not gonna rain for the next 3 days. It was just this window. So Nick Sirianni and company will head back to the Eagles locker room.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:The players hate this. I mean, it's the hardest thing to do in football is to get warmed up anytime, practice practice game, whatever. So then you go in at halftime and there's 12 minutes. Okay, you got to get warmed up again.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's—
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:now you got to go back and you got to get warmed up again when you've already taken over a half and a quarter of a beating out there. It just gets harder every time, which is what makes the Super Bowl always so hard. That's those 40, 45-minute halftimes. I mean, literally, we've heard people taking naps in between but you've got to be able to get your body going again. And every time you get cooled off, it just gets harder the next time.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You see the focus on the two quarterbacks, Prescott and Hurts, as they come in. We mentioned the wind was picking up, these showers that were around us all day, and you have to take safety first. So once there's a lightning strike within a certain radius and the look at the radar, you've got to make that decision to keep And some 70,000 people safe in addition to the players and officials and everybody else on this field. The rain is starting to come down, so hopefully they got ahead of this. If there is no lightning, then it would have been able to keep playing. And there was the hope that with these showers coming at around 10:30 local time, the daytime heating, which sometimes boils up those thunderstorms would have negated what we're seeing right here, having to stop play, but it did not. So let me ask you this question here, just in regards to the delay. These teams had not played for these starters 4 quarters, and nobody plays the preseason. Neither quarterback has played in the preseason. They've come out and been very sharp so far.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yep.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Could this in any way help to get another break before the last 20 minutes of this game, being that it's week 1 of the season?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Well, it's possible, especially for the Philadelphia Eagles, because without Jalen Carter in there, you have, you know, one fewer guy in there rushing the passer. So yeah, it certainly could help you a little bit. But that was a huge play that we just saw. I mean, let's not underestimate that one. The Dallas Cowboys going in, probably at least going to be able to cut it to 1 in this play.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But you saw another huge play after the fumble.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, watch Dak Prescott at the end of this play, and what we're gonna see is him come around and make a touchdown-saving tackle because nobody is going to catch Quinyon Mitchell, who runs 4.33 in the 40-yard dash. And look how much space he has, and look at the tackle by Dak Prescott, absolutely perfect. We saw Ben Roethlisberger Snyder do it in a playoff game one time to, uh, help out our friend Jerome Bettis.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's right, that's right. And you saw only your big guys were there. They were not going to catch Mitchell. It's a heck of a play. No, you know, you see that play and you go back to fundamentals, right? A lot of young folks are starting their youth football seasons, high school football season. There's a, there's a guy 32 years old, been in the league 10 years, he's running out his fake and he's staying live in the play, and that allows him to make that stop.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And a new hamstring to boot, right? And what we've also learned is that he is hyperactive in eating the right foods now, right? Beyoncé, right, is the one that's sort of leading the way for him. And he looked great. We saw that shot of him in the locker room before the game, and he's rocked up. I think you were even talking about when we were interviewing, like, his face looks thinner. He He's really ripped up.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, when you talk to Dak and he walked in the room, he just— he's looking healthy and happy and looked great. And he said, I haven't lost a ton of weight, just kind of repositioned, repurposed. And Dak Prescott, who even told us that he's too flexible, which may have been part of the reason he had the hamstring injury, but his mobility tonight has been a positive for the Cowboys. You're gonna try to limber up like Dak?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:No, I don't, I don't care if I'm limber. I just want to get that body that you got to go in there. Look at that tackle.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Tackle play. But you said it to us all week as we were getting ready, and all really month getting ready for this game. When Dak Prescott's been healthy, this has been a 12-win team in the playoffs the 3 years before last year.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Well, and to some extent you feel for Mike McCarthy. The 2 years that they didn't play so well when he was the head coach, Dak Prescott was out. They win 12 games 3 straight times, don't do so well in the playoffs, and then he rips his hamstring last year. I mean, this is a guy that was— I mean, he was second in the voting for MVP, uh, 2 years ago and is coming right back and playing exactly the way he did 2 years ago.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Uh, let's update you on what we're hearing from the NFL. We can peek at the radar as well. 11:15 is when they think the area might be clear of the lightning, and then it would be another 12 minutes of warm-up time after that. So that would be 57 minutes from now or thereabouts to get the game back started one more time. So that gives you an idea of where we are. And you see the radar, which doesn't necessarily show any clouds to ground or any lightning, but you can see some in the distance there. And that's why we've put this thing on pause. Just inside of 5 minutes left, third quarter. Eagles Eagles by 4 in a weather delay here in South Philly. I'm not really one for the spotlight, but there is some gravy to be had. You know, I always seem to get primo parking. But you don't have to be a VIP to get more than just savings with GEICO. Every customer gets tip-top service with 24/7 fast, friendly claim support.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I never do this, but could I get a picture?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, it's not like you're running into animal celebrities every day.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Stop! It's Doug the Pug! Doug! Doug! I stand corrected.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I literally never do this.
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Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:They got Willa. They got my daughter.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Okay, Bob, do what you gotta do.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:His mom used to run around and do some real bad.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:My dad told me she was a hero.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I need to find my daughter. No fear. Just like Tom Cruise.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:One battle after another.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Rated R. This Sunday, we need to get every tailgater a Pepsi to amp up their food's flavor.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We usually work on Sundays.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'll cancel my plans. Why would you throw that?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Pepsi does make it taste better.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Try it again with the pork. How do we get to the cooler? It's too crowded.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:When in Philly, works every time.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It will be Eagles ball when we get restarted as we have a weather delay, about 11 minutes into it right now here in Philly. Eagles leading the Cowboys 24-20. You see that cell that come up and you can see some lightning right between the N and the F in Lincoln and Financial there. And when it gets within a certain radius, they pull the plug on the game, get as many people as they can to seek shelter. Fortunately, behind it looks okay, so no matter what happens, looks like we'll get back to some football maybe in a half hour or so. We could take this time to prepare for the Ravens and Bills on Sunday since we're jammed with 2 games in 4 days.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, bet on that.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:So if we're going to do that, Maria and company are back up in a tunnel that we were hiding in a few years ago when we had a delay on the opening night. All right, Maria, you and the guys got it in that tunnel.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You're right.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I think it's the unknown. No one knows how any players as a group is going to respond. As a coach, you're like, hey, I know some guys from last year, but how does that mix into this year? So I think the unknown of it being the first game, you can't truly trust and say, I know my group, we're resilient, we'll be back ready to go. So as a coach, I'll be really nervous.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:My first instinct would think that it would benefit Philadelphia championship team from last year, a mature team, but they've shown their youth, right? They're a young team on both sides of the ball, and they've seen— they've seen a little bit of that youth here tonight with some of the mistakes that they've made. So I'm not so sure it works to their advantage at all.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, I mean, I look at it and just go, man, the energy it takes to play a football game anyways. Now we're gonna go sit down, chill out. Also, we're not in game shape yet. We're just working there. And now again, we're going to sit there and chill out and then go ramp it up again. It is going to be tough. I mean, I know they're going to be able to do it, but it's certainly a weird circumstance for everybody.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, I think the biggest thing is communicate, hey guys, this is what we got till 11:50. 13, there's a warning. There's gonna be a 12-minute warm-up. Take your pads off. Just be overly communicative with your guys. Tell them to take their time, rest. And then as we get closer, we're going to ramp up and get the emotions right.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Okay, coaches get around a little bit to their guys. They talk about little things that they saw even here.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It gives you another chance to make some adjustments too, really kind of look about it and think about it, maybe more so than you would during the flow of the game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And I do think how you mentioned the Super Bowl, when you think about a Super Bowl halftime. You practice that, you talk about that. So yes, the coaches, but there's Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Zach Bond, these guys who were just in a Super Bowl a year ago. They can go and talk to these young players and say, do this, do that, get ready to go. Not all of those little things you can do, it's big for that team.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What stinks is the game's been fun, it's back and forth, the quarterbacks are on fire, the defenses have not been around very very much, right?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:But this was a big play, and no doubt was.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And right here, Collinsworth wasn't mentioning it— Dak Prescott making that tackle was a huge play because Quinyon Mitchell, as we know from a year ago at the combine, he's a pretty player. He gets that ball with no one in front of him, he's gone. But I think for Philly, as Dallas is driving, to get that turnover in that moment, a little touch puts the cap on it.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:I love that celebration.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And if you think about this game, I mean, each offense has held serve all throughout the game. Every drive you're going down and score and score, and they're matching each other. And a big turnover like this, as Dallas is going in, can shift the balance the other way once they get back playing.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, definitely. It's been the CeeDee Lamb show. We've seen that. All right, they can't do that forever, or George Pickens is not going to be happy to be a Dallas Cowboy. It's been a whole lot of CeeDee, but I'm still excited what you see from the Dallas Cowboy offense. And on the other side, I mean, Saquon, Jalen Hurts— we haven't seen the receivers of the Eagles get involved yet. No A.J. Brown. So that'll be interesting here. See if going forward—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And I've been trying to figure out— Philadelphia has a match, whether it's been a Dori Jackson or Ja'Coreon Bennett on CD, and put Mitchell to, uh, Pickens. That's not really working out too well for him. You said— I think what they decided to do coming into this game is saying CD Lamb is better than whoever you put on them. We're gonna throw, and we're gonna throw at him over and over again, and it's worked well so far.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I talked to Vic Fangio, their defensive coordinator, during training camp, and he had real concern about the corner opposite Mitchell, right? Darius Slay is gone, Isaiah Rogers gone to Detroit, right? And so there was a competition during camp, and they were concerned, and rightfully so. Odorey's having a hard time with CD.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Staying on the Dallas offense, the offensive line's been impressive. It helps when Jalen Carter's not there, right? They got a good-looking group though. I mean, we were up close in pregame.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:it's not the Eagles, but it's got the potential to be something special down the road. And we saw Javonte Williams, yeah, got an injury a few years ago playing in Denver. They didn't want him anymore, and he certainly looks like he's revived right now.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Poise, poise. And, and that's one another thing that I think I gained in the pregame a little bit. I think you guys did too. Dallas was very confident when you asked them, hey, how do you guys feel? We like our team. They kind of gave you the eye like, we like our guys, we're all right tonight, right? So I felt like they came into the game with confidence and they've showed it here.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But think about both offenses being as efficient as they've been, both quarterbacks being comfortable, both teams being able to run the ball. You take Micah Parsons off of Dallas's defense, that helps Philadelphia's offense. You take Jalen Carter off of Philly's defense, that helps Dallas's offense. So two most disruptive players in the NFL not playing in this game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, it's the guy you hugged before the game, Dak Prescott. To me, I think that's what it's all about. When you lose a guy like Micah Parsons, do you have another guy to turn to and everybody say, just follow him? And I think they looked at number 4 in white and they said, Dak, we're following you wherever you go. And it started with him. Somebody spits in his face, and I'm sure he rallied those guys and they came out and responded.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Dak's teammates have been following him for 10 years.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's right.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It started as a rookie.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, he looks really good. He looks slim and trim. He's moving well, and man, he's throwing the ball really well too.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:We got another crew in another tunnel.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, Maria, I think we're all wishing we were on the field right now. We're over here in the Cowboys tunnel. Let's be honest about this one, Coach. We all came into this game thinking the defending champs were going to look pretty We all picked them to start the game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What have you seen from them so far?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I've seen the offense function the way we think Philadelphia's offense should function. I'm a little concerned about the defense, and I'm concerned about the attitude of this team. All we heard all year was, hey, we're not defending anything, we're looking forward, we're focused. Well, now I see a team— last time I saw this defense, they shut Kansas City down. Patrick Mahomes couldn't do anything. They haven't stopped these guys. Guys yet. We've had 8 penalties, we've had a player thrown out of the game. We're not seeing the championship focus that I expected to see.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, we talk about Jalen Carter. I was really disappointed with him. Um, he has to understand how important he is to that, to that team. They've lost a bunch of guys, so he's the best player on that defense, and I just thought it was very selfish and very disrespectful to spit in Dak's face. Dak doesn't deserve No one deserves it.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:No one does.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Have you ever seen anything like that?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:We're talking about the opening huddle of the game. He walks right up to the quarterback. Every camera in the stadium is pointing right at Dak Prescott. What was your reaction looking at that?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I just don't understand it. I don't know how you can do that as a man, first of all, but then to let your teammates down, that's unspeakable.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, and that's one of the things that I always talked about, Coach, not letting my my teammates down, never wanted to disappoint my teammates, always being available for my teammates. And something like that has nothing to do with football.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And Jalen Hurts, he's been able to run around a good bit, especially in the first half of this game. What have you seen from Dallas on the defensive side?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:One thing I like what Dallas is doing, they're keeping two safeties back, coach, protecting deep part of the field. But with that, you have to have some level of spy. This is Jalen Hurts, he's been doing this since Pop Warner. Been running around scrambling. You have to make sure. And then when they switch to man-to-man, they still don't have a spy on them. Like, where's the spy right here, coach? It's man-to-man and you have no spy.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And what you see is you don't see a dominant pass rusher. This is what people said when Micah Parsons is traded. This is what you're going to lose. Where is that pressure? Jalen Hurts is very, very comfortable back there. And again, you're talking about the defense taking away those wide receivers but not accounting for Hurts.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, I expect Ibaflus in the second half to come with a little bit more pressure. Jalen can't feel like he just has all day back there.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And Coach Dungey, you just were down there in Dallas. You met with Coach Schottenheimer, got his thoughts on this team. What would he think of this start to the season, do you believe?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I think he's excited about it. And it's funny because he told me exactly what he wanted to do. I want to dominate the line of scrimmage. I want to get physical. I want to run the football and then I've got wide receivers that can make plays. And offensively, they've done exactly what he set out to do.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The players respect him and you could tell. You could just tell the way they're playing. They're playing hard, they're buying into the system. And I think he's done a really good job.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:All right.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Let's go back over to Maria Taylor. She may be checking this Doppler radar for us. Maybe a positive update. Maria, what are you hearing?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:It is time for football.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It's another day, another opportunity.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Holy smokes!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Wow! Let's go! I love y'all. We sell products made out of paper, toilet tissue, and local newspapers. That is in order of quality. My name is Ned Sampson. I am your new editor-in-chief.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Have you read this paper?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Uh-huh. It sucks, but we are going to make it better. I hope I hope it's not too disruptive to have me shake everything up.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Don't be so self-deprecating.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:God, not again.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Ladies and gentlemen, our departure has been delayed.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yes!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Why are you so happy?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'm watching the game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Seriously?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, with NFL+. Get live, local, and primetime games on mobile with NFL+.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Unfortunately, our flight has been delayed another hour.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:NFL+, keep the NFL in reach. MVP!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We know what America wants. Primo socks, baby! Yo, now you should see the underwear I'm wearing.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Mirror, mirror on the wall.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Who is the fairest of them all? Who, me?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We're taking prime time to a new level.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I know where you have birthmarks.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Now, Horan, you get 2 minutes for looking too good.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We're just taking a little quick break.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Unbelievable year last year, 15 wins, you go to the Super Bowl, you're 6th, and you have a tough day against Philadelphia. They were a really good football team.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Very good.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:How do you pull back and evaluate that game and go forward?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:There's some great things we can learn from that. You learn a lot. I sat back and I was curious to see how the players would handle it, and they all took blame. If you can do that, then you can make change and correct yourself. Practice great and be great. The attitude, the excitement to get back in here and work, I think gave us all a charge. That stemmed from how the guys handled after the game. They were real with it. We got our tail kicked. You know how to win.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:They are better, and it starts with that championship mentality that they have. I mean, great players, Hall of Fame players, some of the best guys to ever play this game. They take accountability for it. They're hungry, they're edgy. If you go to a Kansas City Chiefs practice during training camp. They practice harder and better than any team in the history of football.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It is.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I mean, I was there one day and they ran 130 plays like it was nothing, right? And it's fast-paced too. So they have this chip on their shoulder. Andy told me he felt like they played tight in the Super Bowl. It wasn't— it's not their personality at all. They felt kind of the pressure of the three-peat. So they have a different mindset, a different mentality, and more importantly, they shored up the offensive line. Philadelphia rushed 4 guys the entire game and destroyed them up front. They addressed the left tackle position with Josh Simmons. Kingsley's moving down into that left guard position. They're going to be better on that side. They're going to be a better football team.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I do think they're going to be better, and you just talked about the offensive line. You got a rookie coming in, you got a converted tackle moving, so you feel better, but it's yet to be seen And is that going to be a huge improvement? But I think their biggest issue is going to be the rest of the division's gotten better. Denver's a playoff team from a year ago. Their confidence should be sky high. Justin Herbert, is he going to take that big step for the Chargers? The Raiders, not as good as the other 3 teams, but I still think they're better than last year. So I think the Chiefs will struggle a little bit just how good that division is, right?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And trying to win week in and week out and climbing the mountain year after year after year. How high can you go up every year, right? That's the big thing. And you're right, the AFC West, is it the greatest coaching division we've ever seen in the history of football? I mean, it's Super Bowls, it's national championships from all those coaches. It's going to be highly competitive. And I'm with you with the Denver Broncos. I think this is the year the Kansas City reign of the AFC West champ—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I believe I believe there's a guy that can dethrone them. I do believe in Sean Payton and that defense of what they built there.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I love Sean, right? And I love what they're doing there. Sean's building that team.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I know where you're going.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Come on now. Yeah, at some point you got to pull back and give these guys credit.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, I know.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Straight Super Bowls, what is it, 8 straight AFC?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I know.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'm not trying to knock it off, but I know they're not going to back down from the fight. I'm scared that to death about talking negatively about them because I know that group out there and they're going to be like, I'm going to show that idiot wrong on NBC.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But as a guy, I was on the Patriots. We won AFC East championship after championship until we did it. And so Josh Allen entered the chat and said, I want to speak.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It's my turn now.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I know a guy named Tom Brady might have had something.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, he's still there.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But somebody has to call it out for it to happen, right? And then when it happens, we'll crown Sims. We'll celebrate him.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We'll get him a gift. That's what it'll be about.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You guys owe me after last year anyway, so you owe me.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I want to qualify it first by how awesome I think both of these quarterbacks are. I just want that to be known. I mean, I'm a quarterback guy. I grew up in the house of a famous quarterback, and these two are as good as I've ever seen. I mean, they're special. But if you're going to make me pick one, I'm going to pick Lamar Jackson for the reason Devin said it in pregame. I just think their team is better. They have more answers.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I think they have the best roster in the AFC right now.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Out, and I think they're ready finally to take that next step and win some big playoff games.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And I think we both feel the same way about Baltimore, and then the caveat of that is their best players have to be their best in the biggest games. We can't watch them again and say, oh man, a fumble by Mark Andrews or Lamar Jackson or whatever. I know you got a different answer over here.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:No, I love Baltimore. Baltimore is a marquee franchise for 30 years. They have an amazing team, all three phases. The coach is incredible. Lamar, off the charts. What bothers me about them is they haven't played their best in the playoffs. You'll come back and say, God, you know, that just wasn't clean, right? What's different is Buffalo—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:But Buffalo has played their best.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You're right, they have played the best.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:These games, these are two championship teams going toe-to-toe, and Kansas City has beaten them 4 times in the last 5 years in these big moments. But they played well. They can look at themselves in the mirror after the game and say, we played really well, they were just better. Baltimore can't say that. So somehow they got to unlock—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:what do you attribute that to, right? Is it— are they— are they— sometimes I go, wait, are they too tight and they're nervous in those situations, or are they loose and they're kind of like, we're going to make a play and we're going to show everybody? I don't know which way to say it there, but they have made a made a number of key mistakes in big moments and been careless with the football.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I don't know that there's a thread that you say in every game this has been the case, because the games have been different. Some low-scoring, some high-scoring. But you said it, championship teams be your best when your best is needed. John Wooden said that years ago. It's the definition of competitive greatness. They got to unlock that key.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And I will say, I think, I'm not sure why, but I think a part of the solution is accountability. There can't be a game where, yeah, we win, but we don't attack Lamar Jackson if he was sloppy with the football, right? Or for guys running, Zay Flowers and the ball's loose, or guys are dropping interceptions. Whatever that is, whether it's hardball, whether it's the veterans on the team, there has to be an accountability every single day that when the big moment happens, everybody's like, practice was harder than this, right?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I think that's what leads to you finishing and playing your best in those big games.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, listen, can I just interrupt you?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It was a good move to move forward.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I got to tell you, it was a really good move.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I'm even more forward in— I'm over in the Cowboys tunnel, nice and dry in here, and we have an update. We have a food update from the Cowboys locker room. Trayvon Diggs just came out and he just started wandering around and said, I'm hungry, and he went to a field level suite just like this one right here. You see all the fans back there? They're waiting anxiously for the game to start like we are. They said, do you want my food? And he said, yeah, I want any kind of food. And then a cart came by with some cold cuts. He said, can I have a sandwich? And they said, we're actually bringing them into your locker room right now. And he was very excited. They have Uncrustables in there. They're staying hydrated. And so that's the Cowboys update. We will get you one from the Eagles locker room as soon as we have it. And there you see Trevon just wandering around, Mike.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That is That's leadership for sure. Isn't that great? That's perfect. Our Caroline Pineda down there works on our team following the cart. I love our team here. There is the radar just to update you. And you see it's clear behind this. We've just had the heaviest rain as Maria moved the guys up the tunnel to protect everybody's suits in the last 4 or 5 minutes. Other than that, we have not had a lot of heavy rain. We await an update hopefully in a few minutes and Look forward to getting back to football. We've been suspended since 10:25 local time, just over a half hour. If you are just joining us, let's show you how we have arrived at 24:20 in the opening game of the 2025 NFL season. This night is about the banner, and the banner was unveiled after a chorus of Fly Eagles Fly, the second Super Bowl banner here at the Linc. Pyrotechnics, the fireworks, The Eagles take the field trying to win a third Super Bowl title and do what the Chiefs did right before them, win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies as Super Bowl champs. The very first play of the game, an injury on the kickoff, and then while we're waiting with an injured player, Jalen Carter spits on Dak Prescott. Didn't play against each other last year, no known history between the two. Carter ejected. Mike Florio reporting on Pro Football Talk, potentially potentially further action as the NFL reviews that. So the Cowboys with good field position take the opening drive, and CeeDee Lamb downfield, a factor, Chris.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, they've just been running it, running it, running it. Finally they get the one-on-one they're looking for, hit CeeDee, and Javonte Williams did the rest.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Punches it in to cap off 6-play 53-yard drive. Philadelphia gets the ball, walks it right back down the field. Remember this, Hurts, nobody open, takes Hertz off, runs in for a touchdown to tie the game at 7. And on the ensuing drive, Dallas goes back down the field. Williams caps off an 88-yard drive with a score, 14-7. Remember I said remember Hertz?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Second drive, same result, same result. And if you watch the offensive line play on these scrambles, those linemen are holding their blocks for 4 and 5 seconds, so eventually they can open up a hole for Saquon Barkley to take it the distance.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That was after a Brandon Aubrey field goal. It was 21-20 at the half. Eagles had a field goal in the third, then on this drive, the last drive, Miles Sanders, after a 49-yard run earlier, fumbles, recovered by Quinyon Mitchell, but Dak Prescott makes a pivotal tackle to keep us at 24-20. Philly ball when we return to action at their own 16-yard line. Give Give me your thoughts on what the quarterbacks have done thus far tonight.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Both have been great. I mean, they really have been. Dak's numbers are not going to look quite that good, and most of what Jalen's been able to do is with his legs. But when they play the man coverage, he just simply has bought his time. But I can't emphasize enough, and we talk about it all the time with the Philadelphia Eagles, that offensive line, they don't stop blocking after 4 seconds. Almost every offensive line in the world would stop blocking because they know the quarterback doesn't hold the ball that long. And yet we have seen Jalen be able to hold it, move around, ultimately scramble and make the big plays. And so tremendous. It was— it's so exciting. I just want to get back to the game and get back to playing it. But the story of this game, Mike, at the end of it, for whichever side that ends up losing, is going to be you didn't have your pass rusher.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Right.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And so you got picked apart. And Jalen Carter with the spit and gets thrown out of the game. Micah Parsons in Green Bay. But that's going to be the story of this game, that neither team could get enough pressure.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You want good news?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yes.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah. We're hearing from the league now, 11:15 players will come out. So that'll be in 14 minutes and we should be back to action by 11:30. So if you know your friend has taken a nap, wake them up, get them back in front of the TV. TV. We'll be back on the field at 11:30 Eastern, 10:30 in Dallas. Speaking of Dallas, of course all the attention has been on Micah Parsons and the trade and all the stuff that was going on in camp. Not much talk about Brian Schottenheimer taking over as the head coach. As mentioned earlier, his dad Marty, legend in the game, did not get to the Super Bowl, did everything else. 8th all-time in wins, 200. I want to go back to when Schottenheimer was named as the man to replace Mike McCarthy. And listen to the comments of Jerry Jones about Schottenheimer and the family ties. One of the things he said to his mama is, Mama, I'm going to get what Daddy didn't get a chance to get— or got a chance but didn't get—
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:and I'm going to get a Super Bowl if it kills me.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And his mother, of course, was emotional. This one will be for Daddy, the first one. Pat, this was a pregame emotional moment for Brian Schottenheimer. Told us when we were in Dallas and we're talking with him on Monday, said during the national anthem I talked to God and Pops. Yeah, and, uh, you could see it.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, you could just feel it.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Melissa Stark, you can add to this story.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yes, guys, I spoke to Brian's mom Pat and she told me that Mark Marty had a huge influence on who Brian is as a person, but always told him, just don't try to be me as a coach, just be yourself. And she said the first thing Brian said to her after getting the job was, I am going to get a Super Bowl ring for Dad. And when I asked what advice she thought Marty would have for Brian before this game, she said, I think he would say, you're in a very elite group of people, be proud. And by By the way, his mom Pat is watching the game at home tonight alone. She doesn't like to watch with other people. She's on a group text with all the family members. She's going to have to stay up a little later than she thought, but she told me, she said, I've seen a lot of football. I don't normally get nervous, but this one, his first head coaching game, I'm nervous.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:She's a special woman. Hi to Pat, Marty's widow. What a wonderful lady. You got to know Marty, obviously going up against his team for years covering him. Uh, he worked with, uh, us as I was working the Cleveland Browns expansion draft when they came back in the league. I'd spend days with Marty. Just a wonderful man. And Chris, I'm reminded of what Brian told us about being ready for the job even though it's his first head coaching job after a quarter century. Like, whatever happens in the circus that is Dallas— and something's going to always happen in Dallas— he's ready for it because he's kind of lived it already.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:He is. And And he sort of admitted to us that he knows he's also married to Dak. You know, how Dak and this offense goes is how he's going to do as a head coach. And so he's down there calling the plays. And you have to say, so far, both of these coordinators and play callers have done a fantastic job. But it is really interesting to me, and I've known it, but when you see it in play, you really understand it. If your defense has somebody that you you have to double team, right? You have to double team those guys. Everybody else gets those one-on-ones and they look like really good players. But if you don't have that player that you have to double team— Jalen Carter's out, Micah Parsons is out— now everybody is on their own, right? You don't get that double team to draw blocks off of the other players. And man, what a difference it has made for these two defenses It has changed the game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Brian Shanahan has done a great job of calling plays against that absent Carter Philadelphia defense. You may have heard the noise in the background. That was posted on the video boards here and the fans and their Eagles greet, many of whom have been tailgating since the Today Show this morning. We were down here with Savannah and company at 7 AM. There was a long line of cars waiting on 11th Street, waiting for the lots to open at 1:20 local time. Time. They've been here a while, but they are coming back to their seats.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:The only thing I don't understand about this entire night, uh-huh, a Dallas Cowboys player went out looking for food and the Philadelphia Eagles fed them food. Is that—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:is—
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:am I to understand that he's trusting the food? That's a solid point right there. That Michael Jordan story.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Michael Jordan is here somewhere, by the way, tonight.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:I saw him.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, Jordan is here, uh, to help honor Jalen Hurts, the first Jordan Brand athlete to win an MVP in the National Football League. So he was at the North Carolina game on Monday when the Bill Belichick debut happened at his alma mater. This was earlier with MJ sitting, taking in the game.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:So what was the advertising campaign? Something about Love Hurts? Love Hurts, like that.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, because there was that shot. Remember the famous shot of Jordan and the NBA championship trophy after he won the Finals? Emotionally, it was There's a shot of Jalen Hurts with the Lombardi Trophy, just kind of sitting there and just taking it all in and soaking in the moment. Thanks our great teams all over it. And just that cigar, and that was like a Jordan-esque shot, an image, uh, for Jalen Hurts as he took it all in after winning the title about 8 short months ago. And now trying to do it again. That guy did it 6 times. And Jalen has used Michael Jordan along with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, who you had mentioned before, as a resource in his pursuit of greatness and excellence and sustained excellence along with leadership along the way.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I know I met Michael Jordan once and all he did was bust my chops the whole time I was sitting there.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I mean, you saw that, it was pretty good.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:But you know, he is one of those guys that if you grew up— and I'm going to put myself in that category— that you watched what he was able to do on the basketball court and you just marvel, you know. And the great thing is we get to get a little piece of them for our NBA coverage this year. You got to be a little excited about that, right?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:More than a little. Yeah, but we've got that coming up. I'm excited about the football game starting here in a few minutes. I'm going to see if anybody's going to bring us food. Like, the guy's got food down in Dallas locker room.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:I am not sure the Philly fans are doing that.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The fans are coming back. They have some Beverages, they're ready to still go. We're gonna be back on the field playing here in about 23 minutes. Players on the field in about 8 minutes, and we'll get back down to Maria and company as we continue in this delay. This is where my love of the game was born, but they're taking that love even farther. Where end zones are, wherever you run out of progress. And the score is not nearly as important as how you celebrate.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We helped grow the game. They're taking it where it's never been.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Where will you take it next?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:It is time for football.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:This is another day, another opportunity.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Holy smokes!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Wow!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Let's go!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I love y'all. This is the time when the best show what they're made of.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:So let's show the city how it's done.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You've got this. She's gone, Dr. Lennox.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Not until I say she is.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What the hell?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Whoa! There are consequences to my team being benched. Lives lost.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Real, uh, Brady Bunch vibe.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Chicago Wednesday, new October 1st on NBC and Peacock. Got.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:These cases are hard. It's okay if you don't want to fight, because we are going to fight for you. We have to be able to say we did everything we could.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Every move we make is being scrutinized.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:He needs to pay for what he did.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Some things in life you can't run from.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I'm going to make sure that you spend the rest of your days in a 6x8 cell.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Law Order Thursday, new September 25th on NBC and Peacock.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, Maria, we are down on the field. Fans right up top smiling again. No football's coming.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Coach, you said you used to practice scenarios like this.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What would that look like? Well, I laughed when Devin McCourty said, well, you never know how your player is going to react to this. I was an assistant coach for Denny Green, and he said, I always want to practice the unexpected. So he would deliberately set it up. Hey, we've got practice at 9:00. Let the guys get out there. At 9, send them back in the locker room. We're not going to practice till 9:30. Have to get yourself going. Then he would go another time and say, all right, we practiced 10 periods, we stop, go back in the locker room, wait 15, 20 minutes, come back out. And how are they going to handle it? Well, if you're ready for it, you know what to do, it helps. Coaches had an opportunity— this very rarely happens— but these coaches had a chance to really survey things, look at what they've done. We've only got 20 minutes of game time left. We need this amount of points. What are we going to do? They can be very specific. Now the players have to come out.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And that's Coach Dungy right there. And it's coaching element. But I tell you, we— I played in 4 Super Bowls and it's very similar to a Super Bowl halftime where it's about 45 minutes to almost 50 minutes, Coach, where you have to try to come out and get warmed back up. And a lot of times it affects the veteran players a lot more than the younger players, but mentally it affects the young players because a lot of times they don't know how to refocus. So it's, it's tough, but it gives you an opportunity to sit down and almost have like a second halftime.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:One of the last things we saw was Dak Prescott making that incredible tackle to go really stop potentially a touchdown after the fumble. What do you make of where this game sits right now?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I love the way Dak Prescott has been been, and you said it in the pregame, with this Micah Parsons situation, Dak was going to have to be the leader, and he has been. He's played well out here and he's rallied his guys.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Coach, I looked when he first came out, I looked at you guys and I said, wow, Dak looks really good. He looks like he's lost 10 or 15 pounds. He looks quicker. He looks like he has more confidence when he's in the pocket and outside the pocket. We didn't see Dak Prescott run a lot the last couple years, and I thought he looked fantastic, and I love his aggressive mindset throwing the ball down the field. First look at George Pickens as well.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What do you think?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:George Pickens can make some plays, there's no question about it. He's going to get a lot of one-on-one coverage because of CeeDee Lamb, but George Pickens has to be disciplined. We saw some of this in Pittsburgh. You're coming in, big point in the game there in the third quarter, you're coming in to make a block. You make your block, we're going to be in good shape. You get a penalty and sets the team back just with bad technique.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, and what did coach call it? He called it, um, that's, um, Pittsburgh. That was a good one.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And the Dallas Cowboys making their way down the tunnel right now and will walk right past us as they make their way back out onto the field as we send it back over to Maria Taylor.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:As much as football is a team sport, each individual player needs to do what they need to do to get ready to go. It's not going to be the same across the board. I'm sure their strength and conditioning coach will come out and say, let's do this, let's do that. But you know what you need. You better get it done as soon as they start this game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And as a coach, you have to emphasize, guys, re-warm up, run It has to be an active warm-up. It can't be, hey, I'm touching my toes, I'm ready to play. You got to move around and get yourself ready to play NFL football, right? Right. You're sitting for a half hour, 45 minutes, full, full intensity play, right?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That, that's the biggest thing for a quarterback. I think Dak Prescott, he's probably going to go, wow, I got to get the arm warm again. I got to throw some footballs. I got to be able to throw 40-yard balls and 15-yard out routes.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And then also that, right?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You got to check back in mentally, go, wait, I was over there relaxing in the locker room for a few minutes. We got all these checks and things we're doing in the offense. That's the part I just— I'm amazed by right now.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And it's so funny because when you get make that kind of turnover as a team, you talk about sudden change. So I'm sorry, for sure Philadelphia had something drawn up that they said, if we get a turnover, this is what we want to go to. Now that gets erased, and it's like starting the game or the second half over. Now you don't get to pick up from that momentum.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You know, we talk all the time as players and coaches, next play mentality. So what you have to do if you're a player or coach in this situation, whatever's happened happened up to this point, irrelevant. Okay, this game is going to be determined by what happens in the next 1 quarter and 4 minutes, and you have to just dig back in, get your mind right, get your spirit right, and go play. Whatever happened up to this point doesn't matter. Go play and win this game right now.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I just wonder if Philly's big O-line in this third or second halftime break we're having here, if they start to maybe wear down the smaller defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Now that's something I'm interested to see.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:To Simms' point, I let that big offensive line start controlling, start wearing on that defensive line. Run the football. They've been dominant running the ball up to this point already. That's going to be the difference down the stretch.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's why he's on the screen.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, feed it to 26. Jalen Hurts is playing awesome.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That's—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:this is what's unfair about the Eagles sometimes. It feels like a cheat code. It's like, hey, everybody's covered. Oh yeah, but Jalen Hurts has 6 seconds to throw, and then he scrambles and makes a big play. Or they beat you with the run game. They just Eagles have so many options. No doubt.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And the big decision for Matt Eberfluss, the defensive coordinator in Dallas, is are they going to really load up and try to stop Saquon Barkley? Then those opportunities start happening outside to AJ, right? Dotson made the big play earlier. Philadelphia has to be ready to take advantage of that if that situation arises.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And so what Jason just said, if Eberfluss and that Cowboys defense decides to be more aggressive, now it will open up A.J. Brown. You're going to have some one-on-one coverage. We were talking to one of the Eagles executives, said we're not going to change what we do. Whatever the defense gives us, we're going to take advantage of that. And I think that's what we've seen so far. The lanes have opened up versus run. If they take that away, I I expect to see A.J. Brown making some big plays.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, but what you do as a play call in this situation, you have this extra 45 minutes to think about what's happening, right? So what you want to do, you look back and say, huh, huh, number one, a couple for this guy, make sure you get him some touches.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I think Devin makes a great point. You always want to let the offense just come to players, but at times there's times where you got to go, wait, he's our best offensive player, we gotta just call a few to where he gets the ball and gets in the flow of the football game a little bit, and then he feels better, the team feels better. And I feel like they have to make a little better effort there.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What's the balance of that when Jalen Hurts has been playing the way he's playing tonight? Do you want to start saying, let's get it to AJ, or do you just say, Jalen, keep doing—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The call and wide receiver screen, bubble screen, things like that. So now where AJ A.J. Brown feels like, hey, I, I made one layup and now I'm ready to play.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You do love me.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, if you, Ryan Schottenheimer, you pull back and say, I like where we are, we're efficient, we're balanced, we've scored on most of our drives, Dak looks comfortable, we're getting the runners involved here a little bit, you know, the turnover down in the red zone obviously kills them, but he's got to feel good about it. But they too need to look for some opportunities to make some big plays outside. Persistence in the running game, it's going to create a single high looking man-to-man coverage. They got to take advantage of it to make some plays.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And I think that delay does help you go and say, hey, I know we turned the ball over, but that was after we were driving down the field. Let's get over this. When we get the ball back, let's keep doing what we're doing.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Exactly.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And you get to harp on that instead of the Eagles get the ball, they go and score, and now you're trying to play catch-up. You got to do that with this delay.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I do think there's opportunities to throw the down the field. Like Jason Garrett saying, Dak's stacked stats don't necessarily say how good he's played today. We got to remember there was a big pass interference call down the field for a 40 or 50-yard gain to George Pickens. He's played really well, but I think they can attack outside even more.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, Coach, I'm interested. If you're Coach Schottenheimer for Dallas, what would you have been saying there in the locker room moments ago?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Uh, well, number one, defense, you got to step up now. Our offense is playing well, but defensively, we've got to make a game-changing play. We've got to get a stop here, not let this become a two-score game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And this is really our first look at the team without Mike Parsons.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:What have you noticed about the way they're playing defensively?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I mean, I think the Dallas defense, they have to stay patient. They don't have an outstanding rusher like a Micah Parsons. I expect for defensive coordinator Matt Eberfroost to be a little bit more aggressive in the second half. Um, Jalen Hurts has all day back there. Bring a little pressure just to try to surprise him. You can still play zone behind it, coach.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I'll bring some pressure.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Obviously he doesn't want to give these receivers one-on-one chances That's been the strategy the whole game. They've shut down DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. So, but it's got to come from somewhere. Dante Fowler Jr. had a couple of good rushes late. Kenny Clark, have you guys got to step up and you got to get some individual rush going? If that doesn't work, you're right, you got to do something. You got to bring that fifth guy.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Take me to the other side of the ball. Eagles defensively, what do you want to see the rest of the way on that side?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Well, I want to see their secondary step up. That corner opposite of Quinyon Mitchell. Adoree' Jackson has to play with more confidence, has to play with more fire. Coach, he looks lost out there, and this is not the same defense that we saw in the Super Bowl like you, you just told me.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, we need to see some discipline. We got to eliminate the penalties, eliminate the big plays that have come off penalties, and let's dominate up front. That's our signature. Where are our front guys? Okay, yeah, we don't have Jalen Carter. Somebody else has to step step up and get that dominance up front.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, and I'm going back to the Philly— Philly's offensive line. They need to continue to run the football, pound Dallas. Dallas is smaller, like smaller, a smaller bunch like you talked about in the pregame show. They need to run, wear these guys down, and see where that takes them.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And if you're a big fan, Joe, we've looked at the stats. Dallas is averaging 6 yards of carry. That, that can't happen. We've got to shut that run down and get to some second and third and longs where we can turn our pass—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:and play smart. No dumb penalties, nothing stupid, nothing selfish, and you're right in the game.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Eagles defensive line warming up right here over here in front of us. It's starting to look closer to full speed as we send it back to Maria.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:What did you learn?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:He's looked, he's looked good, first off. I mean, we just talked about the Eagles receivers not getting the ball. Part of the problem is because they got some good corners there in Dallas. Yeah, and Stefon Diggs, we weren't sure how healthy he was going to be, but he kept giving me that look in pregame like, I'm ready. Yeah, and then I got to watch him in pregame and he looked ready. I don't think the Eagles thought he was really going to play play, or play to the ability of what he's shown to this point, he's played well.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The only play they've converted is a pass interference on Elam. Bland and Diggs have been really good at taking away that passing game, and it should allow them to focus more on Saquon Barkley and stopping the run, right?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The big issue for Dallas's defense is the rush lane integrity. We saw it in the first half with Jalen being able to run the football, so we got to somehow quiet Saquon down, and we can't let Jalen get out. Those two guys are the best players that Philadelphia has on offense, and they'll step up in these big moments. You got to make sure you control them.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Big— they played a big game football.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:They got the confidence of 'Hey, we just won the Super Bowl and beat the Chiefs. They were the best defense in football last year.' And then we know how awesome, talented they are, every, at every position. So yeah, they're going to be the, the, the unit that has to carry the team here down the stretch.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And I think one of the things we have to watch for— what big play happens after you have such a long break? Which team makes a big either defensive play or offensive play that gets the momentum going for this end-of-the-game push? I I think that could be a big moment in this game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And if you think about Philadelphia the last half of the season and their playoff run to the Super Bowl last year, Saquon Barkley was really good in the first half, he was phenomenal in the second half. He was a closer for them. They're looking for that tonight.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:At AT&T, we guarantee our network so you can focus on what matters most. Hey, Mama, you remember when you taught me how to fish? Yeah, you were the best teacher.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, feeling a little nostalgic right now, that's all.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Staying connected matters. That's why in the rare event of a network outage, you'll automatically get a bill credit for a full day service. That's all part of the AT&T Guarantee, brought to you by America's largest wireless network. I'm being told this is Limu Emu from Liberty Mutual, who helps save you hundreds by customizing your car insurance. And his partner Doug is the gentleman under the security guard. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. That's right, move it like this now. You gotta move that. Big time, best time, all the time. Come seek the Royal Caribbean.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:This lake house isn't just a dream, it's where the people you love always find their way back. At Rocket Mortgage, we're more than a lender. We're a partner in one of life's biggest decisions. With smart tools, clear answers, and a process that flexes to fit your needs, let us help you turn your dream into a home. Visit rocketmortgage.com to get started.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You've earned this, so hold it up high. You don't just give an extra hand.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You give your whole heart because it feels good to raise up the community that raised you. You are a fighter, and this is your reward.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Modelo, Remarkable Fighter. How does Freshpet make healthy food for dogs? The same way you make healthy food for people. Harvest fresh, ship it fresh, and craft it into recipes that are vet-developed and protein-packed. Because your dog deserves fresh, healthy food just like you. Freshpet, healthy food fresh from the fridge. This is the time when the best show what they're made of. You've got this.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Me and my team stay ready.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Let's show the city how it's done.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Chicago Wednesday, new October 1st on NBC and Peacock.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:All right, after about an hour and 2-minute delay, we're going to get back to action with the Eagles having the ball at a 4-point lead. Teams heading their warm-ups, getting back on the field. There's Dak Prescott Scott just made a tackle on the last play a moment ago. Time gives us a chance to comb through the video from that very first play of the game and the incident where Jalen Carter was thrown out. Let's go back to that. Now here is what was going on. Prescott in the huddle walks out between his offensive linemen and Dak spits down towards the ground but in the direction of the Eagles with Carter who had walked over there, and that begins the interaction of the two. Prescott's spit was down, Carter was right face to face and onto his uniform jersey. Carter was kicked out of the game. The official, Brian Neal, the umpire, was standing right there and saw what went down. So at least it gives you a little bit of the brief history of what happened there.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and what we will not know is what was said to make Jalen Carter walk towards the huddle of the Dallas Cowboys. He was 3 yards across the line of scrimmage. Here's the ball here, and that sort of begins it. Now Dak gets engaged and he walks over and he spits on the ground, and Jalen didn't like that, and nobody would. And so now they come out and Dak doesn't want to take it and Jalen doesn't want to take it, and here they go.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Chris, that other angle showed us that the umpire was looking back towards the Cowboys huddle and saw that and then was watching the rest of the confrontation. Remember, there was an Eagles player, their fullback on special teams, Ben Van Sumerritt, who was down with a knee injury, the same knee that he had injured that cost him the season before, right off that opening kickoff. And Carter was on the opposite side of the sideline, you saw everything that played out. So that's a little bit more of the video evidence of what took place. Much more to be talked about in interviews in the few days after that.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And just to tell the whole story, what Dak did was not a foul, right? What Jalen did was a foul.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The delay, 1 hour and 5 minutes. We get back to work at And remember the last play, Dallas was driving for a touchdown and a fumble recovery for the Eagles. So Philly is set first and 10 at their own 16. They've scored on all 4 drives they've had tonight. Barkley to the left, loss of a yard. And Kenny Clark among the group, along with Jack Sanborn and company, in on that tackle.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Is that the first play that we've seen. The running back of the Philadelphia Eagles get hit at the line of scrimmage like that. I mean, I don't know what they talked about in there at whatever second halftime. That was a good start, and now you got to wake yourself up. This is a big game. This is a divisional game. If somehow the Cowboys come out of here with a win, I mean, it's franchise-shaking.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Buzz out of the building at the moment. Pressure on second and 11. Prescott gets away from one, resets and throws it away at the line of scrimmage. Barkley, an eligible receiver in the area. The corner blitz from Stefon Diggs, former college teammate of Hurts, changes that.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, right off the edge, you're going to see the pressure come. And one of the things that Dallas thought they could get away play with here was if they could force Jalen Hurts to look away from his first target. They wanted him to pull the ball down and find number 2. They felt like if they could do that, they could get pressure on him. And maybe now they have that formula— bring some pressure out of the secondary.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We have not seen a punt in the game tonight. It's 3rd and 11, Philadelphia showing corner pressure again and bringing it. Prescott got away from it. He's got space. Prescott, great pursuit, denies him the first down. Hurts, Hurts, I beg your pardon. Great pursuit, stops him at the 23-yard line, and they'll punt it away.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Well, what we've seen from Jalen Hurts is that he's been making them pay with his legs, but now they're bringing the blitz, but they're not playing man coverage the way that they were in the first half. They're playing zone behind it. So now on 3rd and 10, If he takes off the run, they've got time to rally, make the tackle, and finally we see a punter in this game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, Braden Mann for the first time, third year with the Eagles, set to kick it away. Good hang time, dangerous return man Turpin, but he makes it fair catch it. So a great kick by Mann and Turpin fair catches it at the 26-yard line, and that's where now Dak Prescott Prescott will get on the field, take over for Dallas.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I think Dak Prescott is starting to feel this a little bit. If we got a chance to come in here and knock off the world champs and the ball's in our hands right now, we've been moving it all night, let's go down and take the lead this time. No fumbles, no interceptions, don't have any holding calls. We know we can move the ball ball on these guys.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Eagles fans heard from a little bit. Javonte Williams inside with the run, and they keep the pile pushing forward for 4 yards to the 30-yard line. Seems to be some physicality from the Dallas side in the first 4 snaps after the delay.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, it's a really good job by the offensive line just getting in behind Williams and keeping that play alive. We've seen that a couple of times here tonight.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Not the tush push. The Cowboys getting it done with 3 guys named Tyler. Tyler Booker, Tyler Smith, Tyler Guyton, all first-round picks on that offensive front for Dallas. Play may determine what the Cowboys season is like. Prescott pressured, got it away, and throws it low but complete to Ferguson. It'll be a gain of 5 yards, and the same Andrew McCoubo is there to make the stop. It's 3rd and 1 coming up for the Cowboys.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Nolan Smith Jr. coming off the edge right there was supposed to be blocked by the backside guard pulling out and yet wasn't able to get there. But I'll tell you, the way this game is going right now, I've got to think this is probably 4-down territory for the Dallas Cowboys.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:They've been running it very well. In the gun, and they've essentially got the backfield emptied out. And Prescott gonna throw underneath, and Lamb's got the first down, and C&A will take it to the 49-yard line with Zach Bond and Dory Jackson bring him down. But it's a first down for Dallas.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Great job as they bring pressure here. They— that's an easy throw to get at for Dak Prescott. Shot and decided to throw a little pressure back at Dak on that one, and it just blew up in his face. So that's the second or third time tonight we have seen the Eagles, who didn't blitz a whole lot last year, but now they're almost being forced into it without Jalen Carter and some of the guys they had on this defense a year ago.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Slam to 100 yards, inside run, Williams, 40 8-yard line. Pick up of about 3 in the final minute of this third quarter.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:You know, the Cowboys have spent a lot of resources on this offensive line. Tyler Guyton, number 1 pick. Tyler Smith, number 1 pick. B.B., a third round. Tyler Booker, a number 1 pick. So they are trying to go back to the days of the Dallas Cowboys when they could turn around and hand the football to Emmitt Smith and let him go to work.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Work.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And so far, at least in this game without Jalen Carter, they've been able to do it.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Second and 7, set it up for CeeDee Lamb, who's got some blocking, but on the inside, Philadelphia all over that, turns it into a loss. And Jordan Davis, who's had to play a lot in this one, comes up with a stop that'll make it third and 10 for the start of quarter number 4. Only scoring a Philadelphia field goal. Our 4 weather delay in that quarter as well, but we go to the 4th with a tight game. Eagles 24, Cowboys 20, as you're watching the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Big voice energy.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We know what America wants.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Primo socks, baby! Yo, now you should see the underwear I'm wearing.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You're down with—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Who, me? You're down with—
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We're taking prime time to a new level.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Big voice energy. I know where you have birthmarks.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:No! You get 2 minutes for looking too good.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:I've always been a Spectrum customer, so when I started the business, I was just naturally like, yeah, I'm gonna go with Spectrum. It's let me run multiple things at the same time, whether I'm on with clients and I also have to show them their design. It's really special how I got into the industry with my mom getting me that job at the flower shop. It's kind of like she knew what she was doing. She she saw that fire in me, and I don't know, I think she'd be really proud.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Get up to 4 months free when you bundle award-winning internet. Visit spectrum.com/business to learn more.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:King David, I got your boy.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You listening now, huh? I know what it is to want everything and have nothing. You let him go, I make sure you set free. It's too late for all that. They don't want my son, they want me. It's a day of reckoning. You ain't in control no more.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:I am.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:You got to be a little crazy to get what you want. Let's get to work. Rated R.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Before you go, have a great day.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Have a great day, Dad.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Have a great day. We counting on you. South Carolina is behind you.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Inside the World of NFL Super Fans, tomorrow morning at 6. Just west of us, Link, it is a scene from earlier this week at the newly renamed Xfinity Xfinity Mobile Arena, home to the Sixers and the Flyers. New name, new upgraded Wi-Fi network, 10 times faster thanks to Xfinity. I'm sure the Sixers and Flyers fans will enjoy that this season. We welcome you back to the NFL kickoff presented by YouTube TV and begin quarter number 4 with the Cowboys facing 3rd and 10, down 4 to the Eagles. Drive in the pattern for Prescott, throwing in the middle and trapped off the hands of Lamb and incomplete. A lot of traffic in there, they cannot connect, and Dallas will punch it away for the first time.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:KaVontae Turpin got jammed at the line of scrimmage, and so he was unable to clear the space in the middle for CeeDee Lamb. Just good defense, not giving the free release. He was jammed up front, but then it just forced a lot of bodies into that area where CeeDee was coming, and it went right through his hands.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:First kick for Bryan Anger. Jahan Dotson is back to handle the punt returning. NFL punt return, did it in college at Penn State. Signals 4 and makes the fair catch right around the 13 for Philadelphia Philadelphia will take over. We'll be back at the link in 30 seconds. In life and in business, the goalposts often move, but at Accenture, we say game on. Because whatever goal you're heading for, together we'll get there. AJ Brown's about to join the Philadelphia huddle. 42 plays run for the Eagles. Brown has not been targeted yet tonight. He's not had a game where he has had zero targets. It's Hurts' 13 of 16 in the air, but 6 of those 13 completions to Dallas Goedert, his tight end.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:But also say this, that we have seen Saquon Barkley in the second half, and in particular the fourth quarter of games, just having pounded all night long, break some big runs and win football games for the Eagles.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Spread out here to the left, Hurts looks Right, covered, comes back to Barkley to the 20-yard line. Kair Elam down there. Melissa.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, Mike, the Cowboys defensive players, when they were coming back onto the field after the weather delay, were yelling to each other, unleash us! Then we saw that quick 3-and-out that they got, and they went to the sidelines after that. They were dancing, they were all smiles, and they said, that is how you throw the first punch.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:They did, to say the least, in the third portion of this game, if you will.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Well, and they started bringing some pressure too, and I think that's what the players were talking about.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Second and two, inside with Barkley, and that's again tied up with Marshawn Nealon. That's second-round pick out of Western Michigan in his second year. Been around it a lot tonight.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:He sure has, and, and that shows up as well. He had an issue with his knee last year, so you just wondered which Nealon were we going to see. The guy, they obviously draft him in the second round, you're expecting big things, and so far tonight that's exactly what we've got, especially in the run game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:First tush push formation of the night. Play kept in the game. Third and one. Go, go, go! There's a— as Hurts moves toward the line, let's see where that spot comes in. And the initial indication from the down judge, Jay Bilbo, is to move the chains for a first down as those Eagles interior linemen peel themselves off the ground. First down, Philadelphia. Of course, push-push in the news in the offseason, the vote to try to keep it out of the game. It was kept in by 2 votes.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:There's the 4 guys. The strategy for the Cowboys was to come around here and knock off these 2 pushers and pull backwards on the legs of Hurts. Didn't work that time.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:And we have a flag down, a couple of them in the secondary, probably too many Cowboys. Looks like a lot of silver helmets. Players on the field, defense, 5-yard penalty. So almost stopping Philadelphia, the Eagles get the first down on the ground. Now they'll have first and short to operate with here starting this fourth quarter.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Cowboys have had some chances, had the one with the fumble down there. They have possession with a chance to go take take the lead. As great as they played in the first half on offense, we haven't seen much here since.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:So first and 5 for Jalen Hurts, and Barkley with a block from tight end Branson. Yard shy of the first down, looks like the mark will be at the 32-yard line.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Well, and remember, the Eagles in this game Ben Ben VanSumeren, their fullback, really was knocked out on the first opening kickoff. And so they're having to adjust, and now they've got Granson in there playing some fullback because they want to go with some power football.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:A number that was just up there, what you alluded to, Chris, Saquon with all the rushing success, over 2,000 yards last year, 2005, doing a lot of it after halftime. Here he is again, because it feels like Dallas is getting on that other side of the offensive line since the weather stoppage.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I think what we're seeing is just some stunts and some play inside. You could tell some of these guys— it's basically Solomon Thomas there just on the stunt, spun in and then spun back out and was able to make the play. The problem is you You think your chances of stopping this tush push almost zero, but let's see again. They're going to fly off the edges and try to get the leg of Jalen Hurts after they whack those two pushers.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Go, go, go!
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:That was it! Second push from the powerful Hurts takes them to the first down at the 33-yard line. Again, the vote was 24-16. The votes needed to get it out of the game, the vote was 22-10 at the league meetings.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:And what does Mike Tyson say? Everybody has a plan until you get hit in the mouth. That's kind of what the tush push does to you, and it's humiliating. And for the Dallas Cowboys, defenses just hate it when they can't stop the run. I'm telling you, it just eats at them. And right now, the Philadelphia Philadelphia Eagles are trying to just punch them time and time again, and that's how they win football games, especially late.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:First downs with the tush push, get it on the edge. DeVonta Smith works back to the inside and gained 7. Melissa?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, Mike, Jordan Mailata laughed as he told me his feelings were split 50/50 that the tush push wasn't banned this season, saying, I want to run it, but at the same time I don't because It's really hard. He acknowledged that the sheer mass on the offensive line is a huge part of the success, but that running it 2, 3, 4 times a game is taxing. He said, have the camera zoom in on my face after the 5th time. You'll see my excitement.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We got 3 to go. We've run it twice. Got it both times. 2nd and 3 as Araku off the edge. Oh, Barkley the one-hand catch. Barkley the stiff arm. Barkley the first down. Offensive Player of the Year on full display.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:He was also voted the number 1 player on that players poll. And look at the one-handed catch here, coming across in the backfield, reaches out that one hand, makes the play. Wasn't enough, got a chip, handled that, makes somebody miss. There you go.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:He's so good, so good. On the ground, caught behind the line of scrimmage. A great read by James Houston. With the Lions, had a great run of sacks back in 2022. Wasn't able to stay healthy or be impactful as an edge rusher. Made a good play there for a loss.
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:This guy had 8 sacks in 7 games as a rookie, and watch him go inside the block there of Mailata, and then still enough speed to get out and make that play. So they've got a lot of pieces here. That's what they said, Mike. They felt like the greatest depth they had on the team was at the edge, right? And so maybe they could survive without Micah Parsons. I'm not sure they're making the same argument after this one, although that one helped.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Play clock was running down. Hurts forced to take Philadelphia's First time out of this second half, it comes at 8:26 to go with the Eagles +4. What do you do when things get tough? You don't give up. If you've been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer and have tried hormone therapy, ask your doctor about Pluvicto. Pluvicto is not chemotherapy. It's a different treatment that targets PSMA-positive cells. It's now FDA-approved after one hormone therapy and before chemotherapy. Pluvicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. Drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception, and talk to your doctor about ways to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment. Pluvicto can cause low levels of blood cell counts, kidney problems, and infertility. Tell your doctor if you have weakness, pale skin, shortness loss of breath, bleeding or bruising more easily, an infection, or changes in urination. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain, and constipation. Ask your doctor about Pluvicto, because every day without cancer progression is a victory.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Say you get a surf shack on Airbnb. Now you can also get a surf lesson with a pro surfer. Or if you get a place in Mexico City, you can also get a taco tasting with a food critic. You can even get a home in the heart of Seoul and a dance class K-pop style. Yeah, yeah, all of my girls looking good and they got their own money. Homes, experiences, and services. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Hey, hey, hey, what you got to New Balance, we got now. Ever since we told Jason Kelce about NFL Sunday Ticket Month to Month, he hasn't stopped cheering. NFL Sunday Ticket Month to Month, now join and cancel anytime. Every case requires patience. It's time. The brain is fragile. It can only take so much. He has no control over his arm.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Dude's got a mean left hook.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We've been acquainted.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Brilliant Minds, September 22nd on NBC and Peacock.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Hey everyone, we have an all-new show tonight after the game. LL Cool J is here, Shea Gildress-Alexander, music from Riley Green, and something fun with Saquon Barkley.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Back to you, Mike and Chris.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:All right, Jimmy, it's usually Jimmy Fallon time right now. We'll get to him after your local news. So Barkley's on the sideline for a moment. Landon Dickerson, the Pro Bowl left guard, is also out of the game for the moment for Philadelphia. Brett Toth is in there at guard for Dickerson, who had a knee injury and then also was on their injury report with a back. This week. Second and 14 for Hurts. Nothing open. Hurts escapes, chased by Williams, and throws it to the bench and incomplete. Melissa, what about the Philly injury?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, so before the weather delay, we were watching Landon Dickerson. He came off the field grimacing in a ton of pain. Uh, the head athletic trainer and the orthopedic surgeon were looking at his lower back. They examined that. They used the massage gun. He never sat down. Remember, he only practiced 2 times this week because of that back. Now, after the weather delay, he did not participate in those warm-ups that they had on the field. He was stretching on the side. So certainly this is something that's bothering him.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Yeah, an important piece of that offensive line heading back. Big Dom, athletic training staff, Philly personnel. Big third down here with 8:18 to go. Hurts, he's dropped with time, goes complete short of the first down. As Goedert is gang tackled again. Stefon Diggs over there as well right at midfield. Hurts looking over to the sideline with 4th and 4. And will they go?
Q3 15:00Cris Collinsworth:With the way these offenses have been going, not in the second half but before, you certainly are at least going to go hard count. Out here and see what happens. But I think they're actually going for it. I don't think— I don't think you want Dallas having the ball with 7 minutes to go and a chance to go win the game with their offense.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Offside would give them a first down. And there is the delay Play game.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Offense, 5-yard penalty, 4th down.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:So now they'll try to pin them with the punt. So interesting, after nobody could be stopped with all the scores every possession in that first half, we had the field goal to start the second half and nothing since. And Braden Mann will try to play keep away with KaVontae Turpin. The uber dangerous return man for the Cowboys. Wow, it's a wobbler, tough to catch. Turpin can't get his hands on it. So well done by Braden Mann. Two good punts that Turpin couldn't return. One because of hang Time, that one cousin direction. Cowboys have it at their own 13, past halfway here in the fourth. Philadelphia at home, +4. When Verizon gives you a free phone on any plan— Gemini, show me the concealer. You use AI a lot.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:The long thin tube in the middle.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Best Boyfriend of the Year. Did we say a lot? We meant a lot, a lot. Gemini, is my houseplant leaning away because it hates me?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Nothing personal, it's leaning away for more sunlight.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Come here, girl.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Gemini, any pointers on my downward dog?
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We get it, it's a Google Pixel 10 Pro from Verizon.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Oh, appreciate you.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:If you fall below the speed of 3 mph and you get your ticket.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:This is walk or die.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:He's running for it.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:We'll see him get price his ticket first. Oh yeah, The Long Walk. Get tickets now. All for one, one for all.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Rated R. Subway's footlongs are packed with protein, like the Ultimate BMT or the All-Pro Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki with 58 grams of protein. And now Subway MVP Rewards members can buy any footlong in the app and get 40% off. Fuel up now in the Subway app.
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Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Word on the streets, I make it look easy, cool, way too easy. Word on the street is I make it look easy. I'm actually smooth, it's far too easy. Word on the street is I make it look easy.
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Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:Michelob Ultra, Superior Light Beer.
Q3 15:00Mike Tirico:It's season 20 of Sunday Night Football.