Jalen Carter spits at Cowboys players and receives the one punishment the Eagles didn’t need after a bad injury
A series of unfortunate events.
Not even one snap into Thursday night’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, and a player has already been tossed.
That player was Philly’s starting defensive tackle, Jalen Carter, who received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott following the opening kickoff.
This only made things worse for the Eagles after linebacker/fullback Ben VanSumeren went down during kickoff with a knee injury, where he was carted off and quickly ruled out.
As if the Eagles’ series of unfortunate events couldn’t get any worse, the Cowboys went on to embarrass cornerback Adoree Jackson and scored the first touchdown of the game.
This is not how anyone could have predicted the Eagles-Cowboys game to start. Many projected a big-time blowout after the Cowboys traded their best defender, Micah Parsons, to the Green Bay Packers earlier in the week.
But it looks like we have a real ball game at Lincoln Financial Field to kick off the 2025 NFL regular season.
Jalen Carter Projected to Have Even Bigger 2025 Season
Carter, the Eagles’ No. 9 overall pick out of Georgia in 2023, made an immediate impact for Philly’s defense as a rookie.
He played in all 16 games, racking up 33 total tackles (20 solo), six sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. His outstanding first year earned him a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team and a runner-up finish for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Carter took another step forward in 2024 and started every game, finishing the year with 42 tackles (25 solo), 4.5 sacks, six pass deflections, and two more forced fumbles. That effort landed him his first Pro Bowl nod, and he played a key role in helping the Eagles make it to Super Bowl LIX.
While he didn’t light up the stat sheet in the Eagles’ historic 40-22 Super Bowl win over the Chiefs, his presence was felt as he helped shut down Patrick Mahomes’ hopeful three-peat.
Through two seasons so far, Carter recorded a total of 75 tackles (44 solo), 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
He is projected to have an even better Year 3, but that will only happen if he can keep his spit to himself.
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