Jerry Jones insisted that the Dallas Cowboys would be ‘better.’A better team would have taken advantage of the reigning world champions losing their best defender to a pre-game spitting incident seen around the globe. A better squad would have finished off the Philadelphia Eagles on the opening night of the 2025 season, instead of being undone by CeeDee Lamb‘s surreal case of the dropsies on national TV.Jones’ gamble backfired On a night when Jalen Carter begged the NFL to suspend him and lightning abruptly paused the return of the richest sport on the planet, Jones’ Cowboys started in an 0-1 hole because the Eagles were simply better.Eagles leader and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts was better than Dak Prescott, who continued to be the most overpaid quarterback in the NFL. Saquon Barkley was easily the best running back on the field, a year removed from Dallas watching the NFC East rival Eagles pry the Offensive Player of the Year away from the New York Giants.It was officially 24-20 Eagles on Thursday night (and morning) in Philly.Cowboys have thrown away money It was really about $564 million in Cowboys salary-cap cash that Jones either spent poorly or gave away.No one else in the NFL would have gifted Prescott a four-year, $240m deal that made a good-but-not-great QB the highest-paid arm in the league.Against Philly, Prescott misfired on 13 passes — with Lamb’s help — and only averaged 5.5 yards per completion.He didn’t throw a touchdown, while his 76.6 passer rating was almost 20 points lower than Hurts’.An ex-Cowboy also dragged down the Cowboys on Thursday, and that departure was 100 percent on Jones.talksportJerry Jones traded his best defender and paid the wrong QB[/caption]GettyJalen Hurts, right, was more efficient than Dak Prescott and had two more TD[/caption]The Eagles lost Carter before the first play of scrimmage.Jones arrogantly traded away Micah Parsons, Dallas’ best defender, a week before the team’s season opener.Eagles were the ‘better’ team “This gives us a better chance to be a better team than we have been the last several years,” Jones said after the stunning blockbuster, which saw Green Bay instantly become a Super Bowl contender and reward Parsons with a new $188m contract. It was the same ol’ Cowboys to start the 2025 season, and they couldn’t outpunch the Eagles despite Philly’s best defender being removed from the field.Then there was Lamb, who received a $136m contract from Jones and the Cowboys, but kept coughing up key passes as midnight approached inside Lincoln Financial Field.“That’s terrible,” Lamb said. GettyCeeDee Lamb let a potential road win slip through his hands[/caption]“Honestly, I can’t point the finger at anybody else. I take full accountability and everything else that comes with it. … For me to not come up with it, it stings.”Jones only has himself to blameOverreacting to the first week of the NFL season is an annual pitfall.Lamb vowed to be better, and his game-high 110 receiving yards are a reminder of his Pro Bowl talent.But he’s only made one All-Pro team in five seasons, and he’s a level removed from the NFL’s truly elite receivers.Prescott wasn’t good enough, again.Parsons would’ve made a real difference for Dallas on a night when Carter was missing from the Eagles. Lamb is paid $136m to change games, and he handed the Cowboys a frustrating loss.Dallas started 0-1 in a winnable game.Jones pushed his team into that hole, and everyone knew before kickoff that the Cowboys aren’t winning the Super Bowl for the 30th consecutive season. Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for news, exclusive interviews and more.