Stephen A. Smith sits with Jerry Jones, Super Bowl halftime announcement, and more from Eagles-Cowboys broadcast
Smith, who is known to make fun of the Cowboys as an ESPN personality, joined Dallas owner Jones in his suite. Here's what else you missed on "Monday Night Football."
There wasn’t a lot that could make this season much worse for the Eagles. Then, they lost to the Cowboys.
With a 38-21 loss to Dallas, the Eagles are 2-5 and have dropped five games in a row.
Whether you were at Lincoln Financial Field or you weren’t watching ESPN for another reason, here’s what you missed on Monday night’s broadcast with Troy Aikman and Joe Buck.
» READ MORE: Sielski: Jeffrey Lurie couldn’t celebrate the Eagles or himself against the Cowboys. What now for his team?
Barkley is back (kind of)
Thankfully for the banged-up Eagles, some injuries don’t last forever.
Star running back Saquon Barkley was among the players returning from injury ahead of the Eagles’ division matchup, and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact.
Barkley scored onthe Eagles’ opening drive, their first time all season doing so. He gained 49 total yards on the 75-yard drive.
Then, he hopped right back on the bike to stay loose.
Barkley was in and out of the medical tent throughout the game, but sideline reporter Lisa Salters reported that the Eagles said it was a precaution to “manage” his first career hamstring injury.
In the fourth quarter, he was listed as questionable with a back injury and did not return.
Offensive surge
Also in the spirit of firsts, rookie Makai Lemon scored his first receiving touchdown for the Eagles in the third quarter to put the Birds ahead 21-20 after being down six at the half.
Along with it being Lemon’s first receiving touchdown, it was also the first third-quarter touchdown for the Eagles this season.
“Both these offenses come into this game struggling and yet it’s been anything but for both units here in this first half,” Aikman said.
» READ MORE: Eagles drop fifth straight; porous defense struggles to get off field in 38-21 loss to Cowboys
However, defense wins championships and games against division rivals, and the Eagles defense didn’t do much to support the little bump the offense had in the game.
“You got the Eagles defense coming in 27th-ranked in the National Football League, giving up 364 yards a game and the Cowboys 30th with 383,” Buck said.
The Cowboys finished the game with 416 total yards while the Eagles had 321 total yards.
An unlikely duo
“Nothing matters to the city of Philadelphia more than beating the Dallas Cowboys,” Stephen A. Smith said on Monday Night Countdown.
Then, he went and sat in a suite with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Smith, who does not hold back when it comes to making fun of the Cowboys, was spotted next to Jones on the broadcast after Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw to CeeDee Lamb for the Cowboys’ first touchdown. But it wasn’t the first time the duo was shown together on a broadcast. Smith sat with Jones during a Cowboys-Cardinals game last year.
‘Goat’s out of the bag’
The Eagles have 99 problems, but wondering who is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t one.
During halftime of Monday night’s game, the official announcement arrived that Jay-Z would be headlining the Super Bowl LXI halftime show.
A brief clip played of Jay-Z sitting in SoFi Stadium — where the Super Bowl will be played on Feb. 14, 2027 — surrounded by goats to officially announce his role as halftime performer, after the news began circulating a few days ago. The snippet was set to Jay-Z’s song, “Public Service Announcement,” while the phrase “Goat’s out of the bag” was displayed over the video.
