"NFL referees are a joke": Fans call out refs as Eagles’ Nolan Smith gets hit with taunting penalty during Cowboys game

Linebacker Nolan Smith found himself in trouble because of his behavior during the Philadelphia Eagles' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. In the second quarter, he made a great tackle on RB Miles Sanders to stop his opponent's rushing play.

However, after the play, Smith decided to stare down at the Cowboys running back while yelling at him aggressively to celebrate his tackle. Officials were not fond of the linebacker's behavior and threw up a flag for a taunting penalty.

This resulted in Brian Schottenheimer's team receiving a 15-yard gain and an automatic first down. Brandon Aubrey ended up scoring a 41-yard field goal that gave his team a 17-14 lead over the Eagles.

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Fans were quick to react to Nolan Smith receiving a taunting penalty from the game officials on social media.

After the Cowboys' field goal, Saquon Barkley scored a 10-yard rushing TD to give the Eagles a 21-17 lead. However, Aubrey minimised the deficit to just one point after scoring a 53-yard field goal heading into halftime.

Nolan Smith has been with the Eagles since being drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. In two seasons, he has played in 33 regular-season games with 10 starts, recording 60 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits on the field.

Last year, he helped Nick Sirianni's team go on to win the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. However, Smith was not the only one penalized during their 2025 season opener.

Who else apart from Nolan Smith was penalized on Thursday?

Before the game even began, the Eagles lost one of their important pieces on defense because of behavioral issues. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first offensive play of the night.

This resulted in him being ejected from the game by officials without even making a play. His action left the Eagles with a gaping hole in their defense that resulted in the Cowboys taking an early lead in the first quarter. Analyst Stephen A.Smith called out the defensive tackle on X/Twitter and demanded that the defensive tackle be suspended for spitting on a rival on the field.

The Cowboys versus Eagles season opener has been full of interesting moments in the first half. Who will take the win in Week 1 and step toward becoming a contender for this year's postseason?

About the author

Priyam is a College Sports content executive at Sportskeeda with a master's in Advertising and Marketing Management and over two years of experience as a writer. When it comes to reporting, Priyam believes doing a technical deep dive is one of his biggest strengths and he loves to dissect plays on the field and factor out the strengths/weaknesses of players.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Priyam sees Nick Saban as the greatest coach of all time. He is also rooting for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milore after following his progress over the years. The Michigan Wolverines football team is another of his favorite programs and it will be interesting to see how both these teams perform in new coaching eras.

When he’s not reporting, Priyam is usually at the gym or indulging in music. He has been a guitarist and a drummer for the past 17 years and finds his time of peace when playing music.

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Edited by Veer Badani