Jalen Carter Remorseful For Spitting On Dak Prescott

Hours after Jalen Carter spat on Dak Prescott, the Eagles star showed some remorse for his behavior ... calling his actions "a mistake."

The gross scene went down just after the start of Philadelphia's season-opener against the Cowboys ... when Carter was jawin' back-and-forth with Dallas' signal-caller.

At one point, cameras captured the Philadelphia defensive tackle hocking a loogie on Dak's chest -- and when a ref saw it, Carter was ejected from the game.

The Eagles sorely missed his presence ... but they nonetheless were able to score a 24-20 win -- and afterward, the big DT said he let his teammates and fans down.

"It was a mistake that happened on my side," Carter said. "It just won't happen again."

Carter would not say if he was provoked -- though it sure did seem like Prescott was the one who spat first.

The NBC broadcast actually pointed out the quarterback let some saliva fly in Carter's direction before their confrontation took place.

For Dak's part, he admitted to spitting ... though he said it was not aimed at Carter at all -- and he told that to Carter during their dispute.

"When I stepped through, I actually said words like, 'Why the hell' -- excuse me, probably even more colorful -- but 'why would I need to spit on you for?'" Prescott said. "And he just spit on me in that moment. It was more of a surprise than anything."