The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles kick off the 2025 NFL season in the most fitting way possible: under the bright lights of Thursday Night Football (TNF).
Two bitter NFC East rivals, both loaded with talent, both with championship aspirations, and both determined to make an opening statement.
Philadelphia enters as the defending Super Bowl LIX champions, but Dallas boasts a retooled roster and a quarterback with a proven track record of beating the Eagles.
Let’s break down who has the edge by position group and make a prediction for this primetime showdown.
Quarterbacks: Dak Prescott vs. Jalen Hurts
This game begins and ends with quarterback play.
Dak Prescott has dominated the Eagles throughout his career. He owns a 4-1 record against Philadelphia and Jalen Hurts, throwing for 1,525 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just one interception in those contests.
Prescott’s passer rating combined in those five contests is 126.8. Simply put, Dak consistently delivers his best football against his fiercest rival.
Jalen Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, is no slouch. His dual-threat ability makes him a nightmare for defenses. But when facing Dallas, Hurts has been less efficient, with fewer yards and touchdowns than Prescott.
In his short career, Jalen Hurts has a 4-3 record against Dallas. He has recorded 1,483 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions. He currently holds a 94.3 passer rating against the Cowboys.
Edge: Cowboys — Dak’s proven dominance in this rivalry gives Dallas the advantage.
Running Backs: Superstar vs Committee
The Cowboys will rely on a committee approach at running back, with Javonte Williams as the starter and Miles Sanders as the backup. Both will provide a veteran presence alongside Jaydon Blue’s explosiveness.
Fullback Hunter Luepke adds versatility as both a blocker, short-yardage weapon, and receiving weapon.
The Eagles, by contrast, headline their backfield with Saquon Barkley, one of the NFL’s elite playmakers. Supporting him are Will Shipley and A.J. Dillon.
Edge: Even — Barkley gives Philadelphia star power, but Dallas’ depth and rotation balance out the matchup.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: New Blood Brings a Boost
Dallas brings a dangerous mix of size, speed, and reliability.
CeeDee Lamb has emerged as a top-five receiver in the league, while George Pickens adds a physical, explosive presence on the outside.
Tight end Jake Ferguson continues to establish himself as one of the NFC’s most dependable players at the position.
Philadelphia counters with one of the NFL’s top receiving duos in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. After those two, it gets shaky for the Eagles. Add an aging Dallas Goedert, and the Eagles don’t have much after the top two receivers.
Edge: Slight Cowboys — The trio of Lamb, Pickens, and Ferguson provides balance across multiple roles that slightly tip the advantage towards Dallas.
Offensive Line: Old vs. New
The Cowboys feature a young, talented group led by Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, and Terence Steele.
While their upside is undeniable, chemistry and consistency remain key questions.
Philadelphia has no such concerns, with Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata anchoring one of the league’s most experienced and dominant offensive lines.
Edge: Eagles — Proven stability and leadership make Philadelphia’s front five one of the NFL’s best.
Defensive Line & Linebackers: A New Day in Dallas
Without Micah Parsons, Dallas turns to a rotation led by Osa Odighizuwa in the middle and players like Dante Fowler Jr, Donovan Ezeiruka, and Sam Williams on the edge.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, boasts a fearsome defensive front with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith, all capable of disrupting opposing offenses.
Edge: Eagles — Philadelphia’s defensive line is a proven difference maker.
Secondary: Dynamic Duo Returns
Dallas thrives on turnovers thanks to Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, one of the NFL’s most dangerous ball-hawking duos, who have not played together much.
The Eagles are banking on rookie Quinyon Mitchell and new lead man Cooper DeJean to bring long-term stability to the secondary, but overall, their group is far less proven.
Edge: Cowboys — Diggs and Bland give Dallas a clear advantage in coverage and playmaking.
Special Teams: Is it even Questionable?
The Cowboys field one of the NFL’s most consistent specialist tandems.
Brandon Aubrey was among the league’s most accurate kickers in 2024, while punter Bryan Anger remains elite.
Philadelphia counters with Jake Elliott, who is known for clutch kicks, but consistency leans toward Dallas.
Edge: Dallas — Aubrey and Anger make Dallas’ special teams one of the league’s best.
Betting Odds and Prediction
Oddsmakers opened with the Eagles as an 8.5-point favorite (-8.5), mainly due to the Super Bowl victory and Saquon Barkley.
The over/under sits around 47.5, reflecting expectations for a competitive but not overly high-scoring battle.
Here’s why Dallas has a real shot to cover — and win outright.
- Dak Prescott’s dominance over the Eagles cannot be overstated. He has consistently carved up Philadelphia’s defense and enters this game with confidence.
- DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs give Dallas the secondary advantage against Hurt’s deep ball.
- Special teams tilt heavily toward Dallas, and in a close prime-time game, that can be decisive.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Eagles 24 — Dallas makes a statement behind Dak Prescott’s efficiency and Brandon Aubrey’s late-game accuracy.
Defending Champs and…
The Eagles may be the defending champs, but the Cowboys come into Thursday Night Football with advantages in key areas: quarterback, secondary, and special teams.
If Dallas protects Prescott and creates turnovers, they have every tool to pull off an opening-week upset in Philadelphia.
This rivalry rarely disappoints—and the 2025 season opener promises fireworks right out of the gate.
QBs , etc , do not face each other. The comparison is the QB against the secondary, the offense line versus the defense line …etc.
That Dak has had success or not in the past is irrelevant. Is there any information on how the new Philli OC and DC work and how that matches up against all the new Dallas players and scheme? That would be useful.
That would be a great final score. For me, I hope they just can be competitive, and dare I say, maybe even shock most people and win the game.
Lol, wow. Barkley is way better than some rotation of nobodies. And its a real stretch to say Dak is better than Hurts, regardless of the h2h success years ago… There’s a reason Phi is -8.
What do you have to prove Hurts is a better quarterback. Outside of rushing, what other area of his game would you take?
It looks like his prediction is right!! And if it wasn’t for the Miles Sanders fumble and the Ceedee drops, the score would’ve been about spot on!! And now that the games over, how do you feel about your comment now!? Lol…. It looks like the rotation of “nobody’s” ended up looking better than Barkley after all!! Lol…. And there’s not a doubt in my mind that Dak is better than Hurts!! If it came down to it and the only thing Hurts could do is throw the ball, he would be in major trouble!! The only thing that keeps him from looking so bad is that he runs the ball!! And the proof is in the game…. If Hurts didn’t score the 2 touchdowns he ran in, they wouldn’t have won that game in week 1 cause he sure can’t throw it very good!! He has a few good passes here and there, but there’s no doubt that Dak is the better passer!! The only thing Hurts is better than Dak at is running the ball, and that’s just not what the QBs job is supposed to be, that’s why there’s a RB position, but there’s something wrong when the QB has more rushing yards than the RB does, and that says a lot when the RB is somebody as good as Barkley is!! The QB shouldn’t have more rushing yards than the RB!! If it wasn’t for Hurts running the ball and using that cheap tush push, the eagles wouldn’t win near as much as they have been!! And you were right about 1 thing…. There was a reason the eagles were 8 point favorites…. But it surely wasn’t because of Hurts…. It was only because they were coming off a Super Bowl win and they were playing at home!! It definitely didn’t have anything to do with Hurts being a better QB!! But I bet they won’t be favored to win by that much again after they barely walked out of that game with a win!! And the only reason they got the win is because Sanders fumbled the ball at the 10 yard line when we were about to take it in and get the lead back, and even after that, we still would’ve won if Ceedee didn’t drop all them passes!! So they just got lucky they got to leave that game with a win!!
I’m going out on a limb and predicting a big win tonight! Cowboys 28, Eagles 21! Philly doesn’t have a clue what Dallas is going to do on offense or defense! I’m also predicting that Jerry FINALLY made the right deal by unloading MP to the Packers instead of putting all his eggs in one basket and taking a chance on him not getting injured (which the way MP plays is a real possibility) I don’t wish any harm to him but that’s just to much money for one player! That’s just my humble opinion! Ha! Hope I’m right and we all will be enjoying a Cowboy win around 12 midnight!! Go Cowboys!!
I need to add one more comment that I forgot to mention! I believe the Boys will win tonight ……that is if they don’t get hosed by the officials like they have before in past years in Philly! A few years ago the Eagles play a penalty free game and even during the broadcast the announcers pointed out several infractions committed by Philadelphia that didn’t get called!!