The 2025 NFL season kicks off with the defending Super Bowl champions. The Philadelphia Eagles will raise their championship banner before playing their NFC rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. Here are the storylines, picks, and best bets for the Cowboys vs. Eagles.
Cowboys vs. Eagles: Game Information
We'll be waiting all summer for this INCREDIBLE NFL Kickoff showdown.
Cowboys. Eagles. Sept. 4. @NBC and @peacock. pic.twitter.com/LXjpEAfDHm
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) May 12, 2025
- 🏈 Game: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- 📅 Date: Thursday – Sept. 4, 2025
- 🕗 Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- 🏟 Location: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 📺 TV Channel: NBC
- 💻 Live Stream: Peacock
Top Storyline: Micah Parsons Traded To Green Bay Packers
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 28, 2025
When the Cowboys meet the Eagles one week from tonight, they will do it without All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.
After a long contract dispute, Jerry Jones elected to trade Parsons rather than sign him to a long-term extension.
The Cowboys agreed to trade Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.
Parsons agreed to a four-year, $188 million deal with the Packers. Parsons will receive $136 million guaranteed.
Parsons’ average annual salary is $47 million, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
What the Cowboys do with the first-round picks has yet to be determined. However, the Cowboys got significantly worse up front on the defensive side by trading away Parsons.
The 26-year-old is one of only three players with at least 12 sacks in four of the last five seasons.
The Cowboys cannot replace Parsons’ production with one player. They will try to patch things together through a rotation of players like Dante Fowler Jr., Marshawn Kneeland, James Houston, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Sam Williams.
Cowboys vs. Eagles: Picks And Best Bets
Cowboys +7.5 (-118)
This line was sitting around Eagles -6.5 for the last week or so. After the Parsons trade, the line has moved to Eagles -7.5.
The Eagles should be fired up on banner night to dominate their rival. The last time these two teams played, the Eagles won 41-7 behind 167 rushing yards from Saquon Barkley and a combined three receiving touchdowns from A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
The Eagles return nearly every offensive skill player, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will continue to move the chains on every short-yard play thanks to the tush push.
The Cowboys will have a healthy Dak Prescott, who missed half of the 2024 season with a hamstring injury.
The Cowboys could not stop the run in 2024. The Cowboys allowed 137.1 rushing yards per game in 2024, the fourth-most in the NFL.
The Eagles should win this game outright. Hurts is 26-3 straight up at home as a favorite in his career.
However, moving the line one full point because of Parsons feels fishy. Was Parsons — who has not been practicing for most of training camp — going to be in top shape for Week 1? It seemed unlikely.
This feels like a game where the Cowboys are down 14 with 2 minutes left, and Prescott hooks up with CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown for the backdoor cover.
Dak Prescott Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (+120)
The Cowboys’ running attack is a three-headed mess.
Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, and Jayden Blue are all expected to compete for carries this season.
The Cowboys used to rely on their running game heavily in the days of Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard.
Now, the Cowboys depend on Prescott’s arm to move the ball.
In Prescott’s last full season (2023), he averaged just over two touchdown passes a game.
If the Eagles jump out to an early lead, expect the Cowboys to be throwing the ball more than usual, opening up the door for touchdown passes.
