The NFL returns with a bang on Thursday night, with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting NFC East rival Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
Philly dominated two head-to-head matchups between these teams in 2024, outscoring Dallas by a combined score of 75-13 (not a misprint).
It’s worth noting, though, that both of those wins came with Cooper Rush under center for the Cowboys.
With Dak Prescott — who boasts a career record of 9-4 vs. the Eagles, including 4-1 in the last five games he’s played in this series — back in the lineup after missing the second half of last season, will Dallas bounce back from a disappointing 7-10 finish with a big upset in primetime?
Or will the Eagles, who lost some key defensive pieces this offseason but retain their top players on both sides of the ball, open the season with an emphatic NFC East win at home?
Cowboys vs. Eagles Odds: Spread, ML, Total
How To Watch Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles Week 1
- Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. EDT
- TV: NBC/Peacock
How To Bet Cowboys vs. Eagles
Dallas Cowboys Betting News, Outlook
- 2024 record: 7-10 (3-3 NFC East)
- 2025 win total (DK): 7.5 (over +100; under -120)
- NFC East winner odds (FD): +700
The skepticism of the ‘Boys is understandable, especially after the recent Micah Parsons trade. But let’s start with the good news for this team (besides this franchise’s always-climbing valuation).
Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have been a potent duo for years. Prior to the former’s injury, which ended his 2024 campaign early, they combined for huge numbers in both 2022 and 2023. Their success was even more impressive considering the lack of a complementary wide receiver to prevent opposing secondaries from doubling Lamb.
Now, with former Steeler George Pickens alongside Lamb, Prescott probably has the best tandem of downfield targets he has ever had.
But Prescott’s return and the addition of Pickens alone don’t guarantee that Dallas will be a top-flight offense. The Dallas offensive line is a question mark, and at the moment, there’s no proven, effective starter at running back.
The defense for this team also just got objectively worse in the short term thanks to the deal that sent Micah Parsons to the Cowboys for a ton of draft capital and Packers DL Kenny Clark.
The Cowboys still have some talent in the secondary, but up front, this defense looks like a major work in progress without Parsons.
Philadelphia Eagles Betting News, Outlook
- 2024 record: 14-3 (5-1 NFC East)
- 2025 win total (DK): 11.5 (over +125; under -150)
- NFC East winner odds (FD): -145
It’s hard to overstate how loaded the Philly roster is entering 2025. The Eagles feature multiple All-Pro linemen, two dangerous receivers, an all-world running back and a quarterback coming off a masterful Super Bowl performance.
But if you look closely enough, there are some question marks for Philly. This team is once again dealing with turnover at offensive coordinator, with Kevin Patullo promoted over the offseason to replace Kellen Moore, who is now head coach of the Saints.
Defensively, DL Jalen Carter and LB Zack Baun are stars in the front seven, but the Eagles are light on proven perimeter pass rushers, and No. 2 corner Adoree Jackson is considered a potential weak link in the secondary, which lost cornerback Darius Slay and safety CJ Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
Still, there are few — if any teams — in the league with a better roster from top to bottom than the reigning champs.
Cowboys vs. Eagles Prediction, Best Bets
Anyone who watched the Eagles last posteason shouldn’t have any trouble understanding why oddsmakers aren’t giving Dallas a shot in this game.
But although I expect another big season from the Eagles, they’re laying a few too many points for me to trust them to cover.
Cliche as it sounds, there’s a reason you hear so much about how difficult Week 1 always is for the reigning Super Bowl champ.
Case in point (reigning champ in bold):
- Week 1, 2022: Buffalo 31, Rams 10
- Week 1, 2023: Lions 21, Chiefs 20
- Week 1, 2024: Chiefs 27, Ravens 20
More importantly, Philadelphia was hardly invincible to start the 2024 campaign (they were 2-2 through four games), and the Eagles have historically struggled against Prescott. Did we mention he’s 9-4 vs. Philly over the course of his career?
Another thing to watch tonight is the highly anticipated Cowboys debut of Pickens, who could have a favorable matchup if Adoree’ Jackson is forced to single-cover him.
All that is not to say that the Eagles will lose this game — or even need fourth-quarter heroics — but I don’t expect them to win by enough to cover the substantial spread in this game.
Any bets on the over and/or either team to go over its team total make a ton of sense to me, but I feel most confident in a strong start by the Eagles at the Linc (hence Philly on the first-quarter spread) and Dallas to ultimately backdoor cover as the heavy road ‘dog.
Best bet:
- Eagles first quarter -1.5 (-108 at FanDuel) — 0.5 units
- Cowboys +8.5 (-115 at FD) — 0.5 units
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