It is Dallas week. It is the season opener and the first time the Eagles will open a season at Lincoln Financial Field since 2019. Ingredients that will surely create an electrifying atmosphere in South Philadelphia Thursday night as the two hated rivals clash to open up the 2025 season.
The Eagles will unveil their Super Bowl LIX banner in front of their most-hated rivals prior to kickoff although Nick Sirianni said on Tuesday that the team will not be on the field for the ceremony. Their focus is solely on this season and winning another championship.
Despite the shocking move made my Jerry Jones to trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday, there are still intriguing matchups to keep an eye on that could potentially determine the outcome of the game Thursday night.
Eagles secondary vs. Dak Prescott
The Cowboys' playoff success has been abysmal compared to the Eagles playoff runs since Dak Prescott took over under center in 2016 when he won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Yet, Jones signed Prescott to a four-year extension to the tune of a $240 million last season to help end the championship drought. Prescott suffered a severe hamstring injury after eight games last year, ultimately ending any dreams Dallas had at making the playoffs.
Despite the lack of playoff success, the now 32-year-old quarterback has had success against the Eagles. He owns a 9-4 record to go with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has not thrown a pick against a Philadelphia defense since Week 16 of the 2022 season when Josh Sweat took one back to the house.
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Prescott certainly has a knack for throwing errant passes, leading the league in interceptions in 2022 with 15. Even before his season-ending injury last year, he was not all that sharp, tossing 11 touchdowns but eight interceptions.
The Cowboys do not have a stud running back in Javonte Williams and with the addition of George Pickens to help CeeDee Lamb on the outside and tight end Jake Ferguson, Prescott and the Dallas offense could be slinging it through the air more.
The Eagles' secondary is without C.J. Gardner-Johnson who either led or tied for the team lead with six interceptions in both of his two seasons (2022, 2024). Reed Blankenship leads the new-look secondary with eight-career interceptions. He or others such as Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean and will look to step in front of a pass or two to take advantage of Prescott's proneness to turn the ball over.
Jalen Carter vs. Tyler Booker
Jalen Carter was just a rookie three seasons ago learning how to outmaneuver All-Pro offensive lineman in pursuit of the quarterback or stuffing the run. Now, entering his third NFL season, expectations surrounding the former first round pick are extremely high, understandably so. He was named a Pro Bowl selection last year and is already considered one of the best defensive tackles in the league.
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Because of this, he was double-teamed throughout the majority of the games last year, lowering his sack total from six in his rookie year to 4.5 last season. Dallas will more than likely be adding help to try and stop the talented 24-year-old. However, if Carter does get some 1-on-1 matchups, it will most likely be against rookie Tyler Booker.
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Dallas drafted Booker out of Alabama 12th overall in this year's draft and he is slated to be their starting right guard. He was a freshman All-American in 2022 but was a bit inconsistent until he took a big step forward last season as a junior when he was tabbed a first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC. If he does not get added help throughout the game, he will get his wish of going up against Carter and in for quite the challenge to start his pro career.
Saquon Barkley vs. Cowboys rush defense
A lot of focus this season will be on #26 in the backfield for the Eagles for obvious reasons. Yet, how Barkley's 2025 campaign goes will be dependent on two factors:
Will teams stack the box and take a similar page from Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX when they held the leading rusher to just 2.3 yards per carry when he ran for 57 yards on 25 carries?
Will the Eagles come out throwing more, getting their talented wide receivers in the mix to force defenses to respect the passing game to offset the aggressiveness of trying to neutralize Barkley.
Regardless, the Cowboys will need to be much better than they were last year at stopping the run if they want to have a chance in this game and have a successful season. The addition of Frank Clark in the Parsons trade should help solidify the interior of the defensive line that got gashed on the ground last year.
The Cowboys gave up 137.1 yards per game on the ground while allowing nearly five yards per carry (4.8) both ranked 30th in the NFL. Barkley rushed for just 66 yards on his second-lowest total of carries in the season (14) in a lopsided 34-6 victory where Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two. In the second regular season meeting, Barkley had one of his signature games, rushing for 167 yards on a season-high 31 carries in a 41-7 win.
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George Pickens vs CB2's
Pickens was traded from the Steelers earlier this year in a bit of a surprising move as he lasted just three seasons with Pittsburgh after they drafted him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickens, seemingly disgruntled regarding his involvement in a lackluster offense, is looking to enjoy the change of scenery.
That scenery includes what many expect to be a pass happy offense that can lead to an uptick in production for the talent receiver who will help draw attention away from All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, but also help stretch the field for the Cowboys.
It remains to be seen how the Eagles utilize Quinyon Mitchell after an exceptional rookie season where he was the runner up for the league's defensive rookie of the year. Vic Fangio had mentioned this summer that there is a possibility Mitchell will shadow the top receivers for other teams if it is warranted. Lamb is one of the top five wideouts in the game, so he certainly warrants Mitchell's attention. The caveat is that Dallas utilizes Lamb in the slot a lot. That is where Cooper DeJean would step in.
If Mitchell and DeJean will solely focus on Lamb, then that means Adoree' Jackson and Jakorian Bennett will be tasked with containing Pickens.
Eagles rush defense vs. Javonte Williams
As mentioned, Williams is not a top caliber running back at this point in his career, but he also has the ability to gash a defense. Coming into his fifth season with a 4.0 yards per carry average after spending his first four seasons in Denver and running for 2,394 yards as a Bronco. He sits atop the depth chart as the starting running back for Dallas and does have the capability to be an easy check down for Prescott. Williams has hauled in 158 catches in 54 games.
The Eagles rush defense allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game at 101.8. They are looking at a lot of young and new faces to replace some veterans that helped anchor that defense in the likes of rookie Jihaad Campbell, Jalyx Hunt, Moro Ojomo and others. If the defense can contain Williams and force Dallas to be one dimensional, that will help the secondary greatly.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
