Opening Night Showdown: Cowboys vs. Eagles
September 3, 2025
The Dallas Cowboys open up the season taking on the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, officially ending a long and cold off season. Let me say one thing, thank goodness we’re watching the Eagles. Just about everyone has had enough of the KC glazing that the NFL likes to put on. Hats off to Philly for making the Super Bowl worth watching last season! Don’t get too excited, the NFL couldn’t help themselves and we’ll be forced to watch the Chiefs on Friday instead of Thursday – But let’s talk a little about opening night!
First and foremost, what was Dallas thinking: trading Micah Parsons last week? Two late first round picks and an aging Kenny Clark? Clark is a fine player and a better run stopper than pass rusher but.. To trade away Micah?? Okay, so that’s done. In 2024, the Dallas defense ranked 27th overall and 30th in run defense so the hope for Dallas is that Clark helps improve that putrid ranking but the cost seems too high for me.
We will also get to see (finally) a healthy Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb. If you remember, Dak had an injury last season to his hamstring where was reportedly ripped off the bone, ending his season in November. Lamb would soon catch the injury bug himself, sustaining an AC joint sprain in week 9. He would try to fight through it, but once the season was clearly lost, he was shut down. You have to imagine these two are looking to get back to their 2023 numbers when Lamb had 135 grabs for 1,700 yards and 12 touchdowns. The addition of George Pickens should help them move the ball as well. Pickens is an extremely talented wide receiver in his own right but never seemed to fully catch on in Pittsburgh. He’ll get a new start alongside Ceedee and a Cowboys offense ready to get back to putting up the type of numbers that they’re used to.
On the opposing side, the machine that is the Philadelphia Eagles and their reigning offensive player of the year Saquon Barkley. They will no doubt be ready to go and defend their title. The one thing that has always impressed me about Jalen Hurts is his professionalism. He’s about maintaining team focus and they’ll no doubt be a force for all of 2025.
Despite the fireworks that Dallas brings to the table, Philly can match it in the air with their own talented receiving duo or on the ground through Barkley. Dallas will be fun if you’re a fantasy owner as they’ll need to sling it weekly to stay in ball games. The Eagles are a well put together group and are poised for another long post season run.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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