Cowboys vs. Eagles: Three must-know storylines for 2025 NFL Kickoff Game

• WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
• WHEN: 8:20 p.m. ET
• WAYS TO WATCH: NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo, NFL+

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to raise banners, flash rings and defend their Super Bowl title on Thursday night. The Dallas Cowboys, fresh off the Micah Parsons trade, roll into town for the regular-season opener as a team in search of identity.

The 2025 NFL Kickoff Game pits the defending champs against a Dallas team they blew out twice last season. The Eagles some lost firepower and depth this offseason, but the core of a championship team remains. The Cowboys counter with an explosive passing game and a new weapon in wide receiver George Pickens.

Are the Eagles set to win big? Or can the Cowboys hold their mettle in Brian Schottenheimer’s head-coaching debut?

Three must-know storylines

1) Micah's gone, can Dallas hold on?

The Cowboys’ defense was already starting over in a way with the arrival of new coordinator Matt Eberflus. Following the trade of Parsons, it must restart again defensively. There are potential landmines everywhere for this unit. First it must contain Eagles star Saquon Barkley, who averaged 5.2 yards per carry against Dallas last season, with a rebuilt front seven that includes Kenny Clark. Then the Cowboys also have to slow down Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts as a runner and as a passer, with WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith at his disposal, plus other good weapons. Dallas is thin in the secondary and must hope the pressure up front is good from the likes of rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, Sam Williams and Dante Fowler. Schottenheimer can’t just worry about his offense this first game and might need to help Eberflus come up with defensive answers on Thursday.

2) Eagles seek title-defense statement, but covering Cowboys WRs is key

If there’s an area where the Cowboys can make hay against the Eagles, it might be in the passing game. Young Eagles defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both have star potential and fared well in their games versus Dallas last year, but the Eagles have question marks at the other outside cornerback spot, with DeJean mostly fitting in the slot. Adoree' Jackson is the likely starter opposite Mitchell. Jackson had mixed results in camp and preseason, but he’s familiar with the Cowboys and CeeDee Lamb, having spent the past four years in the NFC East with the Giants. Lamb and Pickens could form a potent duo with Dak Prescott, and it will be fascinating to see how the passes will be divided up in the opener. There are questions about just how effective the Javonte Williams-Jaydon Blue-Miles Sanders backfield will be, so throwing the football might be Dallas’ best shot of pulling the upset.

3) Special teams might be a hidden weapon for Dallas

The Cowboys might have their hands full in a lot of areas against the world champs, but they could have an edge in the kicking game. Brandon Aubrey might have lost a bit of his accuracy in Year 2, but few kickers have entered the NFL with the kind of prowess he possesses, hitting 60-yard kicks each season as well as 10 or more field goals from beyond 50 yards each season. In four games against the Eagles he’s 7-for-8 on FG tries, including 3 of 4 from 50 and longer. The Cowboys also have an ace returner in KaVontae Turpin (who arguably deserves more offensive touches, too). Turpin was first-team All-Pro as a returner last season, running back a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns. Although he’s never run one back against the Eagles, Turpin has given them all kinds of fits the past three years, averaging 33.6 yards per kickoff and 11.8 per punt. The Eagles’ coverage units -- and their special teams in general -- were pretty blah last year, one of the few real weaknesses in the Super Bowl season. They’ll want to tighten up for Thursday, knowing they have edges in a lot of other places.