Lets Run It Back — Cowboys-Eagles Week 1 Preview
Nov 10, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Philadelphia Eagles football is back!
The 2025 NFL season is upon us, and the quest for back-to-back Super Bowl titles for the Eagles begins on Thursday night football against their biggest rival, the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles open the season against Dallas for the first time since 2000 and for only the fifth time in their history.
On top of opening the entire 2025 NFL season, the Eagles will unveil their Super Bowl LIX banner at Lincoln Financial Field. They’ll do it behind an already sold-out crowd of Eagles fans, who are ready to see the possibility of back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
But they have to get through Dallas first, who have been a pain in the Eagles’ side year after year. While the Cowboys will be without some of their stars, anything can happen in division matchups, and the Eagles have some questions of their own.
New Look Eagles Defense
One of the biggest storylines heading into this season with the Eagles is how the defense is going to look after the hit they took in the offseason. Winning the Super Bowl has its benefits, but it comes with some disadvantages, and one of which is that other teams want your players for a hefty price. That exact situation happened to the Eagles.
Heading into 2025, the Eagles will be without five of their starters from their Super Bowl lineup: Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Oren Burks, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Darius Slay. On top of that, they lose longtime captain Brandon Graham to retirement. So will the Eagles be able to replace and replicate their 2024 success?
Well, Howie Roseman and the Eagles have been preparing for this moment, and because of that, they’re fielding a defense that is still considered one of the best in the league.
Up front, Jalen Carter leads the Eagles’ defensive line and will continue to improve in his third year with the Birds. Fellow Georgia Bulldogs Nolan Smith and Jordan Davis are expected to take big steps and fill the snaps from Williams and Sweat from this past year, and Moro Ojomo and rookie Ty Robinson will round out the group.
Zach Baun is back in the middle calling plays, and he’s joined by rookie linebacker and first-round pick Jihaad Campbell. In the secondary, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean go from dynamic rookies to instant leaders, alongside fourth-year safety Reed Blankenship. Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba will likely replace Gardner-Johnson, while the other cornerback spot will be filled by either Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson, or Jakorian Bennett.
The Eagles have gotten younger on defense, but the real question will be whether they got better. Time will tell, but they’re in a position to continue to keep the dynasty hopes alive.
No More Kellen Moore
The other big question this year will be whether the Eagles’ offense will be able to function the same with offensive coordinator Moore. Moore left the Eagles for the head coaching job in New Orlenaes and former pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo will now be calling plays.
Now, thankfully for Patullo, the offense hasn’t changed much since the Super Bowl, with only one starter from the game needing to be replaced. Mekhi Becton left for the Los Angeles Chargers, and third-year lineman Tyler Steen will get the nod at right guard to start the year.
It doesn’t seem that hard on paper for the Eagles to replicate their success from last season. How hard is it to run the ball with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley behind the best offensive line in the nation? How hard is it to get A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Jahan Dotson open on routes?
Well, as some Eagles fans remember from 2023, it’s hard to run an offense. The last time the Eagles went to the Super Bowl, they lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators, Shane Stichen and Johnathan Gannon, and both of their replacements, Brian Johnson and Sean Desai, struggled to repeat the success from the season before.
Johnson turned what was a dominant Super Bowl offense, where Hurts finished second in MVP voting and was regarded as a no-doubt top-five quarterback, into a bottom-10 offense just one season later.
The Eagles seem like a very different team from just two years ago, and they have a player, Saquon Barkley, who wasn’t there the last time a coordinator change occurred. It may take some time to adjust, but they should be nearly identical on offense in 2025 as they were in 2024.
What Kind Of Cowboys Are The Eagles Getting?
The Cowboys are one of the most interesting teams in the NFL in 2025. The most notable thing about them is the recent trade of star edge-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Dallas’ defense, which was already bad with Parsons, isn’t great and will probably be one of the worst in the league this year.
On offense, they return Dak Prescott at quarterback, and on the outside, they have a dynamic duo of wide receivers in Ceedee Lamb and newest trade acquisition George Pickens. The run game is questionable with Javonte Williams and former Eagle Miles Sanders set to split carries.
For the Eagles to succeed, they need to take advantage of the bad Cowboys and score as much as they can all game long. On defense, the Eagles’ secondary will be tested with two great wide receivers on the field, but other than that shouldn’t have many issues.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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