The Cowboys and Eagles square off in the NFL season opener on Thursday night in Philly. It's the game we've been waiting for since the schedule was released back in May.
The Cowboys have a new head coach in Brian Schottenheimer with tons of new faces on the coaching staff and the roster, including wide receiver George Pickens and Kenny Clark, who comes over in the Green Bay trade. But questions remain.
Have the Cowboys closed the gap after two blowout losses last year? Will the Eagles have a Super Bowl hangover in Week 1? What does this Cowboys defense look like now without Micah Parsons?
Lots of questions and it's almost time for the answers. But our staff writers give their predictions for Thursday's game in Philly:
Patrik: I suppose this matchup could arguably be labeled a trap game for the Eagles. After all, they're the defending champs, at home, going against a Cowboys team that just traded away Micah Parsons, who some actively argue was the best player on the roster, and the running back situation isn't entirely clear, and the offensive line is young, plus the starting left tackle and and one of the franchise cornerbacks is on the mend, plus they're all led by a first-time NFL head coach, so forth and so on. I mean, the Eagles are constantly hearing about how they'll blow the Cowboys out of The Linc, and it's possible they're biting the cheese (no pun intended, Micah).
I personally think this game will be far more competitive than the headlines indicate, and largely because Dak Prescott and a passing attack that not only features CeeDee Lamb, but also George Pickens, might have a field day against the Eagles porous, unproven and unsettled cornerbacks room — Cooper DeJean notwithstanding. That will give them a fighter's chance in a game I think gets determined by a key takeaway and won by Brandon Aubrey in the waning moments. Cowboys 27, Eagles 24
Tommy Yarrish: With it being the first game of the season, you can likely expect both teams to have some rust at the outset before things start to click again. When that's the case, what do you lean on? Your lines of scrimmage, because those spots usually require the least amount of ramp up to get into rhythm.
In my opinion, Philadelphia has an advantage on both the offensive and defensive lines of scrimmage. They bring back a majority of their key players on both sides, and have some of the best at their positions in the league in guys like Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter. I think the Cowboys can hang around in this game, but ultimately see Philadelphia putting the finishing touches on their celebratory night to open the season. Eagles 31, Cowboys 17
Nick Eatman: It's Week 1, so trying to decipher what we know vs. what we don't know is pretty tough. And it's not just with the Cowboys-Eagles matchup, but every one of the 16 games played this weekend. Seriously, who really knows anything? So that leads me back to the facts that I know. I know the Eagles won the Super Bowl last year. And they did it thanks to a host of talented players that are all pretty much back on this roster. I also know the Cowboys were 7-10 last year and when Micah Parsons was on the field, the defense was far and away better than when he wasn't. Yes, I know there's a new coaching staff and the Cowboys have added some more weapons on offense.
But we don't know how they're going to use them because the Cowboys made sure of that in the preseason. They haven't really shown us anything. I know it has to be different, but we don't know how much of anything will be different. And since the Eagles dominated the Cowboys 41-7 and 34-6 in games, that's quite the gap between both teams. Sure, Dak didn't play in either game but will that help that much? We'll find out. Until we know everything, I'll go with what I know. Playing in Philly is always tough and this matchup should be tougher than usual. I'll take the Eagles 30-22.
Kyle Youmans: Dallas has an entirely new coaching staff, a fresh perspective on the future, and they have some of their stars back in the lineup for the first time in a while. However, Philly has plenty of "new" too after losing both coordinators during the last head coaching cycle. It's tough for me to say Dallas is the better team, because on paper they're not. But it's also tough for me to say Philadelphia is indestructible coming off their Super Bowl run. I think Dallas keeps it close throughout, but I just think raw talent alone gets it done for Philadelphia in a high-scoring game, Philly 34-30.
Mickey Spagnola: The Cowboys couldn't have faced a tougher opener than meeting the Philadelphia Eagles head on Thursday night on the road, having to debut with so much newness on the team that includes a new head coach, new coordinators, rookie starting right guard, potentially a first-year starting left tackle, now having to compensate for trading away Micah Parsons – not that he would necessarily been ready to play or wanted to play anyway – a new starting cornerback, two new starting linebackers and potentially Kenny Clark who has been with them now for right at a week. But having said all that, this team has plenty of talent on offense, and great that Dak's back. This game will be more competitive than most think, and the Eagles might be a little full of themselves raising that championship flag. Gut says, though, Eagles 30, Cowboys 28.
