The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles get us started in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season. How can Dallas win this game? It would definitely be an upset if Dallas won, but it's not impossible. Furthermore, Week 1 upsets happen pretty regularly, so this could be one of those games.
Both Dallas and Philly did actually get worse to a degree this offseason. The Cowboys let Mike McCarthy go and traded Micah Parsons, and the Eagles lost notable players in free agency and in trades, so it's not like these franchises didn't undergo some notable change.
Well, the common opinion here might be that the Eagles runaway with this game and cruise to a Week 1 win, but they have a clear advantage at the most important position, and that could ultimately decide this game.
Cowboys' advantage at QB could tilt the game in their favor
Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts are the headlining players in this game, and while there are many other players on the field at a given time, the NFL has turned into a '1v 1' type of league that the NBA has always typically been.
Well, Prescott is simply a better and more efficient QB than Jalen Hurts. Prescott is actually 9-4 against the Eagles during his career, and in those games, he's tossed 24 touchdowns against eight interceptions for a stellar 100.6 rating.
On the flip side, Jalen Hurts is just 4-3 against Dallas. He's thrown nine touchdowns against five interceptions. Not only has Dak Prescott been a lot better against Philly than Hurts has been against Dallas, but the Cowboys now have an elite WR duo for Prescott to use.
Both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens could each finish with well over 1,000 receiving yards this year, and the Eagles secondary did see some turnover in the offseason. With how experienced Prescott is and how efficient of a QB he can be, the way for the Cowboys to win is clear - Dallas is going to have to establish the pass and throw the ball down the field constantly.
This could allow them to get into a shootout if needed, as Philly's insane supporting cast around Jalen Hurts can 'pop off' at any second and put up a ton of points.