The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly set to kick off the 2025 NFL season on Thursday, September 4, with a visit to the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The game will be the season opener and is scheduled for 7:20 p.m., with the matchup expected to be broadcast nationally on NBC and Peacock.
This matchup marks the first Week 1 meeting between the two teams since 2000 and the fourth time in league history, with the two teams also matching up to begin their seasons in 1972 and 1976, per CBS Sports.
Dallas will also have to watch the Eagles raise a Super Bowl LIX banner before the game, which is a tradition for defending champions in their Week 1 matchup.
This aspect of the game will likely add even more to the storyline for Dallas as the team has not raised a Super Bowl banner since winning the final game of the year in the 1995 season.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have won two Super Bowls in the last seven seasons, walking away as victors in both the 2018 and 2024 seasons.
As of Monday morning, the Cowboys are expected to enter this matchup as 6.5-point underdogs, which comes as no surprise following the team’s struggles against Philadelphia last season.
The Eagles managed to win both matchups between these two teams during the 2024 regular season, as Philadelphia outscored Dallas 75-13 during those two outings.
However, Dallas was without quarterback Dak Prescott for the majority of last season, and the Cowboys will have a much different group of players entering next season.
Although Philadelphia has retained the majority of its contributors during the offseason, Dallas has many new faces on the team heading into the 2025 season.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Cowboys recently added wide receiver George Pickens to the roster in an attempt to make one of the most explosive offensive units in the league.
Dallas also added a slew of players through NFL free agency and the draft, meaning this team will look incredibly different entering the upcoming season.