The 2025 NFL season will kick off Thursday night with two familiar foes, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, bitter NFC East division rivals. As defending Super Bowl champions with home field advantage, this Week 1 matchup heavily favors the Eagles. That doesn’t mean the Cowboys are just going to roll over though.
While the Eagles are the heavy favorites to walk away with the victory in this Week 1 matchup, the Cowboys have the talent and firepower to pull off the upset. In order to do that
though they will need a couple of key matchups to go their way.
DE Sam Williams vs. LT Jordan Mailata/RT Lane Johnson
From being a backup fighting for snaps to ascending to the top of the depth chart almost immediately after the trade of Micah Parsons, Sam Williams is definitely someone to keep an eye on in the Cowboys season opener. He averaged four QB sacks in his first two seasons in a limited role in Dallas before sitting out all last year with a season-ending injury. As a full-time starter now, his sack total could potentially reach double digits. The Cowboys moved around in training camp, so we’ll see which side he plays on most of the game. If he can get the better of Jordan Mailata or Lane Johnson, two of the better tackles in the league, he could help establish himself as a force to be reckoned with this year off the edge.
RG Tyler Booker vs. DT Jalen Carter
Nearly immediately after the Cowboys drafted Tyler Booker this Week 1 matchup against Jalen Carter was one everybody was highly anticipating. Expectations are high for Dallas’ first-round pick this year, especially taking over for future Hall of Famer Zack Martin, and he’ll need to hit the ground running against one of the best young, up-and-coming DTs in the entire league to open up the 2025 season. These two have already exchanged a few heated words with one another, and this head-to-head matchup is shaping up as something that will develop into a bitter rivalry between the two. It should make for some fun entertainment when these two meet twice a year.
WR George Pickens vs. Eagles CBs
George Pickens’ NFL debut with the Cowboys is something all of us are probably chomping at the bit to see. His addition to Dallas’ offense is expected to take them to an entirely different level. Not only is he supposed to help take the pressure off of CeeDee Lamb, but he also opens up the rest of the passing game for everyone else around him, and the same goes for the running game as well due to his ability to stretch the field vertically. He could matchup in the season opener against the Eagles second-year CB Quinyon Mitchell if Lamb gets a lot of play in the slot. While Mitchell looks like an up-and-coming CB, Pickens has already proven he’s a nightmare to contain one on one.
