Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. Real, meaningful football will be played tonight, as the Eagles will unveil their Super Bowl banner and then host America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, against whom they are a meager 57-71 all time.
Of course, recent developments have resulted in the Eagles being a heavy favorite. Blowing out the Chiefs in the Super Bowl will do that, as will the Cowboys trading away Micah Parsons right before the season starts. As it stands right now, Dallas is an 8.5-point underdog, the largest spread of any game in Week 1.
Is that justified, though? Our writers aren’t so sure. Let’s take a look at what they think will happen when the NFL kicks off its 106th season.
When Philadelphia has the ball
Find out what Kenny Clark is worth
Lost in all the chaos of the Micah Parsons trade is the fact that Dallas made perhaps its most legitimate investment in shoring up their run defense in two decades. Kenny Clark may not be in his prime anymore at 29 years of age, but he’s still a capable and savvy run defender. He may even be the Cowboys’ best nose tackle since the Jay Ratliff days.
The question on everyone’s minds is if it will actually matter. The Eagles are a run-heavy team, what with their elite offensive line and Saquon Barkley and the dual threat ability of Jalen Hurts. Stopping the run is Plan A, B, and C to disrupting the Eagles on offense, and Clark is a big piece of the puzzle in trying to accomplish that.
When Dallas has the ball
Remind everyone what Dak Prescott is capable of
It’s been a while since Dak Prescott suited up for the Cowboys, and many people have forgotten what he’s capable of. He’s been nails against the NFC East, and is 9-4 against this franchise in particular. You have to go back to 2019 to find the last time he didn’t throw multiple touchdowns against the Eagles, and you have to one more year back from there to find the last time he threw multiple interceptions.
Now, he’s got an upgraded receiving corps, with George Pickens providing a verifiable deep threat that should open things up underneath for CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. He’s also facing an Eagles defense that has the youngest secondary in the league and lost two of its top three pass rushers from a year ago. Brian Schottenheimer has spoken about fielding a strong run game, but he may want to start off with a vintage Dak Attack for this game.
Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers…
Tom Ryle:
It is hard to look at the Cowboys and the Eagles without seeing that Philadelphia has the stronger, deeper roster. The only way I think Dallas can win is to just outscore their opponents, which is not outside the realm of possibility if Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens are what we think they are. However, I don’t think that happens.
Eagles 38, Cowboys 27.
Matt Holleran:
It’s hard to believe the Dallas Cowboys enter the first week of the regular season as the biggest underdog of any team in the entire Week 1 slate. The Micah Parsons trade moved the line an entire point, and the Cowboys currently sit as 8.5 point dogs in their opening matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
I think the spread is indicative of how this game will go, and I see it being a struggle for Dallas on both sides of the ball. Prescott and the Cowboys offense looks rusty after no preseason work, and their defense wears down in the second half, giving up some big plays. Philly pulls away in the late third quarter and gets a comfortable win to start the year.
Give me the Eagles, 24-13.
Mike Poland:
This is tough to do being the ultimate Cowboys optimist of the group, and although my head says this is Cowboys loss, my unwavering positivity is going to get me in trouble this week.
Dak is 9-4 against the Eagles and has won four out of the last five meetings between the two teams. The wildcard player this week is George Pickens. He led the league last year in deep receiving yards (577) where the Eagles defense allowed the seventh-most air-yards (2,324).
Cowboys win this week 23-21 (thank you Brandon Aubrey).
Brian Martin:
Due to the majority of the Cowboys starters sitting in preseason and with a completely new coaching staff, I have no idea what to expect from Dallas in the season opener. I do think it’s going to be a low-scoring, sloppy game by both teams though, but one where home field advantage makes all the difference.
Score prediction: Cowboys 13, Eagles 17.
Jess Haynie:
The Dallas offense does its part, but the defense struggles in its first post-Parsons attempt.
Eagles 31, Cowboys 27.
David Howman:
I’m with Mike on this one (sort of). I see one of two outcomes in this game: either the Cowboys will score a last second victory in a close, competitive game, or the Eagles will absolutely dog walk them in embarrassing fashion. I think the culture that Schottenheimer is building will result in the former outcome, but I could be wrong.
I think we see a more pass-happy version of this offense than we’ll see the rest of the year, but for a good reason. Dak Prescott has this team’s number, and the Pickens factor can’t be ignored. Prescott will be dealing early, CeeDee Lamb will put up numbers, and it’ll come down to a 60-yarder from Brandon Aubrey to shock the world and send a statement to the rest of the league on national television.
Cowboys win 38-35.
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