FRISCO, Texas – E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles.
Eagles.
Eagles.
Yep, the NFL 2025 season opener on Thursday night, Sept. 4, pits Cowboys vs. Eagles in Philadelphia at The Linc. That should be all Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has to post on the locker room and Training Table video boards – Eagles – and say no more to motivate his troops, reminding them on a daily basis they had better get their stuff together for this nationally-televised game to open the season and NFC East play against the defending Super Bowl LIX champs.
To some, this might be a scary proposition for a brand-spanking new coaching staff, including all three coordinators and a first-time NFL head coach. But hey, this in the NFL. No cream puffs available. And what better way to begin finding out just who you are than by facing the perceived NFL best right off the bat? And who knows, because of this new coaching staff as well as these new offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators, this could be a sneak attack since the Eagles will have little pre-scout insight while preparing for what should have been an erstwhile common opponent but now with uncommon coaching history.
Just the same, the Eagles' confidence should be sky-high raising their Super Bowl championship banner after having swept the Cowboys last year by a combined 75-13 score, their first such season sweep since the 2011 season, although should be noted no Dak Prescott in either game last year. The Eagles will be gunning for a three-game winning streak over the Cowboys for the first time since winning three straight from 2003-04, that their longest since six straight from 2000-02 and their franchise-best eight straight from 1987-91. As if those folks from the City of Brotherly Shove need more fuel for a night game against the Cowboys.
Now for the Cowboys. They have three lengthy wining streaks against the Eagles in their 65-season history: 11 straight (1967-72), nine straight (1974-78) and seven straight (1992-95).
This also will be the fourth time the Cowboys have opened a season against Philly, the last of the three in 2000, a 41-14 Eagles victory in Dave Campo's Cowboys head coaching debut that became known as the "Pickle Juice" game when the Eagles famously countered the 109-degree opening kickoff temperature at Texas Stadium by downing pickle juice to purportedly avoid cramping up. This also will be the third time the Cowboys have opened an NFL season midweek against the defending Super Bowl champs, having done so against Tampa Bay on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, a 31-29 Bucs' victory at home. And then on Sept. 5, 2012, at MetLife Stadium against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, but on Wednesday night instead because of the Democratic National Convention airing on Thursday night, this time a Cowboys' 24-17 victory.
As for the rest of the schedule, how delicious, Cowboys-Chiefs on Thanksgiving, reuniting the Cowboys with the former AFL Dallas Texans, having shared the Cotton Bowl from 1960-62 before original owner Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City. This game also will be noted as playing for the "Preston Road Trophy," the shared residence road of the Jones and Hunt families.
Now, not so delicious is the Cowboys having to play Christmas Day at Washington, meaning having to travel East on Christmas Eve and wake up in a hotel room Christmas morning for the noon (CST) start that Thursday in Landover, Md., Netflix crossing fingers both teams are vying for playoff spots in the second to last week of the season with a further storyline being Schottenheimer facing former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in his second season as the Commanders head coach
And don't ever subscribe to the Cowboys' loss of national appeal following their 7-10, non-playoff season for the first time since 2020, and just their third losing season since 2010 while scheduled for seven national TV telecasts, four of those on a Thursday, Eagles in the season opener, then Chiefs on Thanksgiving, Lions the following Thursday night and Washington on Christmas. Two Monday night games, home against the Cardinals and at Vegas after their Week 10 bye. Then a seventh on Sunday night vs. Minnesota
Then, too, the only recognizable pitfall on the order of games would be once again having to play three games in 12 days, home against the Eagles Nov. 23, home against the Chiefs on Thanksgiving (Nov.27) and then at Detroit the following Thursday (Dec.4), along with the Cowboys having to face each of the top-seven scoring defenses from 2024, including on Thanksgiving Andy Reid's "Chieffffs."
But if you are looking for the Murders' Row on this schedule, look no further than the Week 13, Nov. 23 home game against the Eagles. The Cowboys will play six consecutive games stretching all the way to Christmas against 2024 playoff teams: Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, Chargers and Commanders. That's back-to-back games against defending conference champions in five days and three straight against defending division champs during that 12-day stretch.
Ouch!
- Inside Schedule: This part we've known all along, just which teams the Cowboys will be playing in 2025. But here is a reminder of what stands out. Because in the NFL schedule rotation, the Cowboys are playing teams from the NFC North and the AFC West, along with teams from the corresponding place finish in the other NFC divisions and an AFC East team as the 17th For the fans, great schedule of games, especially at home when playing six of their eight against 2024 playoff teams. Downside for the Cowboys at home: Three teams from the NFC North qualified for the 2024 playoffs, Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay. From the AFC West, three more teams qualified for the playoffs, home vs. Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers, then at Denver. Then with two games apiece against their NFC East mates Philadelphia and Washington, totaling 10 games vs. 2024 playoff teams, including the two Super Bowl LIX combatants (K.C. and Philly) and four games vs. division champions, Philadelphia (2), Detroit and Kansas City. By comparison, the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles will play 11 games vs. 2024 playoff teams, eight of those identical to the Cowboys' opponents, along with facing the division winning LA Rams, Tampa Bay and Buffalo while the Cowboys play Arizona, the New York Jets and Carolina. Also this, while the Cowboys will face playoff teams in six of their eight home games, Philly must play playoff teams in seven of their nine away games, the Cowboys and Giants the only exceptions. It don't come easy.
- Ochocinco Sez: The formerly known wide receiver Chad Johnson has become somewhat of a mentor to George Pickens, and here is some of what he had to say on his NightCap podcast with Shannon Sharpe about the Cowboys acquiring the former Steelers wideout. First to the Steelers, "You just made Dallas better." Then about what Pickens will mean to quarterback Dak Prescott: "This is perfect for Dak, this is good for Dak. Not only is CeeDee (Lamb) No. 1 (receiver), you got another No. 1, in there, too. … Dak Prescott has to be thanking his football gods for this addition to the offense." And when finding out just who is the Cowboys offensive coordinator, Ochocinco blurts out rhetorically, "Schottenheimer is there? Oh man, they going to be straight man. … They should score 35 to 40 a game." And finally, to further irritate Sharpe who said four months ago of Pickens, "He won't be anything but a pouting diva," the former No. 85 spouted out, "Don't be shocked if the (so-and-so) Cowboys win the East." One man's opinion.
- Postponed By A Neck: Recently been revealed unsigned free agent corner Asante Samuel Jr., who missed the final portion of the 2024 season with what he originally termed "stingers," actually has undergone postseason neck surgery with interested teams waiting for his scheduled July recheck results. Most recently he visited New Orleans, but also attracting interest from the Falcons, Vikings and Steelers while the Cowboys are keeping their eyes out for a veteran corner. Looking at you Stephon Gilmore.
- Ice Time: Give Cowboys first-round draft choice Tyler Booker credit for already engaging in the Dallas sports culture, attending this past Sunday's Dallas Stars playoff game against Winnipeg at the American Airlines Center. Not only was he captured on the video board with front row seats on the glass, but the guy already had him a Stars green sweater on and was up on his feet cheering, waving a white towel.
- Off The Cuff: The Cowboys rookies have returned to The Star, participating in the Phase II portion of offseason workouts, while the three sets of three OTA workouts begin on Monday … That the Cowboys have added undrafted free agent linebacker Justin Barron of Syracuse, the 6-4, 225-pound converted wide receiver growing up in Rocky Hill, Conn., means they now have on the roster the 2024 Walter Camp Connecticut Co-Players of the Year, Barron joining Booker, from New Haven … With the recent signing of fifth-round draft choice Jaydon Blue, as of Wednesday second-round draft choice Donovan Ezeiruaku remains the only unsigned draft choice, that delay having to do with that round's slotting numbers … Currently, the Cowboys have the rights to 91 players, the extra on the 90-man limit is defensive tackle Denzel Daxon, last year's practice-squad defensive tackle back again as an international exception from Nassau, Bahamas, by way of the University of Illinois … And finally, previously was one thing when NFL head coaches were younger than me, but come on, now the Pope (Leo XIV) is younger?
And for this week's final word, let's go to third-round draft choice Shavon Revel Jr., who at 6-2, 194, is quite an imposing figure for a cornerback, realizing so as he continues rehabbing the torn ACL suffered three games into the 2024 season at East Carolina. Had to ask who in the heck is the tall dude working on the resistance cords one day out here at The Star.
And guarantee you after his journey through junior college, a workout at East Carolina just to earn a scholarship and elevating himself into a potential first-round talent before suffering his knee injury setback, the Cowboys knew this guy wasn't afraid to work.
"I'll say it is not as tough as people think it is if you are willing to do it," Revel said of his journey. "I hold myself accountable for everything, and if you are already putting that stuff in your head that you can't do it, you're already failing yourself. If I can get a C, I can get a B. If I can get a B, I can get an A, and I kind of put that in my head every single day and pushed forward. You know what I mean?
"Just continue to go through the process, man. Even though it was tough, you didn't have as much stuff to give, you didn't have much stuff to offer. When you are in a JUCO program or an environment like that, you just got to go with it, man. Just take the opportunity and go after it and be available for yourself and believe in yourself and continue to push yourself every single day."
Should fit right into that Schottenheimer "culture" the head coach is trying to build.
