The 2025 NFL season gets underway on Thursday night with an NFC East battle. The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.
We'll breakdown our Cowboys vs. Eagles prediction for Thursday Night Football in Week 1 below, including the top player picks on PrizePicks real money NFL game, including Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley.
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Cowboys vs. Eagles Prediction, Preview for 9/4/25
The Eagles trounced the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in February for their second title in franchise history. Dallas lost both matchups with Philadelphia last season in blowout fashion, getting outscored, 75-13 between the two games.
Philadelphia is looking to become the first NFC East team since 2003 and 2004 to repeat as division champions.
Dallas Cowboys Preview
The Cowboys couldn’t escape the headlines regarding EDGE Micah Parsons this offseason and his pending contract extension.
It was settled when the team dealt the Pro Bowler to Green Bay last week, putting this Dallas defense in flux heading into Brian Schottenheimer’s first season as head coach.
Dallas finished 7-10 last season, including a 5-game losing streak midway through. QB Dak Prescott lasted eight games before a hamstring injury sidelined him for the final two months, which certainly didn't help.
The key upgrade for the Dallas offense came in the trade for WR George Pickens from the Steelers. Pickens hauled in 900 yards with various quarterbacks in Pittsburgh in 2024, as he is expected to be a huge weapon alongside WR CeeDee Lamb.
Philadelphia Eagles Preview
The Eagles have made the playoffs in all four seasons under head coach Nick Sirianni, while winning the Super Bowl in his second trip.
QB Jalen Hurts threw for his fewest yards in four seasons (2,903) in 2024, but the addition of RB Saquon Barkley elevated the Eagles’ offense to new heights.
The offense ranked sixth in expected points added per play in 2024 at .111 — up from .061 in 2023.
Barkley led the league with 2,005 rushing yards, which was a nearly 700-yard increase from his previous career-high.
Cowboys vs. Eagles Picks for NFL DFS & PrizePicks
Here are three Cowboys vs. Eagles player picks for Thursday Night Football for PrizePicks real money NFL game, including Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and CeeDee Lamb.
Pick More or Less on these projections on PrizePicks — plus thousands more —to win real money this NFL season.
Also, don't miss the special Dak Prescot Max Discount on his passing yards; if Prescott passes for one yard, he'll cash in on his 0.5 passing yards projection for Week 1.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Projection vs. Cowboys: 213.5 Pass Yards
Although the passing yards and touchdowns decreased from the previous season for Jalen Hurts, he also threw only five INTs.
Hurts faced the Cowboys once last season, finishing with 202 passing yards and 2 TDs in a 34-6 rout on the road. He missed the second matchup due to injury, but he has been limited to less than 210 passing yards in each of his past four starts against Dallas.
Hurts has also won every season opener he's ever played in, which could limit his passing attempts if he does the same vs. Dallas.
Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons not being a part of this Dallas defense will certainly benefit Hurts, as the Cowboys closed 2024 ranked 28th in the NFL in yards allowed per game at 355.2, and now they will struggle to create pressure.
In four of six regular season home games, Hurts eclipsed the 220-yard passing mark. In 11 of his final 12 starts of the regular season, the Super Bowl MVP completed 18 passes or less. His completions projection on PrizePicks is set at 18 for Thursday.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley Projection vs. Cowboys: 95.5 Rush Yards
Barkley needed a change of scenery and going from New York to Philadelphia changed the trajectory of the former Penn State standout’s career. Now, he starts 2025 as the No. 1 ranked player in the NFL Top 100.
Barkley became the 9th different running back to amass 2,000 rushing yards in a season. He reached that mark with 167 yards in Week 17 against the Cowboys, his third-highest rushing total of the season.
In the first matchup against Dallas, Barkley was held to 66 yards on 14 carries, one of six games getting limited to fewer than 100 yards.
In 14 of 20 games last season, Barkley eclipsed the 97-yard threshold, including seven times at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Cowboys allowed one 100-yard rusher on the road last season, which was Barkley in their final away contest.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb Projection vs. Eagles: 71.5 Receiving Yards
CeeDee Lamb picked up his fourth consecutive season of at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2024, racking up 1,194 yards.
The former University of Oklahoma standout posted one game of 100 yards in the first 13 games before consecutive performances of 116 yards and 105 yards in 2024.
In the lone matchup with the Eagles last November, Lamb was held to 6 catches for 21 yards, his lowest output of the season. He missed the second meeting in Philadelphia with a shoulder injury.
Now, Lamb will play alongside WR George Pickens to draw some attention away from the clear WR1. That said, he'll still be facing an Eagles pass defense that ranked 1st in dropback success rate on defense last year (41.5%), per rbsdm.
One of Lamb’s best career games came at Philadelphia in 2023, compiling 191 yards on 11 catches. Lamb faces an Eagles’ defense that led the NFL in passing yards allowed per game at 174.2.
Make Thursday Night Football Picks on PrizePicks
Will the Cowboys pull the upset in Week 1 over the Super Bowl champions? Or will the Eagles pick up another victory over their division rivals?
As the NFL season gets started, there's no better place to get real money action with your NFL predictions than on PrizePicks.
There is a wide variety of player stat projections on the NFL board, so you can make predictions on whatever you'd — from yards to field goals. Just pick at least two players and pick More or Less on their stats to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
Check out the Playbook throughout theNFL season for more NFL predictions for your PrizePicks and NFL DFS Lineups.
