The Dallas Cowboys face a tough task in Week 1 of the 2025 season. Not only must they open the new season on the road against a division rival, but this particular rival happens to also be the defending Super Bowl Champions.
Expecting a win on Thursday night is a tough mindset to have going in. The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off an electrifying season and remain the most talented team in the NFL, while the Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 campaign and a preseason in which most of the starters sat out. With Brian Schottenheimer also making his head coaching debut, the Cowboys might be lucky just to keep pace, let alone win.
That’s not to say Dallas doesn’t have a chance, but the spread is the spread for a reason and no matter how well Dak Prescott typically plays against this rival franchise, there are a lot of wrinkles to work out before this Cowboys team can catch its full stride this year.
For those looking at the big picture, this opening game is about more than just a notch in the win or loss column, rather it’s about setting expectations for the rest of the season. The Cowboys had more than a few glaring weaknesses pop up last season and they’ve taken varying degrees of action to address said weaknesses. How the team performs in Philadelphia will go a long way in showing how well those actions are working out.
The Cowboys pass-rush
The elephant in the room is addressing the Micah Parsons’ situation. After Dallas’ controversial trade of Parsons to Green Bay, they’ll be under the gun to prove the can survive the loss. It stands to reason removing the best pass rusher from the equation will unavoidably impact Dallas’ pass rush overall. The Cowboys have multiple pass rushing options on their roster eager to fill the shoes of Parsons this season but up until Thursday it’s just speculation.
Marr Eberflus, the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, isn’t a big blitzer but he is known for his defensive play design. He’ll be under the microscope in how he handles the pass rush since he’s the one calling the stunts, games and blitzes and he’s the one shuffling personnel.
Philadelphia will be a massive test since even Parsons struggled to get pressure against them in the past. If anyone will be tough to replace this week it’s DeMarcus Lawrence. It’s Lawrence who typically has a field day against the Eagles and Lawrence who will be difficult to replace. Finding out who plays on running downs, who’s on passing downs and how the snaps are divvyed should be at the top of everyone’s list.
Offense’s bells and whistles
Schottenheimer said he was holding back in the preseason because he didn’t want to tip his hand as to what his offense will look like in 2025. Players spoke of constant motion, deceptive flow, multiple personnel groups and loads of deception.
How he deploys Hunter Luepke and KaVontae Turpin will be especially interesting because they are some of the most dynamic and eye-catching players on the field. Both have been proactively extended and figure to play big roles in what many hope to be breakout seasons.
Pass protection from the bookends
The Cowboys offensive tackles have been under scrutiny all offseason. Based on pass protection grades, Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele combined to form arguably the worst OT duo in the NFL in 2024. The Cowboys stayed committed to the cause because Steele is a high-end run blocker and Guyton is entering his second year, but the concern remains intact until proven otherwise.
Guyton missed the preseason and most of training camp, so he missed out on that much needed seasoning the summer has to offer. He’s been cleared to play on Thursday, so the expectations are he’ll start. It’s imperative he shows some degree of improvement over last year or the Cowboys could be in for a long season.
Wrap up
There are a number of other items Cowboys fans will be curious to learn like how the running game unfolds, how George Pickens fits at receiver, how Kenny Clark impacts the defensive line, how the cornerback group performs and how the coaching staff handles the pressure of the situation.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 Things To Prove: Cowboys’ pass rush design, new offense unveiled in Wk 1 test vs Eagles
Reporting by Reid D Hanson, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
