The defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the Dallas Cowboys to open up the 2025 NFL season on Thursday Night Football. The Eagles, who stomped on the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX, will unveil their second championship banner at Lincoln Financial Field ahead of the primetime showdown.

While Philadelphia is returning 11 of 12 starters on offense, things will look a little bit different for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense which finished first in the NFL in 2024. Cornerback Darius Slay, edge rusher Josh Sweat, and defensive tackle Milton Williams, who were starters in 2024, departed in free agency along with the retirement of Brandon Graham, which left some holes to be filled by General Manager Howie Roseman during the offseason.

One of the key moves Roseman made to keep the Eagles a contender both now and for the future was drafting Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the 31st-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Campbell is in line to start alongside Zack Baun Thursday night. Roseman also went out and signed cornerback Adoree’ Jackson along with outside linebackers Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche.

“We think he’s (Jihaad Campbell) a versatile player who can do a lot of different things. So obviously, the main thing that you see is the energy that he plays with, the speed that he plays with, and relentless effort that he plays with, and that fits on defense,” head coach Nick Sirianni said.

For the Cowboys, Jerry Jones made shockwaves around the league once again after trading one of the league’s top defensive players in Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Dallas did add to its roster as well, trading for former Steelers’ wide receiver George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb.

The Eagles dominated the Cowboys in both 2024 meetings, but Dak Prescott missed both games with an injury.

Here are five things to watch for during Thursday Night’s Week 1 matchup:

Eagles Secondary vs. Cowboys Receivers

CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens will provide a challenge one way or another for Philadelphia. While Lamb had just six catches for 21 yards in his lone appearance against the Eagles in 2024, Dallas added Pickens to help take some of the burden off their star receiver. It is noteworthy that when Eagles’ cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was on Lamb in the Week 10 matchup, the receiver had only one catch for five yards. But the uncertainty comes across the field from Mitchell, where Adoree’ Jackson is the favorite to start at cornerback with Cooper DeJean still expected to line up at the nickel corner spot. At safety, will it be Sydney Brown getting the first crack alongside Reed Blankenship? And how much, if at all, will we see rookie Andrew Mukuba in Week 1? It will be a fun matchup to watch throughout the night.

Dallas' Defense vs. Saquon Barkley

In their last meeting in Week 17 of the 2024 season, Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards on 31 carries. Now the Cowboys have added defensive tackle Kenny Clark in hopes of improving their defensive line for the new season. Barkley, coming off of a 2,000+ season, will still be a huge component of this Eagles offense. But the question will be how much new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo will rely upon him the start the season.

Eagles' Defensive Line vs. Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott missed both games against the Eagles in 2024 with an injury, so Jalen Carter and this Eagles’ defense will be more than hungry to get after the quarterback in this one. Moro Ojomo will be a player to watch for Philadelphia in this one, as he steps in for Milton Williams, who departed to New England during free agency. Jalyx Hunt will line up on the edge across from Nolan Smith, as the two youngsters seem to get better with each and every rep. With the Cowboys likely to double-team Carter, there will be opportunities across the line for Philadelphia’s defense to attack Prescott.

Philly Starting Fast or Starting Slow (Again)?

The Eagles faced scrutiny for their slow start to the 2024 season after heading in their bye week at 2-2. Despite winning in Week 1 last season, the Eagles came out slow, with Barkley even saying the team treated the first four games like preseason. How will that change this year? In a game like this, there’s not any room for a slow start and the target (if it wasn’t already) is clearly marked on Philadelphia’s back as the defending champions. After all, the Eagles were booed going into halftime during their banner ceremony night in 2018.

 No Parsons … No Problems? (For the Eagles)

The Cowboys traded Micah Parsons in a shocking move just ahead of the new season. For Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense—that’s a good thing. With Parsons gone to Green Bay, the Eagles will only have to face one of the league’s top defenders once instead of twice a year. How will the Eagles exploit that? With an already loaded offensive line that is returning all but one starter (Mekhi Becton went to the Chargers in free agency), Jalen Hurts should be well protected in this matchup. A protected Hurts makes the Eagles even more dangerous, as the options increase exponentially. Hurts can take off and run himself, give it to Barkley, or find A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith, which could make it a long night for Dallas.