Cowboys insider irked by NFL sending Dallas to Eagles’ banner-raising night:v‘Particularly cruel’

The Philadelphia Eagles will kick-off their Super Bowl defense against the Dallas Cowboys on the first Thursday of the 2025 NFL regular season, the NFL confirmed on Monday.

Not everyone is thrilled about the league’s decision for opening night, however. 

Cowboys insider RJ Ochoa of SB Nation, for example, called it “particularly cruel” that the NFL is making Dallas travel to Lincoln Financial Field, where Jerry Jones and Co. will have no choice but to watch Philly’s pre-game banner-raising ceremony. This will actually be the second such night in five years for the Cowboys, who were sent to Tampa Bay to open against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to open the 2021 season.

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Philadelphia will hit another level of pain, though, as Dallas is in the midst of a 28-year Super Bowl drought.

“It is particularly cruel to make the Cowboys be present when the Eagles will raise a Super Bowl banner,” Ochoa wrote. “But if this, and the behavior of Eagles fans in the fanfare of it all, doesn't serve as motivation for the Cowboys organization... nothing ever will.”

Ochoa added that Dallas has opened as 6.5-point road underdogs for opening night, illustrating what will be a daunting task. The Eagles swept last year’s season series with the Cowboys, and have won four of their last five meetings against Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field.

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The NFL will release its full 18-week, 272-game schedule on Wednesday night, but leaks like this have become part of the spectacle. The league chose Dallas as Philly’s Week 1 opponent over potential playoff rematches with the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams, as well as last year’s No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions. 

Will the Cowboys answer the call? Superstar Micah Parsons posted a picture outlining the matchup on his Instagram story, accompanied by a four-word message: “Yeah yea let’s ball.”

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