{"id":48241,"date":"2025-05-14T09:23:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T09:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48241"},"modified":"2025-05-14T09:23:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T09:23:33","slug":"cowboys-big-underdogs-at-eagles-in-week-1-but-poised-to-shock-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48241","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys Big Underdogs At Eagles in Week 1 But Poised To Shock The World"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Dallas Cowboys have to play them twice anyway. You might as well catch them when they\u2019re comfortable \u2014 and you\u2019re the unknown.<\/div>\n
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When the\u00a0N<\/a>FL\u00a0schedule dropped, plenty of fans probably circled Week 1 and let out a sigh.\u2028Opening the season at Philadelphia against the defending\u00a0Super Bowl\u00a0champions?\u2028Yeah \u2014 it sounds like a tall order.<\/p>\n

The oddsmakers agree, giving\u00a0the Eagles\u00a0an early 6.5-point edge.\u2028And after everything that\u2019s unfolded for the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0over the past 18 months \u2014 from playoff heartbreak to coaching changes \u2014 it\u2019s easy to see why some people are bracing for a tough start.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing … and prepare for a shock the world setup …<\/p>\n

This might actually be the perfect time for Dallas play them.<\/p>\n

You have to face the Eagles twice anyway.\u2028You might as well do it in September, when the weather\u2019s warm, the crowd\u2019s still more emotional than hostile, and there\u2019s no cold-weather edge for Philly to lean on.<\/p>\n

You might as well face them Week 1, when they\u2019re still riding the high of a Super Bowl banner-raising, still celebrating, and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 still completely guessing at what your new-look\u00a0Cowboys\u00a0team is going to throw at them.<\/p>\n

Divisional games are almost always tight, and not because of fresh legs \u2014 but because these teams simply know each other too well.\u2028Except this time, the Eagles won\u2019t really know the Cowboys.\u2028New coaching staff. New roster pieces. New philosophy.\u2028It\u2019s a real opportunity to keep them guessing \u2014 and strike first.<\/p>\n

And if anybody knows how to handle the Eagles, it\u2019s Dak Prescott.<\/p>\n

When Dak plays, the Cowboys are 9-4 against Philadelphia.\u2028That\u2019s no accident, either. That\u2019s a trend built on poise, preparation, and experience.<\/p>\n

So no, Week 1 against a good team isn\u2019t a bad draw.\u2028It\u2019s a golden chance to start the season swinging \u2014 and remind the NFC East that things in Dallas might be changing faster than people realize.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys have to play them twice anyway. You might as well catch them when they\u2019re comfortable \u2014 and you\u2019re the unknown. When the\u00a0NFL\u00a0schedule dropped, plenty… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nCowboys Big Underdogs At Eagles in Week 1 But Poised To Shock The World - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48241\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cowboys Big Underdogs At Eagles in Week 1 But Poised To Shock The World - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Dallas Cowboys have to play them twice anyway. 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