Can a New-Look Cowboys Defense Stop the Eagles | 2025 Matchup Breakdown

Image: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

When the Cowboys have the ball:

The last time we saw the Eagles' defense, they were dismantling the Chiefs' patchwork offensive line. Patrick Mahomes had no time to throw, and the coverage behind the dominant front suffocated the middle of the field and eliminated TE Travis Kelce.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Eagles' defense looks a little different. Gone are Milton Williams and Josh Sweat. Williams had a breakout season and garnered the third-highest Pressure% in the NFL. That task now will go to Moro Ojomo, who was a rotational piece but showed flashes, especially towards the end of the year. Sweat is now in Arizona, and his replacement is Jalyx Hunt, another young player the Eagles are high on.

Both players will step into a defensive line that boasts tremendous talent in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Nolan Smith will be looking to up his sack total, but is more or less the hybrid Edge that Fangio uses as a leveraging tool around the box.

Zack Baun had an All-Pro season and was paired with Jihaad Campbell through the NFL Draft. Nakobe Dean is on the IR, so Campbell will need to grow up fast. DC Vic Fangio has been using more hybrid fronts, moving Baun around, and even placing him on the line of scrimmage. Look for that philosophy to expand further with two hybrid off-ball linebackers. Now offenses will have to contend not only with the front, but also with two LBs that can come from any direction.

The primary concern in Philadelphia is the secondary one. Darius Slay is now in Pittsburgh, and CJ Gardner-Johnson is in Houston. Kelee Ringo will replace Slay, giving Fangio the ability to play more man coverage. Gardner-Johnson was seen as a "free lancer," and the thought is that with him gone, there will be more consistent play in the backend. Sydney Brown and rookie Andrew Mukuba will take his reps.

Dallas should have a healthy Dak Prescott and a dynamic duo at receiver. The run game has been an issue in the past, as the Cowboys have gotten too pass-happy at times. If that is the case, they would be playing right into the Eagles' strengths.

The O-line in Dallas is built to run the ball, and with Dak coming back from another missed season, getting him comfortable early will be the key. To win, the Cowboys will have to hit some deep shots outside to Pickens. That should force the Eagles into two-high shells and lighter boxes, making it easier to run the ball. It will also free up CeeDee Lamb in the middle of the field.

During the Super Bowl and throughout the playoffs, the Eagles were able to play Quarters at a high volume. Although it isolated the outside CBs, it clogged the intermediate middle of the field, which is a target-rich area for modern offenses. If Dak struggles to push the ball to the perimeter and the run game goes flat, this could be a long day for the Cowboys.

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When the Eagles have the ball:

The entire conversation surrounding this game will be on the lack of Micah Parsons' pass rush and what that means for an already depleted defense. The argument in Dallas is that the subtraction of Parsons will be an addition for the entire unit.

Kenny Clark is not the run-stuffing DT that the Cowboys are propping him up to be. Outside of his first two years in the league, he has not cracked the top 40 in Run Stop Havoc, and he hasn't had one "elite" pass rushing season since 2023 in the past four years. The argument here is that by rotation and assignment (no freelancing), the defense will actually produce better results.

DC Matt Eberflus' defense tends to play well, even though they are simple. Over the past few years, his units in Chicago have been a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes the run defense is top ten, other times it is near the bottom. The secondaries for the Bears have played well consistently in his Cover 3-dominant system.

Against the Eagles, it will be about stopping the run. The addition of Clark takes pressure off of defunct 1st Rounder Mazi Smith, but the production still needs to be there. DeMarvion Overshown is out and wasn't much of a run stopper to begin with. The key figure in all of this will be the addition of Jack Sanborn from Chicago. He is a true Mike LB and athletic enough to help in coverage. Marist Liufau, who flashed last year, will be tasked as the hybrid off-ball LB that can rush or cover.

In the secondary, there is talent, but each comes with a question mark. DaRon Bland has quickly become one of the better off-ball CBs in the league, but was injured for half of last year and will now be relied on back in the Slot. Kyler Gordon in Chicago was dynamic, fitting the run, blitzing, and holding down the Slot in coverage. Bland can only do the latter.

Travon Diggs will hold down the outside spots with Kaiir Elam. Diggs says he's about 80% and Elam is more of a hope-and-a-wish than a "real" starter at CB. Elam had a great camp, but will that translate to Sundays? The young CB struggled in Buffalo's zone-heavy scheme, and Eberflus will be bringing something similar to Dallas.

If there is a glimmer of hope, it is that Bland and Diggs, in limited action, were still top 20 CBs when playing zone. The shift to a more zone defense should help the defense in the run game. But, there is now immense pressure on Donte Fowler, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku to produce.

The offense for the Eagles literally runs through Saquon Barkley. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is a great complement, and the Eagles use their steady run game to create explosives down the field for AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. It is well noted that Philadelphia has one of, if not the best, offensive lines in the NFL.

The matchup this Thursday hinges on the Dallas defense's ability to stop the run. Hurts is not going to throw 40 times a game. That just isn't what the Eagles do. Even with a brand new coordinator, running the ball makes it easier on everyone. If Dallas can't hold up in the trenches (on both sides of the ball), it could be a long night and the precursor to a long season.

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