NFL schedule 2025: Cowboys vs Eagles to kickoff NFL season on September 4
The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will host archrivals Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2025 NBA season on Thursday, Sept. 4, the league announced Monday.
The game will air in primetime on NBC, and it's already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated openers in years.
It's the first time since 2000 that the two NFC East giants will meet in the season opener — a game that ended in a 41-14 Eagles rout under then-head coach Andy Reid.
It will also mark the regular-season debut of new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who took over the reins after a turbulent offseason in Dallas.
Notably, according to ESPN Research, none of the 19 rookies drafted by the Eagles or Cowboys last month were even born when the teams last clashed in a Week 1 setting.
The Eagles swept the Cowboys in both regular-season meetings last year and now have a chance to set the tone early as they begin their title defense.
Since 2002, the NFL has traditionally kicked off its regular season with the defending Super Bowl champs hosting on Thursday night, but intra-division openers like this are rare—this is just the fourth time it's happened.
The full 2025 NFL schedule drops Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with a release special airing on ESPN2.
Other schedule highlights revealed Monday include a Christmas night showdown between the Chiefs and Broncos, a Week 16 NFC doubleheader featuring Eagles-Commanders and Packers-Bears, and a Peacock-exclusive Saturday night game on Dec. 27, with teams to be revealed later.
So clear your calendar — Week 1 starts with a bang in Philly.
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