Wes O'Donnell is comfortable laying Eagles –8.5 because Dallas’ defense, already retooling, lost its game-wrecker Micah Parsons. O'Donnell expects Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley to dictate tempo while Philadelphia’s pass rush overwhelms a Dallas offense that is still searching for a reliable ground game behind Prescott. He acknowledged nine points is hefty for Week 1, yet cited the champs’ overall roster edge and home-field advantage, predicting the Eagles smother any Cowboys breakout and win by double digits.

Gary Davenport grabbed the Cowboys +8.5, arguing the line ballooned only because Micah Parsons is no longer on Dallas’ roster. Davenport noted that—even minus Parsons—the Cowboys are "not biggest-spread-of-the-week bad." He expects Philadelphia to control the game but sees a classic back-door scenario in which Brandon Aubrey sneaks in a late, meaningless field goal for the cover. Unless owner Jerry Jones also ships out Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb before kickoff, Davenport believes the number is simply too big for an opening-week divisional matchup.

Tyler Everett backed Dallas to cover the +8.5 spread on Thursday night. He reminded readers that both 2024 blowouts came with Cooper Rush, not Dak Prescott, under center. Prescott owns a 9-4 career mark against Philadelphia and has won four of the last five meetings. Everett added that George Pickens joining CeeDee Lamb gives the Cowboys a second perimeter threat the Eagles did not have to defend last year. He expects the improved passing attack to score enough points—late if necessary—to stay inside the number.

Will Hill backed George Pickens to clear 55.5 receiving yards in the opener at Philadelphia. Hill noted Pickens finally escapes the erratic quarterback play he endured in Pittsburgh and lands in a more pass-centric attack with Dak Prescott. Because CeeDee Lamb commands extra coverage, Hill expects Pickens to see softer matchups on the perimeter. With Dallas listed as an 8.5-point underdog, Hill anticipates a catch-up game script that forces Prescott north of 35 attempts, giving Pickens enough volume to sail past the posted total.

Anthony Dabbundo bet Dallas +8.5, calling the number an over-reaction to Micah Parsons being shipped to Green Bay. He pointed out the line opened at +6.5 and ballooned past one score despite Dak Prescott ranking 10th of 81 qualified QBs in EPA per play since 2021. Dabbundo trusts Prescott’s proven ability to mount late scoring drives and noted that Philadelphia’s defense will debut five new starters while still juggling the CB2 job opposite Quinyon Mitchell. With Vic Fangio moving pieces like Cooper DeJean around and depth thinner than last season, Dabbundo doubts the Eagles can dominate enough to cover such a big banner-night spread against an offense that went 36-15 in Prescott’s three healthy regular seasons before 2024.

Vic Tafur laid the 8.5 with Philadelphia, arguing the Cowboys’ defense will crater without Micah Parsons. He cited TruMedia splits showing Dallas ranked No. 1 in EPA per play with Parsons on the field over the past four seasons but plummeted to second-worst when he sat. Tafur also called Dallas “soft in the trenches” and pointed out Nick Sirianni’s perfect 4-0 Week 1 record, predicting it moves to 5-0 on Thursday night.

Vinnie Iyer said bettors should lay the 7.5 points with Philadelphia on opening night because Dallas arrives without Micah Parsons to anchor its pass rush and still struggles against the run. He expects Jalen Hurts to hit a couple of down-field explosives before Saquon Barkley ices the game on the ground, recreating the formula from last year’s title run. Iyer projected a 31-14 final and labeled the Eagles the right side against the spread.

Pete Prisco said the defending-champion Eagles should open 2025 with a three-point win despite laying eight. He pointed to Philadelphia returning an intact, talent-heavy roster while Dallas just dealt edge cornerstone Micah Parsons last week, a move he believes could hurt the Cowboys’ psyche and pass rush immediately. Prisco expects Dak Prescott to keep it close, but ultimately trusts Jalen Hurts and a deeper Eagles roster to protect home field, making Philly worth the bet at anything under a touchdown.

Gary Pearson laid the 7.5 points with Philadelphia, arguing that Dallas no longer has Micah Parsons after his stunning move to Green Bay. Pearson called the All-Pro edge-rusher’s departure "the perfect embodiment of a train wreck" and said it shook up futures markets because the Cowboys’ pass-rush identity vanished overnight. With Jalen Hurts and a healthy offensive line opening at home in prime-time, Pearson expects the Eagles to exploit a suddenly mediocre Dallas front and control the game flow at Lincoln Financial Field.

Iain MacMillan urged bettors to punch UNDER 47.5 for the Cowboys-Eagles opener. He leaned on Philadelphia’s defense that led the NFL in 2024 in yards per play allowed (4.8), finished No. 1 in opponent success rate and No. 3 in opponent EPA per play. MacMillan doubts Dallas’ ability to hold up its side of the total, pointing out that Dak Prescott was in the midst of his worst pro season before last year’s injury (64.7 % completion, 11 TD, 8 INT in eight starts) and that Mike McCarthy still prefers a run-heavy approach. With an elite defense on one side and questions about the Cowboys’ offense on the other, he believes the number should be a couple points lower.

Kristopher Knox advised laying the 7 points with Philadelphia in the 2025 opener. He argued Dallas' defense—already 28th last year—will be even weaker after trading away Micah Parsons, the engine of its pass rush. Knox expects the Eagles' home crowd on their banner-raising night and a balanced offense led by Saquon Barkley to overwhelm a Cowboys attack that is likely to be one-dimensional. He reminded bettors that Philadelphia outscored Dallas 75-13 across two meetings in 2024 and sees no reason the margin should shrink with the Eagles at home.

Gilles Gallant said bettors should grab Jake Ferguson at roughly +350 for an anytime touchdown in the Cowboys-Eagles opener. Gallant’s logic is that Ferguson failed to reach the end zone all of last season despite a spike in preseason buzz and now enters Week 1 on a new Jerry Jones-approved contract that cements him as the unquestioned first-team tight end. Gallant expects Dallas, listed as a seven-point underdog, to lean on short-area targets against an Eagles secondary that ranked bottom-five in touchdown rate allowed to tight ends last year. That combination of a clear role, positive matchup, and an aggressive early number makes Ferguson a value for touchdown bettors in Week 1.

Chris Raybon said Philadelphia’s Week 1 team-total market is too low and is already building bets around a stack of alt overs (20.5, 22.5 and 23.5 points). His case: with Jalen Hurts under center the Eagles have scored 21-plus in 27 of their last 29 home games—roughly an 88 % hit rate—yet the current prices imply probabilities 10-15 % lower. He expects early-season growing pains from Dallas’ defense under new coordinator Matt Eberflus (third DC in three years, rookies being asked to play immediately, Micah Parsons coming off an injury-marred season). Given that uncertainty and Hurts’ own history of fast starts (31.0 PPG in four previous Week 1 starts, never below 25), Raybon believes the safest way to attack the opener is by isolating Philly’s points rather than the full-game total.