Jalen Hurts stood at the podium with quiet confidence, the weight of expectations heavy in the air. The Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl MVP knows what everyone’s thinking: Can they do it again? Tonight’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys isn’t just another game. It’s the first step toward something only nine teams in NFL history have accomplished.
Can the Philadelphia Eagles Become the 10th Team to Win Back-to-Back Super Bowls?
The Eagles made their intentions clear throughout the offseason. The Super Bowl banner ceremony? They’re skipping it. Hurts has stated that he’s looking ahead to this season and finishing the job again, emphasizing that last year’s championship is in the past and they’re entering the 2025-26 campaign with a clean slate.
However, the pressure to repeat as champions brings its own challenges. Philadelphia lost some key players over the offseason, which means they’ll have to learn how to mesh as well as they did last season with a new group of people. Despite these changes, the Eagles remain the clear favorite to win the NFC again this year with +350 odds.
Will the #Eagles repeat as NFC Champions or will someone new take the title? 🏆
(odds via @DKSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/4WWB9qIy7S
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 3, 2025
The Green Bay Packers trail the Eagles in second place at +600 odds, thanks largely to their blockbuster acquisition of superstar Micah Parsons. Parsons’ historic contract with Green Bay brought him out of the NFC East, but that doesn’t mean he won’t still be a problem for Philadelphia when they meet in the playoffs.
How Will Micah Parsons Impact the Green Bay Packers’ Championship Hopes?
Nationally, the Eagles are currently tied with the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens as title favorites entering this year at +700.
Last year, no team in the NFC looked close to Philadelphia in the playoffs other than the Los Angeles Rams, and that was a snow game with unusual circumstances. The Eagles took down the Packers in the Wild Card round, but they didn’t blow them out. Had some plays gone differently, there could’ve been a different outcome.
The new-look Packers defense after the Micah Parsons trade 🔥🧀
Best defense in the league? 👀 pic.twitter.com/rzlK9TjdPV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 28, 2025
The firepower that Parsons will bring to Green Bay’s defense cannot be overlooked. Though Philadelphia managed to contain him for the most part last season, it’s a different energy when playing a championship contender with that level of talent.
What Can the Dallas Cowboys Do to Challenge Philadelphia Tonight?
Meanwhile, tonight’s opponent presents its own questions. The Cowboys remain a question mark this season despite getting Dak Prescott back in the lineup. Last year, Dallas was simply not a good team, and they were riddled with injuries, including their starting quarterback.
Even when healthy, Prescott posted 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions, which won’t cut it if the Cowboys hope to revert to their playoff form this season. They’ll need a much better version of Prescott to lead the way against an Eagles team that has too much talent to allow for mistakes.
Offensively, Philadelphia is about as good as it gets. Each of their position groups ranks among the league’s best. Star running back Saquon Barkley was named the No. 1 player in the NFL last season, according to the official Top 100 list.
They don’t have much to worry about on the defensive line, and once their linebackers are all healthy, they’ll be one of the best groups in the league. Their secondary is where things get shaky. Their starting corner position appears to be a game-time decision, highlighting how close the competition truly is.
This uncertainty will impact the team long-term and represents a vital part of their hopes for going back-to-back. There were talks of potentially adding a player like Justin Simmons to strengthen the roster, considering he’s still a free agent. The Eagles did have the second-best odds to land him initially.
The most significant defensive factor will be how they play together as a group since that’s what made last year’s team so successful. They had a lot of young guys who played solid football and functioned really well as a unit. If they can replicate that same chemistry, they’ll be fine this year. However, they’ll need to figure out their core team as early as possible to continue building that crucial team cohesion.
