Best Cowboys vs. Eagles player prop bets for NFL kickoff game: Big nights for Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts ahead?
We could be in for a high-scoring game Thursday night
By
Jeff Kerr
•
4 min read
The start of the NFL season is upon us with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys getting ready to renew their historic NFC East rivalry in the NFL Kickoff Game. As if the Cowboys trading Micah Parsons wasn't enough of a storyline to open the season, the Cowboys will have to watch the Eagles raise a Super Bowl championship banner prior to kickoff.
The Eagles-Cowboys rivalry is one of the most historic around the NFL, and a prime-time staple. Philadelphia and Dallas have played in 32 prime-time matchups, the most between any teams in NFL history. This is the first time the Cowboys and Eagles have kicked off on opening weekend since 2000, and the fifth Week 1 meeting between the teams.
There are a lot of unknowns entering Week 1, but plenty of 2024 trends between Philadelphia and Dallas have led to some intriguing player props angles. These are five to keep an extra eye on heading into the season opener.
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George Pickens: 60+ receiving yards (+104)
Pickens is making his debut with the Cowboys in the kickoff game, an opportunity to prove he's more than just a one-trick pony in Dallas. He has a favorable matchup against whomever the Eagles' CB2 is going to be (Adoree' Jackson is the front runner to start in base defense), and the Cowboys would be wise to test him early.
All it takes is one big play for Pickens to get close to this total, and he'll have plenty of opportunities throughout the game as Dallas aims to stay within striking distance with the passing attack.
Given the uncertainty of the CB2 position in Philadelphia, Pickens has a chance for a banner first night in a Cowboys uniform.
Jalen Hurts: 230+ passing yards (+129)
The Cowboys' game plan may be to stop Saquon Barkley, which is where Hurts comes into play. If the Cowboys commit to stopping the run, the passing game opens up. Teams may try to test Hurts' arm this season, but the Eagles quarterback has risen to the occasion when asked.
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both healthy while Dallas Goedert is available in the middle of the field. The Eagles have also gotten Barkley involved in the passing game during training camp, so there's another option. Hurts has plenty of pass-catchers who can put up yards, even if he only threw for 202 yards in his lone meeting with Dallas last year. Hurts did throw for 290 yards when the Steelers committed to stopping Barkley last year.
This may be a risky play, but Hurts has looked sharp throwing the ball this summer. New offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo may also want to get the passing game going early.
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Saquon Barkley: 100+ rushing yards (+116)
The Cowboys are committed to fixing their run defense for 2025, which was Jerry Jones' explanation for trading Micah parsons. They added Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, but how much will he actually play?
Add on to the run defense from last season being one of the worst in the NFL (29th in rush yards per game allowed at 137.1), and this seems to be an easy number for Barkley to reach. The Cowboys could copy the Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs playbook and sell out in order to stop Barkley, but does Dallas have the personnel to contain him?
Barkley had 14 carries for 66 yards in the first meeting, but 31 carries for 167 yards in the second matchup last year. If Barkley does get his carries -- especially if the Eagles build an early lead -- 100 rushing yards may be a good play.
Dak Prescott: 40+ pass attempts (+151)
Under Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys have thrown the ball with Prescott ... a lot. Prescott averaged 34.7 attempts per game during the 2023 season, and that number only increased to 35.8 in 2024. The Cowboys like to throw the ball, especially with the uncertainty of their run game (27th in rushing yards per game with 100.3 last season).
With the Eagles' high-powered offense and the Cowboys' defense adjusting to life without Micah Parsons, there's a good chance Prescott will be throwing the ball early and often.
In full games Prescott played last season, he only threw the football under 30 times once, so it's worth playing 36+ attempts (-156) or 38+ attempts (-102), and there's also an opportunity to potentially cash in at 40+ attempts here.
Javonte Williams: Anytime TD scorer (+215)
This prop could be live, especially if Dallas gets inside the 5-yard line. Sure, the Cowboys will look for the passing touchdown, but Prescott has only thrown for 13 scores from 5 yards or less over the past two seasons -- just 27.7% of his passing touchdowns thrown. Prescott only has five rushing touchdowns over the past four seasons as well.
Williams is the No. 1 running back and should get the ball inside the 5-yard line. If the Cowboys can move the ball efficiently against a tired Eagles defense, this isn't a bad play for the odds given. Yes, we are also aware the Cowboys only had six rushing touchdowns all of last season -- so there is some risk involved here. The reward if Williams is able to score would be doubling your money.
