Let the fun begin for the 2025 Dallas Cowboys.
After cruising past the Silver & Black 33-16 on Monday night, the Cowboys now find themselves in a cross roads.
The next three games will define the rest of their season, and it starts with their arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dallas fell on the road against Philly back in Week 1, 24-20, in a game that came down to a fourth-down pass attempt with two minutes to play that fell incomplete, and the Eagles ran the clock out a season opening win.
A lot has changed since then.
Philadelphia, despite being 8-2, and coming off a 16-9 win over the Detriot Lions have been inconsistent on offense, while Dallas played that opener without Micah Parsons, will now play the second go around with a new force upfront in All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
With everything leading up to this critical matchup, here are this week’s 10 things to know.
All-Time series & history
Sunday’s Week 12 contest, will mark the 134th all-time meeting in this historic rivalry.
Dallas leads the all-time series 74-59.
The Eagles won the last won the past three matchups, including the 2025 season opener 24-20.
“I remember just being super grateful and blessed to be back on the field honestly, quarterback Dak Prescott said in what was his first game back from his 2024 hamstring injury. “Yeah, I know we let one get away, but there was no confidence lost. Wasn’t sad, pissed off for sure. Frustrated a little bit in some of the plays, but being game one, I was just super excited and pumped knowing what we have ahead of us and the team that we had. Looking forward to this week.”
The Cowboys–Eagles rivalry has been fueled by decades of drama, starting with a 56–7 Dallas blowout in 1966 that crushed Philly’s playoff hopes and sparked a revenge win that immediately brought accusations of biased officiating.
The 1970s delivered some of the most physical, chaotic games the league had ever seen, setting the stage for the heated 1980s, which included their first playoff meeting in the 1980 NFC Championship and the infamous 1989 “Bounty Bowls,” where animosity spilled from the field into the stands.
The intensity carried into the 1990s as Buddy Ryan’s open disdain for Dallas turned every matchup into a grudge match, and the rivalry evolved again in the early 2000s when the Eagles dominated with six straight wins.
From the beginning, this rivalry, has never cooled, it’s simply changed colors with each new decade.
Injury report
Cowboys
Out: N/A
Questionable: OT Hakeem Adeniji (Illness), DE Jadeveon Clowney (Shoulder/Neck)
Eagles
Out: OT Lane Johnson (Foot)
Questionable: OT Myles Hinton (Back), C/G Cam Jurgens (Concussion), G/C Willie Lampkin (Knee/Ankle)
How to watch, listen, & stream
TV
Channel: Fox
When: Sunday, November 23
Where: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
Kickoff Time: 3:25 PM CT
Broadcast Team: Kevin Burkhardt (Play-By-Play), Tom Brady, (Analyst), Erin Andrews (Sideline), Tom Rinaldi (Sideline)
Stream
Live Stream: Stream NFL games on NFL+
Radio
Listen (National): Compass Media Ted Emrich (Play-By-Play), Steve Beuerlein (Analyst)
Listen (Local): KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan in Dallas/Fort Worth
Radio (English): Brad Sham (Play-by-Play), Babe Laufenberg (Analyst), Kristi Scales, (Sideline)
Listen (Spanish): KVMK-FM 107.5 La Grande in Dallas/Fort Worth
Radio (Spanish): Victor Villalba (Play-by-Play), Luis Perez (Analyst)
Defining stretch
Over the next three games, the Cowboys will face off against a top seeded team, a future hall of fame quarterback, and one of the NFC’s most talented rosters.
It all starts with the Eagles, who are running away with the NFC East and on pace to become the first team to win the division in back-to-back years since they did it in 2003-2004, followed by a short week with the annual Thanksgiving day game with the Chiefs, then exactly a week later, a Thursday night game with the Detroit Lions.
Three games that could likely tell everyone all about where this team really is, especially when considering the help they added on defense.
“Yeah, they will be defining, Prescott said on Thursday. “I don’t think there’s any ifs ands or buts about it. Knowing where we put ourselves, what we have to do. Yeah, after these three games, we’ll either have gotten ourselves a good shot or put ourselves in a hole. So I don’t think that will really be a discussion.”
Not only is it to keep hope alive, but also to prove that Dallas can consistently match up and beat teams with winning records.
“We’ve got to. We’ve got to go get one of those wins,” Prescott said. “Does it matter that we haven’t? No, not necessarily. But that can’t be the same conversation next week or the week after that. We’ve got to go get it done. This league, it’s tough. The records really, honestly don’t matter. We know we’re playing a hell of team, a good team. It’s a rival game, division game. So it’s about coming in there and just being the best version. It’s time to win one of those games.”
The time has come for this team to play its best football if it plans to play in January.
Defensive encore
One of the biggest takeaways from the Cowboys’ 33–16 win over the Raiders was the dominance of the defense.
After weeks of inconsistency, Dallas finally looked like the unit it expected to be, and the infusion of new faces played a major role. Most notably, All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams set the tone in his Cowboys debut, helping spark the group to its best performance of the season, that saw four sacks, 15 pressures, an interception, and eight tackles for loss.
The run defense was just as impressive, allowing a season-low 27 rushing yards and holding Las Vegas to 3-of-12 on third down.
Now the challenge becomes consistency.
With a defining stretch ahead, the Cowboys will need this level of play every week to keep their postseason hopes alive, starting with containing Jalen Hurts’ mobility and limiting opportunities for Saquon Barkley on the ground.
Dak Prescott vs. NFC East
Dak Prescott has played his best football against the NFC East.
Since arriving to the Cowboys as a rookie in 2016, Prescott has recorded 82 touchdowns to just 22 interceptions and owns a 34-9 record on the group.
Against the Eagles, the All-Pro has a 9-5 record and a 6-1 mark at home vs. the Cowboys’ long time rivals.
That one loss occurred back in 2017, which is also the last time the veteran signal caller lost to an NFC East team at home, as Prescott has won 18 straight on his turf vs. the group.
“Keep it rolling. Being detailed, dialed in, understanding your opponent,” Prescott added. “I think that’s as much as anything. Because understanding your opponents, you know, you see these guys twice a year. It’s hard to beat any team in the league twice. And so I think that plays a big part in it, me being comfortable with what I’m going to get, who I’m playing, just being a student of the game. That gets me into these games and allows us to have the best chance. But I want that same record on the road, too.”
Booker ‘playing with a lot more confidence’
Tyler Booker is steadily growing and improving, showing noticeable strides in his technique, confidence, and overall impact up front.
This week, the rookie should draw plenty of matchups against Eagles All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, a matchup that was set for Week 1, until Carter was ejected before the first snap.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer emphasized the growth and confidence that he has seen out of the Alabama product.
“I think the experience Booker’s gained, you know, he knows he belongs, and the physicality is important, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “He’s playing with a lot more confidence than maybe he was earlier in the year, certainly coming back off the injury a couple weeks ago.”
The former first-round pick, currently owns a 77.2 run blocking grade, the eight best among all guards, and has allowed just 14 pressures and a sack in seven games played this season, per Pro Football Focus.
“I feel like I’ve been progressing well,” Booker said. “Still a lot of room for improvement, but something that does encourage me about what I’m seeing on film is that I’m getting better week by week and game by game, and that’s, that’s all I can do, so just doing everything in my control, mentally, physically, I’m in great shape. I’m just looking forward to going out and performing on Sunday.”
Prior to Week 12, Booker had allowed just a 4.6% pressure rate, the 5th-lowest among right guards this season (min. 100 pass blocks) and a lower mark than any rookie guard from 2022-24, per NFL Pro
Whether it’s anchoring better in pass protection or finishing blocks with more power in the run game, Booker’s development is trending in the right direction at exactly the time the Cowboys need it most.
160 yards away
One thing that Dak Prescott has never paid much attention too is records and numbers.
However, come Sunday, the 10th-year quarterback will have a chance at history, needing just 160 yards to surpass Tony Romo as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in passing yards.
Romo finished his career with 34,183 yards, while Prescott enters Week 12 with 34,024 yards.
“I’m humbled, Prescott said. “Thankful to be healthy and to be in this position to do it. I was on the production call and they asked me the same thing, Would I have thought this 10 years ago? And I said, Yeah, I was very arrogant as a rookie. When you’ve played in this game long enough and you can stay healthy, with my expectations of what my play is, that’s supposed to happen. So just thankful, humbled, super grateful to be playing a game I love at this high of a level. To still be doing it and look forward to keep going any of those that will happen.”
Prescott, who took over as Dallas’ quarterback at the start of his rookie year in 2016, also ranks second in franchise history with 234 passing touchdowns, trailing only Romo’s 248.
He holds the Cowboys’ all-time marks in multiple categories, including completion percentage (67.1%), completions (3,033), and passer rating (98.5). He’s also the most prolific multi-touchdown passer in team history, owning the franchise records with 41 games of three or more touchdown passes and 13 games with four or more.
Key matchup
Cowboys DL vs. The Tush Push
On Sunday, the Eagles, will bring with them the most controversial play in the NFL.
While the Eagles have been running the Tush Push since 2021, the play has drawn even more attention this season thanks to several controversial moments, including missed penalties and a questionable no-fumble ruling against the Giants in Week 8.
“The league is trying to make sure that it’s a legal play in terms of everybody getting off on the ball and stuff like that,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “But they’re still really good at it. We’ll still see it. But we’ve definitely got some reinforcements in there that give you a chance to win the leverage game.”
In their Week 1 meeting with Dallas, Philadelphia ran the play twice in the fourth quarter and converted both attempts for first downs.
Now 11 weeks later, the matchup will look different.
The Cowboys now have Quinnen Williams, who has never faced the play but knows they have a good game plan for it, anchoring the interior alongside Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark, giving Dallas its most powerful defensive trio in years.
When the Eagles line up for their signature short-yardage play on Sunday, those three will be front and center, making it one of the most anticipated and decisive matchups of the game.
Eagles player to watch
DT Jalen Carter
The Cowboys have Quinnen Williams, the Eagles have a Jalen Carter.
Since entering the league in 2023, Carter has been a force of his own. The All-Pro has recorded 22 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 52 pressures, 10 pass deflections, and four forced fumbles.
Carter’s impact has been felt all around as well.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Eagles’ defensive line generates pressure without blitzing on 36.8% of dropbacks — the seventh-best rate in the league — and Dak Prescott sees that impact clearly through the presence of Carter.
“A huge impact. Obviously it starts right there with him in the middle,” Prescott said. He’s the main reason why they don’t feel like they have to blitz, that they can get pressure with just four guys. Hell of a player. We were fortunate in the first game to obviously not go against him. But I know he’ll be ready to go and fired up for this one. So, excited for it.”
More Cowboys-Eagles coverage from DLLS
📝 Cowboys vs. Eagles: 3 key matchups that will shape Week 12
📺 Are The Dallas Cowboys UNIQUELY EQUIPPED To Stop The Eagles’ Tush Push?
📝 5 Cowboys to watch in Week 12 vs. Eagles
📺 Why Schotty is ALL IN On George Pickens Returning To The Dallas Cowboys
📝 Dak Prescott understands what’s at stake with a season defining three-game stretch ahead
