We’ve now gone a full week without football, and fans are already counting the days to Thursday, September 4 when the defending champion Eagles will kick off the 2025 NFL season. I’m ranking the best options to play in the season opener at Philly.
9. New York Giants
Recent matchups between the Eagles and the Giants haven’t been pretty for New York, including a 38-7 drubbing in the 2022 postseason. There’s the Saquon Barkley storyline, but—as good as Tyrone Tracy Jr. looked as a rookie and can become as a running back in the league—the Giants front office letting a player and person like Saquon go over a few million dollars in cap space was basically so absurd and disastrous (highlighted by Barkley performing so well for a division rival) that going over again it in a high-profile game so quickly might feel played out.
8. Las Vegas Raiders
Depending on what happens with quarterback in Vegas, the Raiders could become much more interesting option soon. Pete Carroll gets the most out of his players and would have his guys ready to go with an upset mindset heading into Philadelphia. And there’d be an extra edge to this one: Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly coached the Eagles from 2013-2015 and would get booed mercilessly (when in fact his drastic steps ultimately helped shape the roster in the right direction—and his luring and hiring of Jeff Stoutland as the offensive line coach was one of the best assistant coach moves in NFL history).
7. Chicago Bears
While this could be an intriguing matchup in Ben Johnson’s first game at the helm with the Bears, I’m not sure Chicago will have the muscle—particularly on the offensive line—to be as good of a bet to make this a good game as teams ahead of them on the list. Additionally, playing at Lincoln Financial Field would be an incredibly tough draw for a first-year head coach’s debut, so the league might want to stay away from this possibility.
6. Los Angeles Rams
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Rams heading into the offseason. All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp is moving on at some point, and quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future is up in the air. But the defense for Los Angeles—Jared Verse, who had no issue talking trash ahead of the Divisional Round matchup, is among the young studs on the unit—is a key reason this would be an interesting challenge in the season opener. The Rams stormed back late to make the playoff loss a game.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There’s a risk of a Bucs-Eagles matchup feeling somewhat stale, but Tampa Bay really having the number of Jalen Hurts—now an indisputable championship quarterback with a Super Bowl ring—might make it one of the best pure football possibilities among options for the season opener. The Eagles lost twice to the Bucs in the postseason under Hurts, and they also lost to them during the 2024 regular season. With weapons like Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, and Chris Godwin (if he re-signs), the Bucs have the firepower to keep up if a shootout breaks out.
4. Washington Commanders
With Jayden Daniels at quarterback entering his second NFL season, the Commanders will no doubt be an option under strong consideration to open 2025 at the Linc. The NFC Championship Game blowout might make it less appealing, and there’s a chance the Commanders take a step back overall and again can’t compete in the first game of the year, though.
3. Dallas Cowboys
If the Cowboys face the Eagles, first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer would be thrown into the fire for his debut. However, unlike Chicago, Dallas is led by a veteran quarterback in Dak Prescott, with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball including Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, and Trevon Diggs. Also, the Cowboys are obviously one of the biggest brands in sports.
2. Denver Broncos
The schedule-makers made the bold move of putting the Lions in the 2023 season opener against the Chiefs, and they pulled off the upset at Arrowhead. Despite just making the playoffs with a 10-7 campaign, the Broncos are arguably a little behind that path roster wise (a stellar 2025 offseason would help)—but this choice would still feel very fresh and exciting. Sean Payton and Bo Nix are not the duo to get frazzled, creating an intriguing challenge for the defending champs if the second-year quarterback is surrounded with more talent this offseason.
1. Detroit Lions
Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is already talking about this possibility, boldly wondering how a matchup between a healthy Detroit team and Philly would operate. Based on the down year for the 49ers in 2024, the Lions and the Eagles should clearly be considered the class of the NFC entering next season. Several options would be fine choices, but the Lions are the obvious top pick to open the 2025 NFL season at Lincoln Financial Field.