Don’t plan on overindulging this Thanksgiving, or you might snooze through one of the biggest regular-season games of the 2026 NFL season. The Dallas Cowboys will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26), adding a holiday twist to one of the league’s fiercest divisional rivalries.
This matchup is expected to draw massive viewership, thanks to the holiday slot and the popularity of both teams. It also promises a tense battle between a recent Super Bowl champion and a playoff hopeful—last season’s two meetings between the Eagles and Cowboys were both decided by a single score.
With more than six months until kickoff at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, here are five key storylines to track ahead of this Thanksgiving showdown.
**5. Last Year’s Home Win Over the Eagles Was the Cowboys’ Season Highlight**
Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens racked up 146 receiving yards and a touchdown in their home victory over Philadelphia last season, earning Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game honors.
Dallas didn’t have many big wins in 2025, finishing 7-9-1. Six of those victories came against teams that ended the season 6-11 or worse. The lone exception? A late-November home game against the Eagles, four days before Thanksgiving. The Cowboys erased a 21-0 deficit—trailing 21-7 with three minutes left in the third quarter—to win 24-21 over their NFC East rivals. Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, capped by Brandon Aubrey’s 42-yard field goal as time expired.
The 21-point comeback matched the largest in franchise history. The Eagles entered that game at 8-2 but lost three straight afterward. They still won the division, only to fall to the 49ers in the wild-card round. The Cowboys beat the Kansas City Chiefs the following week on Thanksgiving, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive, but lost four of their final five games and missed the postseason.
**4. New Cowboys DC Christian Parker Faces His Former Team, With a Revamped Defense**
After spending the last two seasons on the Eagles’ coaching staff, Christian Parker is now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
Dallas’ defense was historically bad last season, allowing a league-high 30.1 points per game, the most passing yards, and the second-most total yards per play. That led to the dismissal of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and the Cowboys hired Parker, who had been Philadelphia’s defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. Parker helped the Eagles rank fifth in points allowed last year and was part of the staff that won Super Bowl LIX in 2024.
Parker’s departure from the Eagles was significant enough that players like Cooper DeJean publicly expressed sadness over his decision to join a division rival. At just 34, Parker is considered one of the top young assistant coaches in the league, and his task now is to turn around the Cowboys’ defense. The front office gave him reinforcements: they traded for former Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary, then selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The picks, especially Downs, were widely applauded.
If Parker can revive Dallas’ defense, a head-coaching job may not be far off. A strong way to prove his credentials would be to slow down the Eagles’ potent offense.
