After back-to-back losing seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have finally closed the gap with the Philadelphia Eagles. While Dallas may not have the ceiling of a 14-win team, neither does Philly, setting up a potential dogfight for the NFC East crown.
It stands to reason the NFL views the division as a potential two-horse race, which makes the Cowboys’ two meetings with the Eagles even more compelling. We’ll find out when those games land when the league releases the full schedule Thursday at 7 p.m. CT.
We already know that the Cowboys will open the 2026 season on the road against the Giants on Sunday Night Football, and Adam Schefter has just confirmed suspicions that Dallas will welcome the Eagles to AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving, which falls on Nov. 26 this year.
The Dallas Cowboys will play the Eagles on Thanksgiving in 2026
A late-November matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles is must-watch TV regardless. When you consider that both teams have playoff aspirations and that it could be the second (and final) matchup between the rivals during the regular season, the stakes (potentially) couldn't be higher.
If the league really wanted to lean into being diabolical, it could schedule both Cowboys-Eagles matchups within the final six weeks of the season.
Regardless, the Thanksgiving matchup would carry massive stakes in the NFC East. Assuming the division race isn’t already decided by late November, it could just be starting to take shape. The winner might leave that game with the inside track to the crown.
At that stage in the season, division tiebreakers become huge, and every conference loss is magnified. It doesn't get much better than marquee rivals trading blows in a standalone national window with possibly enormous playoff implications.
A Cowboys-Eagles showdown already sells itself. Add in the division implications and how tightly contested these matchups usually are, and this has Game of the Year potential written all over it.
The Cowboys have won their last four Thanksgiving Day games, and they'll look to make it five against their most hated rival.
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