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Cam Newton shares advice for the Eagles that they should take to heart

Panthers great Cam Newton shares a few takeaways from the NFL's 2025 season opener.
Tim Weaver|
Jul 24, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) warms up during training camp at NovaCare Complex.
Jul 24, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) warms up during training camp at NovaCare Complex. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers won't kickoff their 2025 season until tomorrow afternoon, but the NFL's schedule has already had a couple of games play out. On Thursday night the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Dallas Cowboys in a game that most people expected to be a total blowout for the reigning Super Bowl champs.

Instead, those who stayed up late after the hour-long lightning delay were treated to a close finish, with Philadelphia coming out on top, 24-20. That's much closer than it was supposed to be for a few reasons.

For one thing, the Eagles' best defender Jalen Carter got himself ejected before a single snap by spitting on Dak Prescott. For another, Brian Schottenheimer deserves a lot of credit for getting the Cowboys prepared for a lopsided matchup. If not for a few ghastly drops from their receivers, Dallas probably would have pulled off an improbable upset.

The Eagles weren't exactly on their A-game, though. Here's Panthers legend Cam Newton with a few takeaways from the game, including some wise advice for Philly's coaching staff.

Cam Newton on Eagles-Cowboys opener

Aside from Carter's ejection, the biggest mistake that the Eagles made here was not getting AJ Brown more involved. He wound up getting only one target from Jalen Hurts, totaling one catch and eight receiving yards.

It's hard enough to repeat as Super Bowl champions without getting in your own way. Philly has to find a way to get Brown more involved offensively. He's a top-five wide receiver for a reason.

Newton was also on-hand for last night's Chiefs-Chargers game in Brazil, where he co-hosted Youtube's pregame show along with Kay Adams. It seems that Newton was a crowd favorite.

Cam Newton in Brazil

As for the game, the Chargers finally snapped a seven-game losing streak against the reigning AFC champions. They took down Kansas City by a score of 27-21, which makes it seem much closer than it was. The Chargers dominated the Chiefs most of the game and got a superb peformance from Justin Herbert, who posted three touchdowns and a 131.7 passer rating.

The Chiefs won an awful lot of close games last season - so there's a good chance they're in for some serious regression this season. This opening loss may have exposed a general lack of talent that's been overshadowed by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, who can only do so much.

If it's not going to be the Chiefs in the AFC, the strongest contenders to win the conference are the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.