Photo Credit: Taken from DallasCowboys.com
The NFL Schedule Release has become a big deal. We see more and more effort being put into the release and fans are always excited to see who they are playing, what games they can attend and how the schedule breaks down. Teams have decided to make the most of a simple press release to garner even more news and buzz around the upcoming season.
The Dallas Cowboys have used pop stars like Post Malone who grew up in the Metroplex in Grapevine to notorious hater and media titan Stephen A. Smith. The Cowboys decided to keep the Cowboys theme and bring in Yellowstone” Creator Tyler Sheridan to help with the release. Now that the entertainment portion is done, we can dive into this schedule and see what it pertains.
There are only 3 preseason games. This was a change made last season with the addition of a 17th regular season game. The Cowboys will not play in the Hall Of Fame game this year. They will play the Jacksonville Jaguars, The Seattle Seahawks and the Las Vegas Raiders. Game three is usually the rehearsal game, but we shall see how Mike McCarthy wants to handle it.
The Regular season starts on the road in New York on September 10, 2023. This is fitting on so many levels. This is close to the 9-11 remembrance. League gives a nod to all those who lost their lives and the ones who helped lead people to safety and helped rebuild after the travesty. This is fitting also because it is the first time since 2019 that the Giants and Cowboys will face off on opening day. Since 2012, they have met on opening day 7 times. Worth mentioning that this would be the first of 9 road games for the Cowboys in their 17 game schedule. Next year they will have 9 home games. Four of their first six games will be on the road. They will have their bye in Week 7.
The Cowboys then come home to see if Aaron Rodgers is still under their beds or not as they play him and the New York Jets. Rodgers was traded to the Jets and they believe he is their missing piece. Does he have any magic left in him? Can the Jets make that next step supported by Sauce Gardner and that Defense? We shall see.
The heart of this schedule will be the chunk of games from November 5th vs the Philadelphia Eagles to December 10th vs those same Eagles. This stretch will tell us who the Cowboys really are. Not only will they have their toughest stretch, but they will have to go through their annual Thanksgiving Schedule where they will play 3 games in 11 days. This stretch will also consist of four division games.
As it stands, the Cowboys will have 6 primetime games. This leads the league along with Kansas City, the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers. The latter two teams being on the Schedule. The Chargers will host the Cowboys Monday night on October 16 as the two teams face off. Kellen Moore is the Offensive Coordinator for the Chargers now. This adds a little more intrigue to the game. The Cowboys are 7-5 all time but have lost the last three out of four. Cowboys won the last game in 2021 by three points. The last game of the season is against the Washington Commanders and the time is yet to be announced.
One thing that I like doing is looking at the QBs that are on the schedule. The better the QB the better chance of that team winning the game. The Cowboys will face Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Rookie Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff. QBs in the division are Jalen Hurts, Sam Howell and Daniel Jones. Dak stands up nicely with all of these guys. Of course Allen is in the next tier of where Dak is, Dak won’t be alone. He has new weapons on Offense and this Defense has shown the capability of hindering high power offenses.
Navigating the schedule is a task that all 32 teams will have to do. Not just the travel times or getting up for big games, injuries will play a major part. As much as we hate seeing them, we know they will come. How will your team respond when they hit? The Cowboys have shown the ability to overcome such adversities. They went 4-1 with Cooper Rush as the QB after losing Dak in week 1. We saw Tyron Smith miss the first 12 weeks and then Terrence Steele miss the remaining 8 weeks including the playoffs. Rookie Matt Waletzko was on IR all year as well. Cornerback Jourdain Lewis was on IR from October 30th and then Anthony Brown joined him in December. The Cowboys looked to Rookies Tyler Smith and Daron Bland to fill those starting roles and they excelled.
The Cowboys went 12-5 last year. They came out opening day last year and left their offense. They lost to the Eagles with out Dak when their Defense was good. They lost both of their OT games, one to Green Bay and the Boogey man and the other to the young Star in the making Trevor Lawrence. They were also sleep walking to end the season and lost to the Commanders.
This year, they will probably split with the Eagles again, Buffalo and Detroit will be a toss up. They play their nemesis in the 49ers. They get them in the first part of the season. Tough to tell who the 49ers QB might be. Could be Sam Darnold. Regardless, that Defense will be tough. The wildcard games might be the Jets (mental), Cardinals and Chargers. I see them going 12-5 again this year if they can respond to some of these tougher games. Good teams find ways to win. Like most of the 32 teams, Cowboys are full of hope. Rookie minicamp is this week. OTAs start May 24th and Mandatory Mini Camp is June 8th. Soon, we will get our first taste of this new team.
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