DALLAS — One of the most anticipated days of the NFL offseason arrived on Wednesday as the schedule was officially revealed. Now comes the fun of analyzing the 2024 slate for the Dallas Cowboys.
Schedule day is one that many fans look forward to, even though we already know their opponents, but the exact date and times makes the season feel real and right around the corner.
With those dates and times set, it’s time to break down how the games might play out for the Cowboys. Assigning wins and losses months ahead of time feels like a fruitless exercise, there’s too much time between now and the season that won’t account for injuries or other factors, so we’ll save the predictions for further down the road.
It makes more sense to examine the schedule and dissect how it looks in terms of travel or difficulty as it stands in May. Here’s five observations for how the Cowboys’ schedule breaks down for the upcoming season:
Middle of the pack for difficulty
The Cowboys won the NFC East last season, which means a first-place schedule accompanies them in 2024. However, that doesn’t mean that Dallas will have the toughest road this upcoming season. Based on 2023’s opponents’ winning percentage, the Cowboys have the 14th hardest schedule in the league.
That might not be an accurate way to judge the schedule seeing as how there’s roughly a 50% turnover in playoff teams every year, but as it looks right now, it’s a middle of the pack slate. It’s hard to fathom how playing a tough division like the AFC North, as well as four other teams that finished atop their divisions in 2023 makes for a mild path for the Cowboys, but right now that’s what the numbers say.
Changes to the beginning and end
For the last five years, the Cowboys have either played in prime time to open the season or faced off against the New York Giants. That is not the case this year, when Dallas begins their 2024 slate on the road against the Cleveland Browns.
Of course, the league couldn’t let its initial weekend pass without showcasing their crown jewel franchise. The Cowboys will be playing America’s Game of the Week on FOX in Tom Brady’s broadcast debut in the late afternoon time slot. It’s not the same as opening on Sunday Night Football, but Jerry Jones’ team does have six prime time games and the annual nationally televised Thanksgiving contest on the docket this season.
The team also finishes at home for the first time since 2019, when they host the Washington Commanders in Week 18. Ironically, the last time Dallas’ season finale was at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys played at the Philadelphia Eagles the week before. The league scheduled Dallas the same final two games this year.
Home cooking late
The Cowboys play nine home games this season and six of their final nine games will be played in Arlington. Starting in Week 10, when they host the rival Eagles in the second weekend of November, the Cowboys go on the road for only three games, and don’t travel in back-to-back weeks for the rest of the season.
That’s a big advantage for a team that’s won 16 straight regular season home games. Both of their Monday Night Football games will be played at home during the late-year stretch, as well as a Sunday night contest with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. The Cowboys will also play all three of their NFC East rivals at home during these weeks.
If the team can get out to a fast start, it would bode well for their season due as the final stretch of the schedule has them at the friendly confines of AT&T Stadium for much of the last two months.
Toughest stretch interrupted by bye week
While the Cowboys have a friendly finish, the middle of the season offers their toughest stretch of games. Beginning in Week 5 when they travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, Dallas will play five playoff teams in six weeks.
Inside those six games, the Cowboys will play both teams that played in the NFC championship game last year, while also hosting the Eagles and in-state rival Houston Texans.
The fortunate part of this stretch of games is that their bye week reprieve is sandwiched in the middle. After the road game against the Steelers, Dallas will host the Detroit Lions before their week off. That’s a nice way to break up the gauntlet.
Thanksgiving break shortened but features a familiar foe
The schedule makers didn’t give the Cowboys a Thursday game after Thanksgiving as they have done recently, but they did shorten their annual three-game stretch by a day. Dallas kicks off the stretch of games with a Monday night contest against the Texans, followed by a road game against the Commanders before the Thanksgiving tilt with the Giants.
That’s three games in 10 days instead of the 11 days that the Cowboys had grown accustomed to. It’s a challenge to play that many times in such a short span, even if America’s Team is used to quick turnarounds around Thanksgiving.
The midweek clash is also the second time in three years that the Cowboys will be hosting the Giants on Turkey Day. In keeping with a recent tradition, this will be the third straight NFC East game on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys have won the last two and have never lost to the Giants on the holiday.
How many wins do you think the Dallas Cowboys will earn in 2024? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
