Five things to know about the 2018 Dallas Cowboys schedule
The Dallas Cowboys' 2018 schedule is out, and already it’s a crucial year for coach Jason Garrett and, by proxy, quarterback Dak Prescott.
If the Cowboys don’t succeed and move away from Garrett at the end of the season, they could be moving on from Prescott as well.
If Prescott plays well, the Cowboys should be good enough for Garrett to keep his job. If the Cowboys fire Garrett, a new coach might want his own quarterback. Garrett has a 68-57 record since 2010, including last year's 9-7 mark.
Here are five things to know about the Cowboys schedule:
1. Fast start
The Cowboys have seven games against the playoff teams from 2017, but just two before the Week 8 bye. Those two teams are the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, there are no guarantees but the schedule gives the Cowboys a chance to get off to a solid start. The Cowboys never play more than two consecutive games on the road and they do that just once.
2. Tough November stretch
The Cowboys fate might be decided between Nov. 5 and Dec. 9 when they face four playoff teams, including the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles twice. The stretch starts with a Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans. They then play at the Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons, two teams that beat them by the combined score of 64-16 on back-to-back weeks last year. They host the Redskins on Thanksgiving followed by a Thursday night home game against the New Orleans Saints. The stretch ends with a home game against the Eagles.
3. Soft landing
If the Cowboys survive their tough stretch, they have a chance to close strong with three final games at the hapless Indianapolis Colts, home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and on the road against the Giants. None of those teams made the playoff last year and if the Cowboys are to rebound in 2017, these are games they need to win.
4. Must-see TV
The Cowboys remain one of the league’s biggest draw. They have six games before national audiences, including five prime-time affairs on NBC, ESPN and FOX. And depending on how the season goes, they could have a few more games flexed to prime-time at the end of the season. Consider that during a five-week stretch in November, the Cowboys have three games on Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football or Thursday Night Football.
5. Change of pace
The Cowboys won’t open the season on the road for the first time since 2012. They will close on the road for the fourth time in five years, but this is the first time in six years that they open and close on the road. The Cowboys have opened against the Giants in four of the past five seasons. This time they open against the Panthers. They have closed against the Eagles in three of the past five seasons, including the past two. They close against the Giants in 2018.
This story was originally published April 20, 2018 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Five things to know about the 2018 Dallas Cowboys schedule."