Three things to look for when the Dallas Cowboys’ schedule is released
At 7 p.m. Thursday, the NFL will release its full schedule for the 2026 season, complete with dates, times, broadcast channels and venues for all 32 teams’ 17 matchups.
For the Dallas Cowboys, three games are already known:
- Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (MetLife Stadium) — Sept. 13 at 7:20 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
- Week 3: Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys (Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) — Sept. 27 at 3:25 p.m. on CBS
- Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (AT&T Stadium) — Nov. 26 at 3:30 p.m. on FOX
While the Cowboys already know their opponents and venues, the exact order of the team’s schedule will be made public Thursday. There are three very notable things to look for when that 18-week schedule comes out:
What happens after Brazil?
I’m heading into the schedule release with the thought that the Cowboys will get a home game in Arlington in Week 2 before heading off to Brazil in Week 3.
But what happens after that?
A bye week directly after Brazil is not possible, as the league doesn’t implement byes until Week 5. As a result, the Cowboys will make the nearly 11-hour flight back to Dallas and gear up for another game the following week.
Since the Brazil contest technically counts as a “home game,” will the league schedule three consecutive “home games” for Dallas? If so, that sets up a significant road swing at some point in the season.
If the league sees an easier scenario to send the Cowboys back out on the road, it can’t be for a significantly long trip. Maybe this is where it makes sense to put the trip to Houston to take on the Texans for, say, a Monday night game.
Teams that have played in Brazil in the past have complained about the travel requirements early in the season. And considering the only two prior Brazil games have been played on Fridays, the Cowboys and Ravens will take on an even tougher challenge early in the year.
How tough that challenge is will be the first thing to look at when the schedule drops.
When is the Micah Parsons game?
The Cowboys already know that they will travel to Green Bay at some point this season to take on the Packers.
With it being the first matchup between the teams at Lambeau Field since the Micah Parsons trade last August, I’d be surprised if this game is not scheduled late in the season to account for Parsons’ recovery from a torn ACL he suffered last season.
Wisconsin in December can be cold. And while Dallas has dodged some bad weather opportunities in recent years, the luck could run out here.
How late in the season the game falls could be a big determining factor in playoff positioning as well.
But as long as they don’t tie again, I think everyone will be happy.
When are the trips to Los Angeles and Seattle?
Speaking of playoff positioning, it’s hard to argue that there are more important games to the Cowboys’ exact seed in the postseason (if they make it there) than the trips to take on the Rams and Seahawks.
For my money, the NFC is chasing those two teams in 2026. For the Cowboys to take down just one of them on the road, it would be a huge confidence boost to the season’s potential. How exactly those games are positioned on the schedule will be crucial to monitor.
There aren’t any notable lingering injuries on either opponent, although Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua could face league discipline for an incident where he bit a woman on New Year’s Eve that could benefit Dallas if that game is scheduled early, and he is suspended for some time — but there are a lot of “ifs” and “coulds” in that equation.
Expect these games to be after Week 6, at least. The NFL will want these games to be prime-time matchups with clear postseason implications.
