Toughest Stretches of the Cowboys 2026 Schedule
With the annual release of the NFL schedule, the Dallas Cowboys have figured out the order in which they will play their opponents. The Cowboys, whose win total entering this season is projected at 9.5 wins, have the fourth most difficult schedule in the entire league based on its strength from a season ago. Dallas will face a challenging schedule, playing on the road in various environments such as Green Bay and Seattle, as well as against tough AFC teams like the Jaguars and Ravens. With big games on a difficult schedule, what are some of the toughest stretches of the season for the Dallas Cowboys?
Week Three Through Week Seven
Early in the season, Dallas will play three games in 11 days, starting with a game against the Baltimore Ravens as the Cowboys play at Rio de Janeiro for the first time. Immediately after, the Cowboys will head to Houston to play one of the best defenses in the league, the Texans. To conclude the third game in 11 days, the Buccaneers head to Arlington, Texas to play on Thursday Night Football. Dallas would then play two more primetime games following Thursday Night Football as they head to Green Bay to play the Packers on Sunday Night Football. Then to finish off a grueling five-game stretch, the Cowboys travel to play division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, on Monday Night Football. Despite playing at "home" for two games, the Cowboys will play away from AT&T Stadium for four of the five games thanks to the Rio de Janeiro game, with the only game in Arlington being versus Tampa Bay. Four of these teams made the playoffs in 2025, and Dallas needs to demonstrate that they are capable of handling the challenge early in the season on the road.
Week 12 Through Week 16
The back half of the season for the Dallas Cowboys starts with the Thanksgiving Day classic as they host the Eagles in their second meeting of the season. After a mini bye week that Dallas is familiar with during Thanksgiving, a date against the reigning Super Bowl champions and former Cowboy DeMarcus Lawrence awaits them 11 days later on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys officially go on their bye week after their Week 13 encounter against the Seahawks, only to return to play one of the best teams in the league, the Los Angeles Rams, in SoFi Stadium. Rounding out the end of the season gauntlet is Week 16 as the Cowboys host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Similar to the first difficult stretch, four playoff teams await Dallas, with two of them having played in the NFC Championship game last year. The Cowboys want to return to the postseason after missing it for back to back years, and the only way to prove that they belong is by winning these tough games.
