Dallas Cowboys: Why October could be the key to a stellar season

The Dallas Cowboys could find themselves in a great position to win the division early with an October slate of games that appears to be very favorable.

The Dallas Cowboys will open the 2020 regular season on a pretty difficult three-game stretch. They’ll face off against the Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, and the Seattle Seahawks. This group posted a combined record of 27-21 last season.

The Cowboys will travel to play Los Angeles in Week One, debuting regular-season action at the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Then they travel back home for a matchup against the Falcons. Finally, in Week Three, Dallas will head north to take on the Seahawks in Washington.

But if the Cowboys can survive that three-game start with a decent record, there’s a solid chance they could get an early leg up on their divisional foes. That’s due to a favorable slate of games they are set to play in the month of October.

Here’s what Nate Davis of USA Today wrote about the Cowboys after projecting America’s Team will post a 10-6 record in 2020, earning themselves another NFC East crown.

"” … it definitely seems Dallas owns a talent gap on the rest of the division. That was also true last year, but Jerry Jones is counting on Mike McCarthy to do what Jason Garrett couldn’t. And an October schedule devoid of 2019 playoff teams presents a good opportunity for an early hot streak.”"

Davis makes an interesting point about the month of October on the Cowboys’ recently released regular-season schedule for 2020. Dallas is set to take on the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Washington Redskins that month.

This group earned a combined record of 18-45 -1 in 2019, with the Browns posting the best overall record at 6-10. One other factor that favors the Cowboys in the month of October is the fact three of the four games will be played in AT&T Stadium.

For three-games straight, Dallas will play at home. They’ll face the Browns on Oct. 4, the Giants on Oct. 11, and the Cardinals on Oct. 19. All of them in Arlington. Then they hit the road to face the Redskins on Oct. 25. The Cowboys’ game against Arizona will be in primetime, on Monday Night Football.

Last season, the Dallas Cowboys played only three games in the month of October due to a bye week, losing twice. After starting the season 3-0, Dallas went on a three-game losing streak that extended into the month of October. That skid was highlighted by a surprising 24-22 loss to the New York Jets in Week Six.