Cowboys' schedule is a behemoth (but hides an undeniable advantage)

While the Dallas Cowboys have known their opponents for the 2026 campaign since the moment the 2025 regular season ended, they now know exactly when and where each of their 17 games will take place, as the NFL dropped the full '26 schedule on Thursday.

America's Team will kick off the new season in prime time with a Week 1 road matchup against the New York Giants, will follow up with the home opener in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, and will then serve as the home team for the league's first-ever matchup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Here's a quick look at the Cowboys' full 2026 regular-season schedule:

• Week 1: at New York Giants (SNF)
• Week 2: vs. Washington Commanders
• Week 3: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Brazil)
• Week 4: at Houston Texans
• Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TNF)
• Week 6: at Green Bay Packers (SNF)
• Week 7: at Philadelphia Eagles (MNF)
• Week 8: vs. Arizona Cardinals
• Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts
• Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers
• Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans
• Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Thanksgiving)
• Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks (MNF)
• Week 14: BYE
• Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams
• Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (SNF)
• Week 17: vs. New York Giants
• Week 18: at Washington Commanders

Now, not everybody buys into strength of schedule based on the previous season's records, as teams obviously don't look the exact same, given the moves made in free agency and the draft and such. And it works both ways, as there will be plenty of teams in 2026 that aren't as good as they were in 2025, while there will undoubtedly also be several that bounce back from a down year.

We obviously can't tell you how the Cowboys will fare with that schedule above, but what we can tell you is that, based on last year's records, Brian Schottenheimer & Co. will head into the 2026 season with the 13th-easiest slate in the league, as their opponents went a combined 142-146-1 during the 2025 campaign, giving them an overall winning percentage of .493.

Now, it should be noted that their divisional rivals—the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders—are counted twice each. But as we wanted all 17 games to be taken into account, that's where things came out.

Here's a look at the full strength of schedule rankings for the 2026 NFL season.

The Cowboys' ranking certainly has to be taken with a grain of salt, as their 2026 slate should be far more daunting than this list shows, and the fact that Washington (5-12) and New York (4-13) were counted twice certainly played a big part in where Dallas ended up.

In total, the Cowboys will play eight games against teams that made the playoffs this past year, those being their two against the Philadelphia Eagles and one each against the Green Bay Packers, the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and, of course, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

How the Cowboys' 2026 schedule was determined

For those who may not be overly familiar with how the NFL schedule is constructed, the following criteria is used:

• Six games against every other team within the division — two per team; one at home and one on the road
• Four games against teams from a specific division within its conference on a rotating, three-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
• Four games against teams from a specific division in the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions within the same conference based on the previous season's standings; one at home and one on the road.
• One game against a team from a division from the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle that the team isn't already scheduled to play based on the previous season's standings.

So, for how things break down for the Cowboys, they'll have their two games each against their fellow teams from the NFC East, those being the aforementioned New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders.

Then, with the three-year intraconference rotation dictating that all NFC East teams will play all NFC West teams in 2026, Dallas will face the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.

The four-year interconference cycle dictates that all NFC East teams will play all AFC South teams, which is why the Cowboys will square off with the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.

As Dallas finished second in the NFC East, they'll play the second-place teams from the other two NFC divisions they're not already scheduled to play, giving them the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And lastly, the rotating cycle dictates that every NFC East team will play the AFC North team that finished in the same position in 2025, meaning Dallas will take on the Baltimore Ravens. As mentioned, that contest will take place in Week 3 in Brazil.

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