Cowboys schedule 2023: Predicting every primetime game for Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys' 2023 schedule is expected to be released on May 11. The release is almost always followed by an overreaction in terms of how difficult or easy the schedule is. That makes it an exciting time for fans who are looking for anything to appease their football appetite following the NFL Draft.

We already know who Dallas will play and which games will be home and way. All that's left to unveil is the exact order of games.

It's also unknown when the Cowboys will be in primetime. With legitimate Super Bowl aspirations after multiple notable offseason moves -- and being the league's most polarizing team -- Dallas is sure to have a handful of national TV slots.

After all, the Cowboys had five primetime games last year: one apiece on Thursday Night Football and Monday Night Football and three on Sunday Night Football. Fans should expect the same number of fixtures this time around.

Let's try to predict them, shall we?

Predicting the primetime games on the Cowboys' 2023 schedule

1. Dallas Cowboys vs New York Jets, Monday Night Football

A Cowboys-Jets primetime game has felt inevitable since Aaron Rodgers revealed on the Pat McAfee Show that he intended to play for New York. With the trade official after over a month of negotiating, you can all but put it in stone.

The league wouldn't dream of sticking this matchup on Thursday Night Football, which leads us to believe Thanksgiving is when it'll be played. That doesn't qualify as primetime given the Cowboys typically kick off around 330 pm CT. If it (somehow) isn't scheduled for the holiday, this reeks of a Monday Night Football matchup with Aaron Rodgers getting the chance to wreak more havoc on Dallas fans.

2. Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday Night Football

The NFL isn't going to bypass the opportunity for a Cowboys-Eagles primetime rivalry game. These teams locked horns on Sunday Night Football last season and met again on Christmas Eve. Look for this matchup to take place near the end of the schedule with the rivals potentially entrenched in a tight race for the division crown.

3. Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills, Monday Night Football

We're hoping this game is scheduled early in the season. What sane fan wants their team to travel to Buffalo in December and early January? Either way, the Cowboys and Bills have some of the best odds of any team to win the Super Bowl, so it feels like a given they'll meet in primetime, perhaps on Monday Night Football.

The appeal of a Dak Prescott-Josh Allen quarterback matchup goes without saying, but Trevon Diggs and Stefon Diggs matching up on the outside? With Bills Mafia trying with all their might to rattle Mike McCarthy's Cowboys? That's premier entertainment.

4. Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday Night Football

A rematch of the NFC Divisional Round clash? Say less. The Cowboys travel to San Francisco this season after they faced each other in each of the last two playoffs. The 49ers (obviously) won both games, so Dallas will look to extract revenge on their foremost non-division rival. The league won't have to try hard to sell this showdown.

5. Dallas Cowboys at LA Chargers, Thursday Night Football

You could swap the Chargers with the Dolphins. Either AFC team feels like a potential primetime matchup for the Cowboys. Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert going head-to-head is an alluring sell by itself, but both teams' rosters are littered with star talent.

The same can be said for the Dolphins, who could get the nod for Miami's expansive market, but what better way to sell a mid-week game than pinning two of the NFL's best quarterbacks against each other? Tua Tagovailoa showed glimpses of greatness in 2022, but his health is a massive wild card for schedule-makers.