A second season with Brian Schottenheimer as head coach and offensive play caller and a significant defensive overhaul has led to much optimism for the 2026 Dallas Cowboys. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker has added several new pieces to a group that was arguably the worst in franchise history last season. None is more notable than do-everything defensive back Caleb Downs, who Dallas selected with the 11th overall pick last month.
The expectation is that Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and company will again form one of the NFL’s best offenses. If the Cowboys’ defense can improve to at least being a top-20 group, a return to the playoffs should be in their future. Dallas has finished with only seven wins in each of the last two seasons.
Wk.MatchupDateTimeNetwork1@ Sunday, Sept. 13 8:20 p.m. NBC 2 Sunday, Sept. 20 4:25 p.m. Fox 3 Sunday, Sept. 27
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4:25 p.m. CBS 4@ Sunday, Oct. 4 1:00 p.m. Fox 5 Thursday, Oct. 8 8:15 p.m. Prime 6@ Sunday, Oct. 18 8:20 p.m. NBC 7@ Monday, Oct. 26 8:15 p.m. ESPN/ABC 8 Sunday, Nov. 1 1:00 p.m. Fox 9@ Sunday, Nov. 8 1:00 p.m. Fox 10 Sunday, Nov. 15 4:25 p.m. Fox 11 Sunday, Nov. 22 1:00 p.m. Fox 12 Thursday, Nov. 26 4:30 p.m. Fox 13@ Monday, Dec. 7 8:15 p.m. ESPN/ABC 14 BYE 15@ Sunday, Dec. 20 4:25 p.m. CBS 16 Sunday, Dec. 27 8:20 p.m. NBC 17 Sunday, Jan. 3 1:00 p.m. Fox 18@
TBA
Week 1 keys to victory
While the New York Giants should be an improved bunch in John Harbaugh’s first season as head coach, they’re still probably the fourth-best team in the NFC East. Defeating them in Week 1 will likely depend on how clean the Cowboys can keep Prescott in the pocket. The Giants look very good on paper along their defensive front. They recently added fifth overall pick Arvell Reese to a group of edge rushers that already includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Cowboys have won nine of their last 10 against the Giants. Prescott is 14-3 against the Giants, throwing 31 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Must-watch game: at Seattle Seahawks, Week 13
As long as the Cowboys stay relatively healthy, they should be playing meaningful football late in the season. A matchup against the defending Super Bowl champions should be quite the test. And then there’s the added storyline of it being DeMarcus Lawrence’s first game against his old team. There’s no question that this one will be circled on his calendar. The Seahawks have been an interesting measuring stick for the Cowboys over the years. Winning at Seattle in Week 6 of the 2014 season was a key moment in what ended up being arguably Dallas’ best season in the past 15 years. Prescott’s first career postseason win came against the Seahawks during the 2018 playoffs.
Toughest stretch: Weeks 1-7
It’s the toughest stretch because of how often the Cowboys are on the road. They open with five of their first seven away from AT&T Stadium. In regards to the stretch when they face the toughest opponents, that comes in Weeks 10-15. The 49ers, Eagles, Seahawks and Rams are a very difficult road for a six-week stretch. However, there’s a bye week mixed in, two of those games are at AT&T Stadium and a third could be a home game, considering how many Cowboys fans will be at SoFi Stadium in Week 15.
Game that has gotten tougher: Both vs. the Giants, Weeks 1 and 17
The Cowboys have owned the Giants for a while. But hiring Harbaugh, having Jaxson Dart entering his second season and adding Reese to a defense that already has some firepower, they should be an improved group. I still have the Cowboys winning both games, but I expect New York to be much better this season.
One game the Cowboys can’t afford to lose: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Week 12
If the Cowboys are going to overtake the Eagles in the division they have to at least split with them during the regular season. Of course, they could win at Philly in Week 7, but if they don’t, this one will be even more important. This afternoon time slot on Thanksgiving Day is usually the most-watched regular-season game in the league. Last year’s Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs game in this time slot drew more than 57 million viewers, making it the most-watched NFL regular-season game in league history. If the Cowboys are a legitimate contender, we’ll likely know it after this game.
Best offense the Cowboys will face: Los Angeles Rams, Week 15
The Rams had the NFL’s best offense last season, averaging 395 yards and 30.5 points per game. The Cowboys weren’t far off at 392 yards and 27.7 points per game. This should be one of the highest-scoring games of the season. Dallas will be better defensively, but I’m not sure they’ll be improved enough to put the clamps on defending league MVP Matthew Stafford.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ offense will present Dallas’ defense with plenty of challenges. (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
Best defense the Cowboys will face: Seattle Seahawks, Week 13
Statistically speaking from last season, it should probably be the Houston Texans. But Seattle’s defense wasn’t far off. Add in what that defense will be like playing the Cowboys in Seattle at Lumen Field on a Monday night and this one jumps to the top spot. Seattle only allowed 17 points per game last season. The Cowboys allowed 30.
Predicted record: 10-7
That early stretch is brutal. I think the Cowboys will split with the Eagles and Commanders, going 4-2 in the division. I think they’ll end up 4-4 on the road with wins at New York, Houston, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. I think they’ll win six home games: Commanders, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Titans, Eagles and Giants. Ten wins should be enough to get Dallas back in the playoffs for the first time in the last three years.
Predicted NFC East finish: Second
1. Eagles
2. Cowboys
3. Commanders
4. Giants
The Cowboys could overtake the Eagles if everything goes extremely well on defense. They’ll probably also need to be very fortunate in the health department. On paper, this is a better Cowboys team than a year ago. I’m just not sure they’ve done enough to move past Philadelphia. The Commanders and Giants seem to be a step behind the other two.