{"id":333715,"date":"2026-06-12T14:59:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333715\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T14:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:59:21","slug":"dallas-cowboys-schedule-3-matchups-that-will-help-define-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333715\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys schedule: 3 matchups that will help define the season"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are officially under 100 days until the Dallas Cowboys travel to New York to start their 2026 regular season. While there is plenty that will happen between now and that matchup, it\u2019s never too early to look ahead at the entirety of Dallas\u2019 regular season schedule.<\/p>\n

With that thought in mind, today we take a look at three games that will likely determine the eventual outcome of Dallas\u2019 2026 season. Let us know if you agree with our selections in the comments section.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

1) Week 5 VS Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/p>\n

It may seem crazy to put so much emphasis on an early-season matchup, but this Week 5 contest against the Buccaneers will carry much weight in determining the outcome of Dallas\u2019 regular season. While the Bucs themselves don\u2019t figure to be one of the Cowboys\u2019 most difficult opponents, the matchup between the two teams comes in a tough stretch of their schedule.<\/p>\n

From Week 3 to Week 7, the Cowboys will face the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles. Of those five games, only one, Week 5 against Tampa, will be a home game at AT&T Stadium.<\/p>\n

There is a possibility that Dallas could be the underdog in all of those matchups except the home game against Tampa depending on how they start the season. If the Cowboys can win two of those four, that would come as a huge win. Regardless, they absolutely need to win against the Buccaneers if they want any shot at competing for the postseason.<\/p>\n

It may not have the hype of some other games on the schedule, but the Dallas vs Tampa matchup will be very important for the Cowboys\u2019 playoff hopes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

2) Week 12 VS Philadelphia Eagles<\/p>\n

You had to know we wouldn\u2019t make it through this list without a Cowboys\/Eagles matchup. This year, for just the third time in NFL history, Dallas and Philadelphia will meet on Thanksgiving Day. The Cowboys are 0-2 in those matchups, and breaking that trend will be pivotal if they want to take back the NFC East this season.<\/p>\n

One thing going in the Cowboys\u2019 favor is that they get a bit of a soft landing into this Thanksgiving matchup. Three of their four games before the holiday come against likely non-playoff teams (Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans). While three wins here would give them some room for error in the second half of the year, losing this matchup at home against the Eagles could sink their division chances if they are trying to climb out of an early-season hole.<\/p>\n

Winning this game would give the Cowboys some much-needed wiggle room as they enter a brutal three-game stretch after the holiday. Whoever walks away victorious on Thanksgiving Day may very well end up walking away with the NFC East title at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

3) Week 16 VS Jacksonville Jaguars<\/p>\n

Our final season-defining game comes all the way in Week 16 as the Cowboys host the Jacksonville Jaguars. While a late-season matchup against a non-conference opponent may not seem that important on the surface, if the Cowboys are a playoff-contending team come December, this game will have plenty riding on it.<\/p>\n

As we mentioned above, after facing the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys have to travel to Seattle and Los Angeles, facing arguably the two best teams in football, the Seahawks and the Rams. Both of those matchups will be extremely difficult for the Cowboys, and there is a decent shot they go 0-2. If that does happen, avoiding a potential three-game late-season losing streak would be vital.<\/p>\n

The Jaguars figure to be one of the AFC\u2019s better teams, and their late-season matchup in Dallas could be must-see TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We are officially under 100 days until the Dallas Cowboys travel to New York to start their 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,47098,104,103],"class_list":["post-333715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys-schedule","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}