Four critical points concerning the Cowboys’ 2024 schedule.
On Wednesday, the NFL revealed its 2024 schedule, which includes a completely new slate of games for the Dallas Cowboys. We already knew who will play because it is selected by an algorithm that is applied after the final regular season game. But now we know when.
There are plenty fascinating games, and fans have circled their favorites as we prepare for the new season. What aspects of a game’s layout stick out to you? Here are four notes about the Cowboys’ 2024 schedule:
1. Some monster opponents, but overall it’s middle of the road.
Overall, the Cowboys’ schedule is middle-of-the-road, with tough and easy opponents. This season, their cumulative win-loss record against their opponents is 146-143, for a winning percentage of 0.505. That places them 12th in the league for toughest strength of schedule, tied with three other teams (the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Jets). In comparison, the New York Giants are ranked sixth (.516), the Washington Commanders are 16th (.502), and the Philadelphia Eagles are 21st (.491).
The Cowboys are at a disadvantage here, and that is by design, but as previously noted, you never know which teams will be good from year to year. Last year, the Eagles were expected to face the tougher NFC North opponent, but instead faced the Minnesota Vikings, while the Cowboys played the Lions. Who knows, maybe the Green Bay Packers, captained by Jordan Love, may be the stiffer opponent this season. It’s difficult to read too much into this area of the timetable.
The Cowboys only play one team this season that had a better record than them last year, the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys also finished second in the league in point differential (+194), trailing only the Ravens (+203). Dallas will play against two teams with the same record as they had (49ers and Lions), but San Francisco is the only other opponent with an impressive point differential last season.
2. Give it a rest!
The strength of the opponents is the most essential component in defining the difficulty of the schedule, although getting enough rest is also vital. The Cowboys got the short straw in that regard. Let us explain… We know they get a brief rest matchup every year during the week before Thanksgiving, so it’s understandable. Normally, the Cowboys’ second Thursday game occurs in Week 14, the week following the Thanksgiving game, giving them a full week off between games. Not this year. For whatever reason, the Cowboys’ second Thursday game will be in Week 4, therefore they will have to play on short rest twice.
What is the bye week schedule? The Cowboys’ bye week is Week 7, which is close to the middle, so that’s OK. The Eagles get their bye week earlier in Week 5, while the Giants and Commanders have theirs later in the season (Week 11 and Week 14, respectively). It’s also worth mentioning that they’ll only face one opponent in Week 6, the Lions, who will be coming off an extra week of rest following their own bye in Week 5. That’s disappointing because it’s slated to be a significant NFC game. Speaking of which, the Cowboys will have some additional rest heading into their Week 8 clash against the 49ers after their Week 7 bye.The Niners, however, will be coming off a Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Overall, from a bye perspective, it doesn’t lean one way or another for the Cowboys.
3. The Cowboys run the East?
The Cowboys will try to do something unprecedented in 20 years: win the NFC East in consecutive years. Besting their divisional opponents will come at a cost, as they will have the most difficult schedule of non-component games. Here’s a list of those games, along with their projected win totals for 2024.
4. Tough early on, but easier down the stretch
While the Cowboys’ overall 2023 opponent record is close to.500, the distribution of difficult versus easy opponents is not evenly distributed. The Cowboys face some tough opponents early on, but things get much simpler down the stretch. Seven of their first ten opponents won by double digits last year, while just one of their last seven did.
Again, what happened last year does not guarantee what will happen this year, but it appears that the Cowboys may be granted a break before making their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
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