Previewing the Dallas Cowboys 2023 schedule

Tonight, the NFL will announce the 2023 schedule. We will find out when the Dallas Cowboys will be playing their opponents. We already know who the opponents will be.

One thing that has been confirmed is that Dallas will not be playing overseas this season, the international games having been announced on Wednesday.

That is a bit of an advantage for the Cowboys, since the long travel is tiring and the normal routines get disrupted. Dallas already has to face one more away game than at home this year, thanks to the 17 game schedule.

There are some constants for Dallas. They play a lot of primetime games. We can expect a couple of the divisional matchups to fall into that category, because the NFC East boasts four of the biggest media markets in the league. That translates into ratings, and more revenue, so you know they will be included.

But there are some other very interesting matchups that will factor into the official schedule. Some jump out because of who is involved.

At Buffalo Bills

The Bills have become one of the AFC’s powerhouses. This is a prime candidate for a national audience as both teams are seen as contenders going into this season.

At San Francisco 49ers (Week 5 SNF)

Two years in a row now, the 49ers have knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs. This game is being played in Week on SNF, and it could be a preview of a possible playoff matchup again. San Francisco is also one of the preseason favorites to be in the postseason.

New York Jets

Just like the 49ers, the new quarterback for the Jets has been a real Cowboys killer in the playoffs. Now Aaron Rodgers is wearing a different shade of green in New York, and will be coming back to AT&T Stadium to face his old coach, Mike McCarthy. We don’t know how good his team will be, so this is one that might tempt the schedulers to put on Sunday or Monday Night Football the first weekend of the year for ratings. If Rodgers is not able to elevate the Jets, they could be less relevant later in the season, so this is a game they might need to use early.

We discussed the upcoming schedule on the latest episode of Ryled Up on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. Make sure to subscribe to our network so you don’t miss any of our shows! Apple devices can subscribe here and Spotify users can subscribe here.

At Los Angeles Chargers

This is highly intriguing, because former Dallas OC Kellen Moore is now with the Chargers. Mike McCarthy basically blamed him for the offensive struggles the team had late last season. Moore has another very good QB in Justin Herbert, and will be out to prove a point. Lots of drama for the broadcast to manufacture here.

The other games look less exciting, but remember, we don’t know how these teams will look when the games are played for real. Will Sean McVay or Bill Belichick get their squads back into contention? Can the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers continue to build on last season? The Cowboys have one of the most difficult schedules this year, but that is based on last year’s records. Teams rise and fall each season. Some playoff teams from last year will not make it this time around. That means others will. For Dallas, it is all about maintaining some consistency and getting to the postseason for the third year in a row under McCarthy.

There are additional things to consider, such as the Thanksgiving game and the required Thursday Night Football appearance. The former is interesting. We know the Lions are not going to be the opponent for Dallas, since they have their own home game that day, leaving only seven possibilities. The Seattle Seahawks might be a candidate here, but it is really pretty wide open, without much in the way of compelling options outside the Philadelphia Eagles. It looks like the most attractive matchup from a ratings standpoint would be a divisional opponent. The TNF game will be an away game, which offers much more interesting options. It could be one of the high-interest games listed above.

There are a lot of moving parts, and there is also the chance of the Cowboys getting flexed out of late season SNF games. Hopefully, that will be because of their scheduled opponent, not their own struggles.

We will be tracking the Dallas games as they are announced here at BTB. In the meantime, when would you like to see the Cowboys play their opponents this fall? Give us your preferred schedule in the comments.