The Dallas Cowboys will get their full NFL schedule on the books this week, and as usual, it figures to be packed with national games. Already, we know that the Cowboys will open on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 1 against the Giants, as was revealed on Monday morning, and then on Monday evening, another bit of leaked news dropped: The Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving game will feature the Eagles at 4:30 pm.
The Cowboys will also play a game against the Ravens in Rio de Janeiro at Maracana Stadium, on Sunday, September 27, which is Week 3.
That is at least three national TV games for Dallas, then, after having played seven games outside the normal Sunday afternoon parameters last year. It’s likely that, with the expected improvement of the Cowboys this season, they’ll get at least as many national games on the schedule as they did in 2025.
Cowboys Will Find a ‘Hostile’ Thanksgiving
The official schedule release in the NFL will come on Thursday, though it is already known whom the Cowboys will be playing in 2026. And, to be fair, the NFL schedule leaks are all pretty well organized by the league in order to drive viewership to the official release, which will be on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The league’s website noted about Cowboys-Eagles: “Thanksgiving could get hostile in Dallas in 2026.The Cowboys will host their bitter NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, for their annual holiday showdown in 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, the NFL announced on Monday.
The NFC East has been dominated by the Eagles and Cowboys over the last five years, with Philadelphia owning a 3-2 lead in division titles over Dallas since the 2021 season. With consecutive NFC East crowns in hand, the Eagles will head to the unfriendly confines of AT&T Stadium as the eastern portion of the United States polishes off its first (or second) Thanksgiving plates, setting up the perfect spectacle in what could prove to be a pivotal game for both teams.”
2026 NFL Schedule Is Daunting
Sheer poetry, that. Still, it stands to reason that we can guess how the rest of the schedule will unfold, since we do know the list of teams the Cowboys will be playing. When it comes to national games, really, any of the NFC East games–the Cowboys play two each against the Giants, Eagles and Commanders–could land on primetime TV, and indeed, two already are.
But in addition to the home-and-homes with their traditional rivals, and the Rio “home game” against the Ravens, the Cowboys have tough opponents lined up.
Cowboys 2026 NFL schedule: Home games
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- Baltimore Ravens (Brazil)
Cowboys 2026 NFL schedule: Road games
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
Again, it is a tough slog for the Cowboys. In addition to what should be an improved NFC East, the Cowboys have to play the gauntlet of teams that is the NFC West, where three teams won 12-plus games, and playoff teams from Houston, Green Bay and Jacksonville. There are also fringe playoff teams from Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. The only truly bad teams on the slate are Arizona and Tennessee, and even they are expected to be better.
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