Dallas Cowboys NFL schedule 2024: Analysis, predictions ahead of release
The NFL is set to release its complete 2024 NFL schedule on Wednesday night but a few details on the Dallas Cowboys' slate are already out, including the opener and the list of teams they will play.
Here's what we know about the Dallas Cowboys' NFL schedule for 2024.
Dallas Cowboys' complete schedule coming Wednesday, May 15
The NFL has announced that the 2024 NFL schedule will be released at 6 p.m. MST Wednesday
The schedule release show can be watched on NFL Network, NFL.com, the NFL app and NFL+.
ESPN will also have a two-hour special on the schedule release on Wednesday at 9 p.m. MST on ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN+.
Cowboys to open at Cleveland
Dallas' season opener will be called by Tom Brady in his first game as an announcer. The game will kick off at 2:25 p.m. MST on Sept. 8 and will be televised on FOX.
Cleveland leads the all-time series against the Cowboys 18-14. In addition to Brady's regular-season debut, the game will feature a quarterback battle between Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson.
The Cowboys know their opponents
In addition to Cleveland, Dallas will play the rest of the AFC North. They also play the entire NFC South, the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, the Houston Texans and everyone in their division twice.
Home games: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New York Giants.
Road games: Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New York Giants.
How hard is Dallas' schedule?
The Cowboys' 2024 opponents went 146-143 last season, ranking their schedule tied for 12th in the 32-team league. That makes their schedule the second toughest in the division, as the Commanders schedule is No. 16 in strength of opponent, the Eagles' is 21st and the Giants' is sixth.
Who will Dallas play on Thanksgiving?
One certainty is that Dallas will play on the afternoon slot at home on Thanksgiving, so it will be against the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins or New York Giants.
The obvious matchup would seem to be Houston. That is the "17th game" on the schedule, as it doesn't follow the formula used to determine the other 16 opponents.
Other intriguing possibilities for the Thanksgiving game are the division rivals Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, who are frequent Dallas Thanksgiving Day opponents.
When will the prime time games be?
Teams can play a maximum of six prime-time games, last year four did, and Dallas usually reaches that. That would be three Sunday night games, a Thursday night game, a Monday night game and a late-season Saturday night game.
How many games will Dallas win?
The early over-under on wins, as set by Betmgm.com, has Dallas at 10.5 games, a drop off from the 12-5 mark they had last season. That pegs them to tie for the NFC East title, as Philadelphia is also at 10.5 games while the New York Giants and Washington are at 6.5.
Baltimore, Kansas City and San Francisco have an over-under of 11.5 wins, the best in the league. The Carolina Panthers, at 4.5 wins, are again projected to be the worst team in the league.
What does Dallas want to see on its schedule?
The Cowboys often play one of their division teams twice early in the season, and they would like to see that be Washington or the New York Giants, as they are expected to be poor teams and Dallas wants a quick start.
They don't want to travel to Pittsburgh in December because of the weather, so they would like to see that game in the middle of the season.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dallas Cowboys 2024 NFL schedule: Opponents, predictions
