For the Dallas Cowboys, the most important stretch of the season might not come in late November or December. It might be right at the start.
The usual answer to this kind of question is the grind near the end of the schedule, when the games stack up, the playoffs are close, and every mistake gets magnified. But this year, the first five weeks feel like the part that could shape everything.
Here’s the reckless but reasonable theory: if the Cowboys reach Week 6 with four wins, they are going to the playoffs this season.
That doesn’t guarantee anything, of course. But it does point to how demanding the opening month-plus really is.
The challenge isn’t only about the opponents. It’s about the travel and the timing, the kind of schedule stress that can wear a team down before the season even settles into its rhythm.
Through the first five weeks, the Cowboys face a path that is taxing from a travel and time standpoint. That matters.
It can affect games. It can make good teams look ordinary for a week or two.
None of that is shocking, but it is part of the reality of this stretch.
And the grind doesn’t end there. After this run, the Cowboys still have games against the Packers, the Eagles twice, the Seahawks, and the Rams.
So the idea isn’t that they’ve cleared out all the tough opponents by Week 6. It’s that the first wave of the season may be the most difficult one because of the circumstances surrounding it.
That’s why this opening stretch stands out. It may end up telling us more about the Cowboys’ season than the traditional late-year gauntlet.
In Other News...
Cowboys Proved Their Dynasty Was Real In One Crushing 49ers Win
The NFC Championship game at Texas Stadium on Jan. 23, 1994, still stands as one of the clearest statements the Cowboys made in the middle of their run. Facing the 49ers again with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Dallas handled the moment with the kind of force that made the dynasty feel less like a hot stretch and more like a finished proof. The 38-21 win also marked a second straight NFC title game victory over San Francisco, which only deepened the sense that this was now Dallas' stage.
It was hardly a smooth night, either. Troy Aikman was shaken up by a concussion and had to leave the game, forcing Bernie Kosar into meaningful duty at the biggest possible time. Even with that disruption, the Cowboys kept control and kept separating from a 49ers team that had been the conference standard for years, a reminder of how fully Dallas had taken the mantle by then. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Still Have One Sneaky Way To Upgrade Before Week 1
As the Cowboys trim down to a roster that has to hold up once the games count, the practice squad market can still offer a little late-summer value. A handful of names have surfaced as possible fits for Dallas, and the appeal is straightforward: these are players who already showed enough in preseason to keep themselves on the radar, while also lining up with spots where the Cowboys could use extra depth.
Dean Connors, Tyler Miller, Red Murdock, Jabbar Muhammad and DeShon Singleton Jr. each bring a different kind of usefulness, whether it is at a position of need or simply as an intriguing developmental add. For a team trying to get through the final stretch before Week 1 with as few holes as possible, the question is whether Dallas wants to stay patient with what it has or make one more quiet move before the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans May See No. 60 Very Differently After This Throwback Story
The No. 60 jersey has bounced around Cowboys history, but it carries a little more weight when you trace it back to Don Smerek. The undrafted defensive lineman carved out a real role in Dallas from 1980 to 1988, becoming the most notable player to wear the number and doing it the hard way after battling injuries and surviving a shooting incident along the way.
For a team that has seen plenty of linemen cycle through the roster, Smerek stands out because he stuck as a pass rusher and made his mark without the draft pedigree or the easy path. Other players have worn 60 since then, and Tyler Guyton has it now, but the number still invites a look back at a player whose Cowboys story was built on resilience as much as production. [Read more 🡒]