{"id":886091,"date":"2026-05-08T23:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T23:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/886091\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T23:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T23:06:20","slug":"the-dallas-cowboys-are-a-part-of-an-unprecedented-scheduling-problem-the-nfl-is-facing-amid-other-schedule-release-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/886091\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys are a part of an unprecedented scheduling problem the NFL is facing, amid other schedule release questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys\u2019 schedule will be here by next week. Below are the three biggest questions about their schedule release, including a problem around their Rio de Janeiro game versus the Baltimore Ravens.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Dec
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) warms up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRaymond Carlin III-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s official: The NFL announced it will announce its 2026 regular season schedule next week on May 14. Below, I list the three biggest questions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 imminent schedule. <\/p>\n

1. What do things look like around the Rio Game? <\/p>\n

I\u2019m curious about this one for various reasons, starting with the fact that it\u2019s a very awkward spot to be in. And one no NFL team has been in it before. <\/p>\n

Obviously, it\u2019s an international game. Usually, teams playing abroad get a bye week the following week. Brazil has been an exception, though. In the past couple of years, two of four teams that played in Brazil on a Friday (Week 1) have turned around to play the following week on a Sunday. The other two played on Monday Night Football.<\/p>\n

Now, the Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens are playing in Rio de Janeiro<\/a>, Brazil, on a Sunday in Week 3.<\/p>\n

So you can expect one team playing on a regular week on a Sunday, and the other getting an extra day through a Monday night showdown.<\/p>\n

Assuming the league sticks to its recent model, bye weeks will begin in Week 5, so a Week 4 bye isn\u2019t a realistic option. Any way you slice it, the Cowboys were dealt a tough hand with this one. That Week 2-Week 4 stretch is going to be a tough one. <\/p>\n

Note: A quick Google search indicates a direct flight from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil takes 12 hours. So expect a full day to be dedicated to getting there and back. <\/p>\n

2. Do the Cowboys get a back-to-back NFL Kickoff appearance? <\/p>\n

I know, I know. The NFL is unlikely to allow the Cowboys to be the visiting team in back-to-back Kickoff games. But hear me out. Firstly, there\u2019s no rule that keeps them from doing so. <\/p>\n

Secondly, they are the only team with three appearances as the away team in the league\u2019s Kickoff game since 2002. They\u2019ve appeared in the opening game twice since 2021, including last year against the Philadelphia Eagles.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the kicker: With this year\u2019s Kickoff scheduled for a Wednesday night, the NFL may want to pick its best option to draw attention to a highly uncommon gameday. A quick glance at the Seahawks\u2019 road opponents suggests the Cowboys are one of the top candidates:<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys<\/p>\n

New England Patriots<\/p>\n

Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Chargers<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears<\/p>\n

New York Giants<\/p>\n

Arizona Cardinals<\/p>\n

Note: Rams and 49ers not included due to Melbourne game. <\/p>\n

3. Will they play on Christmas Day again? <\/p>\n

Last year, the Cowboys had two short weeks in a six-game stretch. The reason? Holiday games. <\/p>\n

The Cowboys hosted the Chiefs on Thanksgiving and later visited the Commanders on Christmas Day. My take? Playing on Dec. 25 would be a disadvantage again. But the NFL went all-in on holiday games last year, so don\u2019t be surprised if they go to their ratings monster once again. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Oct\t\t<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys News<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDallas Cowboys\u2019 $33 million gamble could become much more important during OTAs and beyond for obvious reason\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dallas Cowboys still don\u2019t know who will carry the burden of the green dot on defense. But a surprise candidate was already mentioned by name by head coach Brian Schottenheimer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys\u2019 schedule will be here by next week. Below are the three biggest questions about their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":886092,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[119497,230,229,257,2461,7,6,13886],"class_list":["post-886091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-cowboys","tag-2026-nfl-schedule-release","tag-cowboys","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallascowboys","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-international-games"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116541468921896411","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=886091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/886091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/886092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=886091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=886091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=886091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}