Early last week the NFL informed more than one of its franchises that the 2024 regular season schedule was coming out on Thursday, May 9th.
Everyone got ready. Everyone got set.
Then the NFL said: “Go…away until next week.”
No explanation was given for the last-minute, six-day delay – unprecedented in NFL history. But there were some interesting theories.
One had Jerry Jones lobbying the league to schedule the Cowboys to open the season on the road against the 49ers on Sunday night football.
This is despite Dallas’ last win in San Francisco dating all the way back to 2017 and the Cowboys having dropped the last three games overall against the 49ers.
Including that embarrassing 42-10 beatdown on Oct. 8th last year – a game that proved to be Leighton Vander Esch’s NFL finale at that.
If the rumor is true – and Jones was lobbying for that game’s placement – you wonder if he’s forgotten what happened the last time he tried to pick an opponent for a highlight game.
Back in 2008, Jones pushed to get the Baltimore Ravens as the Cowboys’ opponent for their last home game at Texas Stadium.
Remember that game?
The Ravens won 33-24 and they came into the game with a chip on their shoulder having learned they were the hand-picked team by Jones.
Maybe quit motivating the other teams with silly things like this, hmmm?
What We Do Know
Rumors aside, we know the schedule will be released at 7 p.m. tonight.
We know that Kansas City will host Baltimore in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game to start the season.
That game kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 5th at 7:20 p.m. on NBC.
As for the rest of the schedule?
We get to wait until later tonight to see how that plays out.
The Cowboys 2024 Season
We also know that in three of the last four seasons, the Cowboys have begun the season by playing the Sunday night game.
The only exception was in 2021 when they played Tampa Bay in the Thursday night season-opener.
So maybe that rumor isn’t so far off base?
Dallas opened at the Giants last year, so could a Giants’ visit to AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 8th be in the cards?
Possibly.
Dallas and Tampa Bay traded home and away season openers in 2021 & 2022.
However, according to a few online reports, the Cowboys will open on the road again this year.
Fox’s Michael Strahan let slip on Monday that Dallas will be at Cleveland for an afternoon game on Sept. 8th.
He added it will be Tom Brady’s first game as an analyst for the network as well.
And apparently, because the networks can’t keep their traps shut, ESPN has leaked that the Jets will play at the 49ers to open the Monday Night Football season.
Hopefully, Aaron Rodgers manages to last longer than he did last year on national television.
It should be noted that none of this has been officially announced by the NFL.
We’ll know for sure later tonight.
Brown Out In Cleveland
If the report is correct though, it will be the second-straight season opener played on the road.
The Cowboys have nine home games this year against just eight away games.
It would also be the fourth time the Cowboys have played the Browns to open an NFL season.
All four season-opening meetings will have been played in Cleveland.
The first meeting was prior to the merger.
Dallas went to Cleveland on Sept. 17, 1967, and won 21-14.
In 1991, on Sept. 1st, the Cowboys rolled to a 26-14 win over the Browns at Cleveland. In 2008, also in Cleveland, Dallas won 28-10 on Sept. 7th.
It will be the 33rd overall meeting between the two franchises. The Browns hold an 18-14 advantage, with most of the damage done in the 1960s.
The Cowboys are 9-8 in home games against Cleveland while the Browns are 10-5 at home against Dallas.
Cleveland was 14-5 against the Cowboys in the 1960s, when the teams were in the NFL.
After the merger, the Browns moved to the AFC.
Dallas is 9-4 against Cleveland since then.
Tough Schedule
Cleveland went 11-6 last year and the Cowboys will also face the Steelers (10-7) on the road while hosting the Ravens (13-4) and Bengals (9-8) at home as they square off against the AFC North.
In addition to their home and away series with their NFC East rivals, Dallas will host the Texans, Saints, Lions, and Buccaneers.
The Cowboys travel to play the Falcons as well as San Francisco and have a road game against Carolina.
It will be interesting to see if Dallas draws Carolina’s “home” international game to be played in Munich, Germany.
Regardless of when Dallas faces these teams, it is set up to be a tough schedule for 2024.
The Cowboys’ opponents went a combined 146-143 (.505) in 2023. That ranks 12th in the NFL for the toughest schedule in 2024.
A separate post will be made shortly after the schedule is officially released.
Beginning next week, a look at the Cowboys’ historical records against their 13 opponents – and corresponding weekly records – will follow.