So, as we sit here in the middle of May, you have everyone and their mother trying to tell you who is going to make the playoffs and who is going to thrive and everything in-between, but the reality is nobody, not even the guys on TV, have a clue.
Not a single person picked the Seattle Seahawks to be at dominate as they were a year ago, and here we are again seeing everyone tell you why this team or that team won’t be good or won’t make the playoffs or whatever else.
One thing I can tell you is, though, that actually looking at the Dallas Cowboys schedule, is that they indeed have one major advantage and one major disadvantage as we sit here today.
So let’s get into that below.
Disadvantage
Let’s get into the disadvantage first, because we know every fan loves to say the season is over before they start the games.
The Cowboys own the fourth-toughest slate in the NFL this season if you take into account the 2026 opponent win totals forecasted by Vegas oddsmakers.
We also know the Cowboys have seven playoff teams on their 17-game slate, and only three teams in the league will travel more miles than Dallas will (27,980).
1. 49ers – 38,105
2. Rams – 34,847
3. Texans – 28,470
4. Cowboys – 27,980
5. Patriots – 27,590
—
28. Packers – 12,673
29. Bucs – 12,185
30. Bears – 10,676
31. Browns – 9,073
32. Panthers – 8,740
So that is the biggest issue I think as of now. They travel 27,980 miles, only three teams that will travel more than them, and look, every single team is going to have to travel, it is what it is.
These are just all the facts that are given right now.
Nobody has any idea if or when this will play a role. The only thing that does hurt them is that the game in Brazil week three against the Ravens counts as one of their home games, so they lose out on one of those.
Oh well, the NFL is all about money and having a game there brings them so much money that they do not even care. I can promise you that.
We will see how the year goes, but they should be 2-0 to start the year before they travel for that game anyway.
They open Sunday night football against the Giants and then are at home against the Washington Commanders. They should and will win both of those games.
Things will get tricky after that.
Advantage
With all that said, they still have a huge advantage that will work in their favor, and although this might seem like a big deal, it could help as the season goes on.
Something that is called net rest differential and Dallas is +11, as ESPN’s Brian Burke noted in this tweet.
Only two teams in the entire NFL have +11 or better. That list is made up of the Chicago Bears (+15), Buffalo Bills (+14), and Washington Commanders (+11). Dallas’ +11 net rest differential is also tied for the 21st-highest one in the league dating back to 2002. The 2024 Baltimore Ravens own the highest for a season in that span at +16.
Either way, neither of these will matter if they just take care of business, but we know how that goes. Sometimes, the defense will be better. The offense did not lose anyone, so they won seven games a year ago with both.
I think they will hover right around 10 or 11 wins. They will have to get off to a good start, because a rough stretch will hit them, but they should do enough to get them into the playoffs. That is just my gut feeling right now.
I don’t know if they will win a game or not in the playoffs, but they should get there this season. We will see what happens.
Was this helpful?
Comments