They have a full week off before playing again on a Thursday against the young, rapidly improving Seattle Seahawks, a playoff team a year ago. Their five-game stretch, four of which are against 2022 playoff teams, after a home date on Thanksgiving against the Washington Commanders will make or break the Cowboys' opportunity to win the NFC East. ![]() 4-game stretch vs 2022 playoff teams after Thanksgiving.Back-to-back contests against last two NFC Champions after bye week.Matchups with all three NFC East rivals in first six weeks.Matchups with both New York teams to start the season.Significant climate shock in Weeks 15-16 (at Bills then at Dolphins).Back-to-back California road games in Weeks 5-6.3 road games in final four contests to end regular season.5 home games in first seven games after Week 7 bye.4 road games in first six games prior to Week 7 bye.3 mini-bye weeks (post-Thanksgiving, post-Week 5, post-Week 17).Two Thursday games, including Thanksgiving (back-to-back in Weeks 12 & 13).Only two games played in first time slot on Sundays (1 p.m.6 prime-time games (T-most in NFL with Chargers, Chiefs, and Bills).Below are the top-17 most notable items you'll need to takeaway from Dallas' 17 games. After the bye, the degree of difficulty shoots upward. Their Week 7 bye is in a nice spot, giving them a breather after consecutive road games on the West Coast against 2022 playoff teams. The Cowboys have a chance to start the season off 3-1 or 4-0 given three of their first four games are against teams they should handle easily: the Giants, Cardinals, and Patriots. **** Saturday 17 notable schedule observations ![]() Their biggest value picks - third-round Texas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, fourth-round San Jose State defensive end Viliami Fehoko Jr., and sixth-round Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn - could all contribute as nice depth pieces in 2023 and factor into the Cowboys' longer-term plans in a bigger capacity down the line. While their pick of Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith wasn't the greatest value add at that spot, it's a selection that should aide two-time First-Team All-Pro Micah Parsons' full-embrace of the defensive end position in the upcoming season. Then, Dallas had a safe, down the fairway 2023 NFL Draft by filling in remaining needs at defensive tackle, tight end, linebacker, defensive end and running back. ![]() These moves were made on top of r etaining just about all of their key defensive players from a unit that allowed the fifth-fewest points (20.1 points per game) in the NFL in 2022. Both are already making an impact on their new Cowboys teammates in their roles as the team's number two receiver and number two cornerback. ![]() He did so in the deals to acquire wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. However, owner Jerry Jones began made some smart moves this offseason, trading late-round picks for quality veterans that can plug key roster roles. That has extended their NFL record streak of consecutive playoff appearances without a conference championship game to 12 in a row. The bad news for the Silver and Blue is they've also been consistent in the playoffs the last two seasons, losing each time to the San Francisco 49ers - in the NFC wild-card round in 2021 and in the NFC divisional round in 2022. The last two seasons mark the first consecutive Dallas seasons with 12 or more wins since the 1992-1995 seasons, when the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years with Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin leading the way. The good news for the Dallas Cowboys under head coach Mike McCarthy is that they have been winning in the regular season like it's the 1990s again: consecutive seasons with 12 victories in 2021 (12-5) and 2022 (12-5), with quarterback Dak Prescott playing 12 or more games each season.
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