Dallas Cowboys unveil 2026 schedule with six primetime games, Week 3 in Rio

The National Football League (NFL) released the Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday, May 14, detailing 17 games that include six primetime dates and a Sunday Night Football opener at the New York Giants. The slate features significant travel, an international fixture in Brazil, and a late-season bye that could shape the playoff push.

Dallas opens under the lights against the Giants before navigating a demanding early stretch. In Week 3, the Cowboys travel to Rio de Janeiro to face the Baltimore Ravens, then return to play the Houston Texans in Week 4 and host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night in Week 5. That run amounts to three games in 12 days, a sequence that will test the team’s travel planning and recovery.

The Cowboys’ bye arrives in Week 14, matching the latest in franchise history. The placement compresses the first 13 games and extends the pre-bye grind but offers extra recovery for the final month. Dallas also draws six night games overall, underscoring the club’s continued pull in national television windows despite recent postseason absences.

Based on opponents’ 2025 records, the Cowboys have the league’s 13th-easiest strength of schedule, with foes combining for a .493 winning percentage. Oddsmakers set the over/under at 9.5 wins, while independent projections put Dallas around 10.1 victories, reflecting expectations of a competitive season in the NFC.

International trip and heavyweight tilts

Headlining matchups include a Week 6 visit to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, a game that could feature former Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons in a high-profile setting at Lambeau Field. The rivalry with Philadelphia surfaces twice, first in Week 7 on Monday Night Football at the Eagles and again on Thanksgiving in Week 12 at AT&T Stadium.

Dallas hosts the San Francisco 49ers in mid-November and later faces the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night in Week 13. A Week 16 Sunday night home date against the Jacksonville Jaguars adds to the primetime tally. The regular season wraps with a home game against the Giants in Week 17 and a Week 18 finale at the Washington Commanders, with the exact date and time to be determined by the league.

Milestones and late-season positioning

Quarterback Dak Prescott enters 2026 needing five touchdown passes to surpass Tony Romo’s 247 and become the franchise’s all-time leader. Given the early schedule, that milestone could arrive within the opening two weeks. Dallas, which finished 7-9-1 last season to miss the playoffs for a second straight year, closes with two of its final three games at home — a setup that may prove pivotal in tiebreakers and seeding.

Thanksgiving week begins a challenging three-game run that includes the Eagles, a Monday night trip to the defending champions in Seattle, and then the late bye before a road test against a 2025 conference runner-up. How the Cowboys manage that window, and the earlier 12-day, three-game burst, will go a long way toward defining their postseason outlook.

Fans will watch how Dallas handles the international travel, protects its home field in December, and pursues Prescott’s record chase. The NFL will confirm final Week 18 timing closer to the season, and further broadcast adjustments remain possible as the league optimizes national windows.