The Cowboys are always compelling viewing on the national stage, but will Brian Schottenheimer's team see itself featured in a host of prime-time games in 2026?
Most NFL fans know that whenever the Dallas Cowboys are on television, they draw huge numbers.
It doesn't seem to matter that the Cowboys haven't seriously challenged for the Super Bowl; they still find a way to get a lot of eyeballs on their games.
Part of that is Cowboys Nation. The other part is rival fans wanting to see Dallas get beaten.
And that brings us to the Cowboys and potential prime-time games in 2026.
Brian Schottenheimer's team has been getting plaudits for its offseason work, headlined by the hiring of Christian Parker and the drafting of Caleb Downs.
Couple that with the other defensive signings and what many think will be a top offense led by Dak Prescott, and there's every reason to think Dallas will be playoff-bound in 2026.
But will they be on prime-time more or less than they were a year ago? In 2025, Schottenheimer's Cowboys got six prime-time games.
Well, we're off to a good start there.
This is the week tne NFL plans to release its schedule, and on Monday morning, a first leak: It's Dallas at the New York Giants in Week 1.
This 7:20 p.m. CT game on Sunday, September 13, will be the eighth time in the last 15 seasons the Giants and the Cowboys will square off Week 1.
Worth noting: In their 12 previous Week 1 games against the Giants, the Cowboys are 11-1.
And there will surely be more to come, in addition to what we already knew about Week 3, which sends Dallas and Baltimore to Rio for an afternoon game (the game is set for a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff) - high-profile though it is.
A good bet? That the Cowboys will again have six standalone games in 2026.
We bet that happens even though the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs in each of the last two seasons; this is, after all, "America's Team'' ... the biggest draw in sports.
The Cowboys this season appear to be ready to be among the NFC's upper echelon if, and that's a big if, the defense can somehow come to the party under new coordinator Parker.
The Cowboys' opponents for 2026?
2026 Home Opponents (AT&T Stadium):
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Baltimore Ravens (in Rio, Week 3)
2026 Away Opponents:
- New York Giants (in New York, Week 1)
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Green Bay Packers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
Obviously, there is no shortage of elite talent the NFL could pit Dallas against in 2026, and yeah, there could be more than six big-stage on the schedule for Schottenheimer's Cowboys ... the "Kings of Prime Time.''