The Dallas Cowboys have known their opponents since the end of last season, and after Wednesday’s schedule drop, they can put dates and times next to those names.
They were reasonably sure they’d have six prime time games and they do, with three at home and three on the road. They play NFC favorites San Francisco and Detroit in back-to-back games but with a fortuitous bye in between.
The Thanksgiving showdown is with the Giants, who haven’t been a particularly big rival in years, and a Monday night game with Houston that looks fun.
Here is a game-by-game prediction for the 2024-25 NFL season
Week 1 Sept. 8 at Cleveland
Cleveland 21, Dallas 17. Tom Brady’s first game as an announcer pits Dak Prescott against DeShaun Watson. But look for the defenses to be ahead of the offenses in this opener as the Browns ride home field to a win.
Week 2 Sept. 15 vs. New Orleans
Dallas 35, New Orleans 10. The Cowboys get back on track at home against a lower-tier team. The bad part of the schedule: They play the AFC North. The good news: They play the NFC South.
Week 3 Sept. 22 vs. Baltimore
Dallas 28, Baltimore 26. A heavyweight showdown. Dallas has gotten better at winning these at home, look for that to continue much of this year.
Week 4 Sept. 26 at New York Giants
Dallas 31, New York Giants 14. Dallas is also good at beating the bottom of its division. The Cowboys own New York right now.
Week 5 Oct. 6 at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh 30, Dallas 20. The Cowboys get tripped up on the road against an AFC North team.
Week 6 Oct. 13 vs. Detroit
Dallas 35, Detroit 27. In what is billed as a potential NFC Championship preview, the Cowboys knock off a Lions team that comes in with the best record in the NFC. This is far from a knockout, though, but will make Detroit hungry for a playoff rematch.
Week 7 Bye
Week 8 Oct. 27 at San Francisco
San Francisco 35, Dallas 14. In another game that will be billed as a potential championship preview, Dallas gets waxed from the opening kickoff. Maybe San Francisco against Detroit is the NFC championship game.
Week 9 Nov. 3 vs. Atlanta
Dallas 37, Atlanta 13. This comes in the middle of a gauntlet so it could be a trap game, but not if Dallas has just gotten stomped by San Francisco.
Week 10 Nov. 10 vs. Philadelphia
Dallas 28, Philadelphia 17. Dallas stays on a roll on its home field and seems to right itself while taking control of the division.
Week 11 Nov. 18 vs. Houston
Dallas 21, Houston 20. Another heavyweight matchup that finds its way to prime time. Prescott vs. C.J. Stroud has the hype but the defenses earn the headlines after it’s over.
Week 12 Nov. 24 at Washington
Washington 30, Dallas 21. Just as people start believing in them, the high-flying Cowboys have one of those annual stumbles where they don’t look ready to play.
Week 13 Nov. 28 vs. New York Giants
Dallas 42, New York 21. The Cowboys take out frustration on the Giants. A home Thanksgiving game against a bad division team is a layup and Dallas takes it.
Week 14 Dec. 9 vs. Cincinnati
Cincinnati 26, Dallas 24. The Cowboys’ home-field dominance is shot down by Joe Burrows and a Bengals team that could bounce back big-time this season.
Week 15 Dec. 15 at Carolina
Dallas 29, Carolina 12. This game will be forgotten about within five minutes of it ending.
Week 16 Dec. 22 vs. Tampa Bay
Dallas 35, Tampa Bay 22. The Cowboys get back to winning at AT&T Stadium in a routine win that sets them up to play for an NFC East title.
Week 17 Dec. 29 at Philadelphia
Philadelphia 26, Dallas 21. With the division title on the line, Philadelphia protects home field in a back-and-forth game decided on the final drive.
Week 18 at Washington, TBA.
Dallas 28, Washington 10. The Cowboys complete an 11-6 season with a forgettable win with not much on the line. They make the playoffs with a six seed and get a playoff rematch with Philadelphia.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
