The Dallas Cowboys are staring down a brutal early-season gauntlet that could test even the most resilient of teams. Owner Jerry Jones and his squad are set to navigate a grueling 6,500-mile travel odyssey within the first three weeks of the 2026 NFL season, a nightmare scenario that will challenge their endurance and depth from the very start.
While the full schedule drops Thursday, key matchups have already leaked, and they paint a daunting picture. The Cowboys kick off on the road against division rival New York Giants in a Sunday Night Football clash in Week 1. This marks the fourth straight season Dallas starts away from home, and it's the first time since their 40-0 thrashing of the Giants in 2023 that these two have met in a season opener. That trip to New Jersey may be short in distance, but the late-night kickoff means the team won't return to Dallas until early Monday morning, cutting sharply into precious recovery time.
The real travel test comes in Week 3, when the Cowboys head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to face the Baltimore Ravens on September 27. That international trip alone adds thousands of miles to their early-season log, making proper rest and game preparation a logistical puzzle. If their Week 2 game is at home, they'll still have covered more than 6,500 miles by the end of that third week—a staggering figure that can wear down even the most conditioned athletes.
On the bright side, Dallas has a familiar holiday date locked in: they'll host the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) at AT&T Stadium. It's only the third Thanksgiving meeting between these heated NFC East rivals, and their first since 2014, promising a festive showdown with major playoff implications.
According to analyst Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL. Sharp uses Vegas win totals to gauge strength of schedule, a more forward-looking method that accounts for offseason roster changes rather than relying on outdated records from the previous year. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, this early-season grind will be a defining test of their grit and preparation.