(Editor's Note: In the upcoming weeks before the start of training camp, the staff of DallasCowboys.com is looking to answer the 20 biggest questions facing the team heading into the 2024 season. Today, the staff writers continue the series by identifying a pivotal game on the schedule.)
17) Most important game on 2024 schedule?
Nick Harris: If you polled a group of Cowboys fans, I think you would get a resounding answer that nothing in the regular season would give fans confidence going into the playoffs after how each of the last three seasons of ended, but I do think a win against San Francisco in Week 8 could be the first indicator towards 2024's conclusion being different than 2023. It's another primetime matchup at Levi's Stadium one year after a 42-10 drubbing in the same environment, but a win could put the Cowboys at the top of the NFC's pecking order going deeper into the season.
Kyle Youmans: Cliché and corny as it may be, it's Week 1 against the Browns. Because it's the next game up. This season, all eyes are on this coaching staff, this leadership group, and this front office to produce when it matters most. To reach goals that are unattainable if the regular season is a disappointment. There has been a lot of talk this offseason, most of it layered in criticism, which can easily serve as a distraction within the organization. Week 1 will be crucial to set the tone early by taking care of business on the road and by making a statement that those distractions are non-existent. That matchup features two teams with talented and criticized quarterbacks, a defensive player of the year hopeful at edge rusher, and two coaches under the microscope in 2024. Meaning that it won't be easy but starting 1-0 is a must for both sides.
Nick Eatman: Let's look at Week 3 vs. Baltimore. Knowing that things can always change regarding the schedule, the Ravens should be pretty good, especially early in the season. If Lamar is playing, they'll be hard to beat. Just think about what Week 3 means, in any scenario. If you're 1-1, you obviously want to get on the winning side, so a Week 3 win gets you there, and you're beating a high-quality opponent and the reigning MVP to do so. If you're 0-2, then it's a given that you must win this game. If you're 2-0, the game will be magnified as a showdown and it's obviously one you'd like to get under your belt. Now, in terms of the playoffs, an AFC game might not be the biggest, but for an early-indicator on how this team is going to be, this game could be vital.
Kurt Daniels: There are a lot of big games this year, and I'd like to pick one of those matchups in the first half of the schedule. But it usually comes down to a division rival late in the season, which in this case the safe bet is at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. The NFC East title could very well be on the line, or perhaps even just a wild-card spot. The problem is, if the Cowboys don't take care of business earlier on in the schedule against the likes of Baltimore, Detroit, San Francisco and even at Cleveland in Week 1, I worry this could all snowball downhill pretty quickly, rendering what should be the biggest game not so big.
