The full schedule for the Dallas Cowboys was released on Thursday night as the full 17-game slate has been set in stone ahead of the 2023 season.
Whether it be lining up against the team that knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs in 2022, facing off against former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, or going toe-to-toe with the No. 1 overall pick on his home field, there are dozens of storylines to watch for ahead of the season.
Here is a storyline to watch for in each game.
- Week 1: at New York Giants - The Cowboys and Giants will start faceoff to begin the season for the seventh time since 2012, but this will only be the second time that New York has hosted the opener against Dallas in that span. Daniel Jones signed a four-year, $160 million extension over the offseason and will get the opportunity to prove that high work on Sunday Night Football against a prime divisional rival.
- Week 2: vs. New York Jets - The Cowboys just can't avoid Aaron Rodgers, can they? The future Hall-of-Famer may be in a different green jersey this season, but he will look to keep the same level of Dallas dominance alive as he will walk into AT&T Stadium having won eight of his last nine games against the Cowboys.
- Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals - After suffering a torn ACL late last season, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will not see the field until well into the 2023 regular season, which bodes well for the Cowboys' chances in week three to nab a win. The Cardinals have a lot of figuring out to do on both sides of the ball, and with the Cowboys having lost six of their last seven against the NFC West opponent, this could be a good early opportunity to build momentum or right the ship.
- Week 4: vs. New England Patriots - Bill Belichick has never lost a game inside AT&T Stadium, and he will look to keep that streak going after Dallas walked into Foxborough in 2021 and stole away a win in overtime. Patriots first round pick cornerback Christian Gonzales, a Little Elm native, will make his return home to Dallas-Fort Worth.
- Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers - This Sunday Night Football matchup needs little introduction as the Cowboys will head to Levi's Stadium having been knocked out of the playoffs by the Niners in each of the last two seasons. Could the quarterback controversy in San Francisco cause the Niners to sputter out the gate?
- Week 6: at Los Angeles Chargers - The Cowboys made the tough decision over the offseason to let offensive coordinator Kellen Moore go after four seasons in favor of Mike McCarthy calling plays, but Moore was able to land in the hands of one of the most dangerous offenses in the league with the Chargers. Moore will have weapons galore with Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and first-round pick Quentin Johnston among others as he looks to enact some early redemption on his former team on Monday Night Football.
- Week 7: BYE - The bye week comes at an important part of the season after starting the year on the road for four out of the first six contests, including three in the western time zone.
- Week 8: vs. Los Angeles Rams - The health of Matthew Stafford will be something to watch early in the season after his year was cut short in 2022 due to a plethora of injuries, but him being healthy will allow the Highland Park native to return to Dallas-Fort Worth in search of his first win at AT&T Stadium since 2011.
- Week 9: at Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles have quickly become one of the more feared teams in the league after a 13-4 runner-up finish in 2022 and a stellar offseason that included adding D'Andre Swift and draft picks Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith along with signing Jalen Hurts to a long-term deal. Playing in Dallas' favor is the fact that they will get seven contests to work out any kinks before arguably its biggest game on the schedule.
- Week 10: vs. New York Giants - The Cowboys will get an early November swing of back-to-back divisional games with the latter coming against the Giants. The week 10 matchup will kickoff a stretch of four home games in five contests during the month of November and into December.
- Week 11: at Carolina Panthers - The Bryce Young era is set to begin this season in Carolina as the No. 1 overall pick will most likely immediately assume the starting quarterback job and will get a healthy dose of the NFL before facing off against the Cowboys in week 11. The Cowboys are 1-4 all-time against quarterback No. 1 overall picks with their only win coming in 1971 against Jim Plunkett.
- Week 12: vs. Washington Commanders - Washington will face-off against Dallas on Thanksgiving Day for the 11th time in history and for the first time since the Commanders came into AT&T Stadium and walloped Dallas 41-16 in 2020. Eric Bieniemy is in his first season as offensive coordinator for the Commanders and he will have an early challenge of finding a reliable quarterback between Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett.
- Week 13: vs. Seattle Seahawks - Back-to-back Thursday games will wrap up the month of November for the Cowboys with the Seahawks being the backend of the slate on Thursday Night Football. The Cowboys had running back Zach Charbonnet high on their draft board in April, but the Seahawks were able to grab him to pair with Kenneth Walker who was a rookie sensation in his own right in 2022.
- Week 14: vs. Philadelphia Eagles - The Cowboys will get nine days of rest before a pivotal Sunday Night Football matchup against the Eagles in week 14 in a game that has a high likelihood of determining how the NFC East finishes up top in 2023. The early December matchup kicks off arguably the toughest three-game stretch of the season.
- Week 15: at Buffalo Bills - The Cowboys have won only once in Buffalo since 1971, and this occasion won't be any easier as Josh Allen leads one of the most dangerous offenses in the league into Highmark Stadium in what will almost certainly be a below-freezing outing in late December.
- Week 16: at Miami Dolphins - After getting the second-ranked offense from 2022 in week 14 and the fourth-ranked offense from 2022 in week 15, the Cowboys' defense will head to Hard Rock Stadium to face the sixth-ranked offense from 2022 on Christmas Eve. However, history has been on the Cowboys' side as they haven't lost to the Dolphins in Miami since 1984.
- Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions - After a brutal AFC East road swing, the Cowboys will return to AT&T Stadium for the home finale against a Detroit team that feels like it's on the precipice of turning the corner in a wide-open NFC North. The Cowboys have won five in a row against the Lions, who have a familiar head coach in Dan Campbell, who played for the Cowboys from 2003-05.
- Week 18: at Washington Commanders - For the second consecutive season, Dallas will finish off the regular season slate at Washington after the offense sputtered out in 2022's edition of week 18, resulting in a 26-6 loss. With the NFC East expected to be just as stout as it was a year ago, this final contest could be a big determining factor towards playoff positioning.
For the full season schedule including TV information, game dates and times, and ticket information, click here.
