How the Cowboys plan to handle tough 7-game stretch to start season

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Another is against the Baltimore Ravens, a Super Bowl favorite heading into this season. That might not seem like a big deal to some, but for the Cowboys to get back to the playoffs for the first time in three years, they probably need to get off to a hot start. In Prescott’s 10 seasons as Dallas’ franchise quarterback, the Cowboys have made the playoffs five times. Here’s how they’ve performed in their first seven games in those seasons: What does Prescott immediately look for when he gets the schedule? “The first three games, honestly,” he said. “After that, I couldn’t tell you much more. I mean, I know who we’re playing Thanksgiving, and some (games) here or there, but to me, it’s the first three games. I want to know (the season) opener, first home game, and then it just happens that we’re going to Rio in the third game. But honestly, every year, I probably couldn’t tell you who our fourth opponent is until Week 2. Just keeping it simple.” After traveling to New Jersey for a Sunday night season opener with the New York Giants, the Cowboys return home to host the Washington Commanders. The following week, they’ll take a 10-hour flight to Rio de Janeiro to face the Ravens. “I’m excited,” Prescott said. “My first time playing an international game, going into my 11th season, I would’ve thought we would’ve had one by now, but it’s all good. The travel will be tough, but (the international games) are part of growing this game. It’s something we’ll manage. We’ll just figure out the best way to take care of our bodies. “Hopefully just to get good sleep on the plane, I think that would be one of the biggest keys. Sleeping on the plane has never been too difficult for me, so hopefully it doesn’t start that week. We’ll just manage it. … They’re doing everything they can to make sure we have the best plan and the best resources for everything (with) our recovery and just the process we’re going to go through. I’m looking forward to it.” According to the FanDuel sportsbook, the Cowboys are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 14th-best odds to win the Super Bowl at +2,200. That number is seventh-best among NFC teams. Of Dallas’ 17 regular-season games, eight are against teams with better Super Bowl odds. According to the DraftKings sportsbook, the Cowboys are favored in 11 games. But only three times in their first seven games. To further break down the schedule, here are the early point spreads via DraftKings and notable observations about the Cowboys’ schedule. • None of Dallas’ opponents has a bye week before playing the Cowboys. • The Cowboys will travel 27,980 miles during this season’s schedule. That is fourth-most in the NFL, according to Bookies.com. Three of Dallas’ 2026 opponents will travel further: 49ers, Rams and Texans. • The Week 14 bye is the latest the Cowboys have had since 1990, which was the first year the NFL had bye weeks. The earliest Dallas has had a bye week is Week 3, which happened in 2006, 2003 and 1999. • There are probably only two games against quarterbacks who are better than Prescott: Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Los Angeles’ Matthew Stafford. Jackson has been league MVP twice. Stafford won the honor last season. The rest of the games are against quarterbacks Prescott is clearly better than, or it’s at least debatable. • According to StubHub, the cheapest seat to watch the Cowboys play this season is $86 for the Week 11 game against the Tennessee Titans at AT&T Stadium. (This does not include standing room only.) The most expensive game is Week 6 at Green Bay. The cheapest seat to watch Cowboys vs. Packers is $484. • Austin Mock’s win total projection for the Cowboys is at 9.5 with a 57.8 percent chance of making the playoffs. Dallas would likely need at least nine wins to make the playoffs. • The Cowboys’ DraftKings win total projection actually increased after the schedule was released, going from 8.5 to 9.5. As Doug Kezirian recently wrote, a full game move on a team’s win total right after the schedule release is unusual. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms