Instant Analysis: Prescott vs Giants in Week 5 among quirks in Cowboys 2021 schedule

Complete 2021 Regular Season Schedule

So Not Funny

A Dallas Cowboys fan looks on as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is carted off the field after suffering a severe right leg injury during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. Dallas won 37-34. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

The Cowboys 2020 season virtually ended when they lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a gruesome leg injury in a home game against the New York Giants. That happened in Week 5 at AT&T Stadium in front of a mortified home crowd on 10-11-2020. In Week 5 this year, on 10-10-2021 the Cowboys will host... the New York Giants. Hardy har har, NFL.

Easy Schedule?

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Strength of Schedule isn't a real thing, because teams change from year to year. Judging off last year's finishes though, Dallas has it pretty easy. They face the two Super Bowl champions, true, but outside of that? The only other team that finished above .500 was the New Orleans Saints, and they don't have Drew Brees any more. Only two games against teams which were .500 and a whopping 12 contests against teams that had seven wins or less.

Opening with back-to-back road games

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Dallas opens on the road against the Bucs and Tom Brady, return home to watch the weekend's games and then hit the road again, heading west to take on the Los Angeles Chargers and Justin Herbert.

Best Road Trips

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The Cowboys are going to be the first road opponent all seven L.A.-based Charger fans will see. For Cowboys fans that are now looking to travel, that might be a great destination. Also great? New Orleans the week after Thanksgiving.

Late-Season Blues (lips)

(AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Those December games against the Giants, Washington and Philadelphia, on the road though? Ew. That's a pretty tough nut to crack for anyone and feels like that's a way the schedulers tried to even out the overall slate of mediocre opponents. Although, the way East Coast weather seems like a month behind the normal slate for the last half a decade, maybe it will be mild in December for those contests. A man can dream, can't he?

5 prime time, 6 early games

The Cowboys are always one of the league's favorite teams when it comes to playing under the lights. This year Dallas gets five games in prime time, including the 2021 season kickoff against Tampa Bay. What isn't normal is that the club has a bunch of games in the early noon Central slot. This year, there are going to be at least six of them and possibly seven.

TGIT

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Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, Thursday night was the best night to be glued in front of the TV. The Cosby Show, Different World, Cheers, Wings was a two-hour block of crazy laughs. Hopefully the Cowboys won't be a laughing matter in 2021. Not only do they open the season on Thursday at Tampa Bay but their annual Thanksgiving game (vs Raiders) is now their annual Thursday-Thursday slate. This year, they travel to New Orleans seven days after Turkey Day. No Drew Brees this time though.

4 out of Last 5, Home and Away vs NFC East

Every year, the Cowboys will square off against their three division rivals, the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Football Team. Dallas finished their NFC East schedule 2-4 for the 2020 season following Sunday's loss to the Giants, splitting with New York and Philadelphia and being swept by Washington. This year, the schedule is backloaded. While they take on the Eagles early on in the season, they will end their schedule with four of their final five contests against the division, including facing Washington two times in three weeks.

NFC South: Dan Quinn's Revenge

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

If the Cowboys had won the NFC East, they'd have hosted Tampa Bay in the wild-card round. Now, they'll get to travel to Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champions. The rivalry gets renewed with a trip to the Big Easy, but there's no Drew Brees on the other sideline this time. At home, Dallas will take on the Carolina Panthers and new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's former team, the Atlanta Falcons.

AFC West

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Dallas will get to square off against the only NFL player making more than Prescott in what is almost assured to be a game of high-octane offense. The Cowboys travel to both Kansas City and Los Angeles where they'll take on Justin Herbert and the Chargers. Meanwhile they'll host both the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos. There's not a chance this matchup includes Aaron Rodgers, is there?

Same-Place Finish Opponents

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Another matchup against Kirk Cousins and his guys is on tap when Dallas travels to the Vikings' home. The Cowboys beat Minnesota 31-28 in Week 9 of 2020. This will be the third-straight season the two franchises collide in the regular season. The Cowboys got ran over by Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in their first game without Dak Prescott following last year's injury. Now they'll once again host the up-and-coming team from the desert. The NFC East and AFC East will also tangle in the new, 17th game on the schedule. Dallas will travel to Foxboro to take on Bill Belichick and their new quarterback, first-round pick Mac Jones.

Scheduling Notes

Teams are allowed a maximum of seven primetime dates. The NFL can flex games to Sunday Night Football from an afternoon slot with 12 days notice. No games are on a schedule for Week 18 as those days and times will not be determined until the conclusion of Week 17. There will be two Saturday games and a Sunday night game. The lesser important contests will kick off at noon or the late-afternoon slots. Let's hope the Cowboys are on the verge of the playoffs and in one of the non-deciding contests.

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