FRISCO, Texas – The second year of the Brian Schottenheimer era of Cowboys football is just around the corner, as the Cowboys get ready to embark on the 2026 regular season.
Following a 7-9-1 finish in 2025, Dallas is looking for a better result in 2026 with a new defensive staff led by defensive coordinator Christian Parker and returning almost all of the offensive talent on the roster.
Alongside traveling the fourth-most miles in the NFL in 2026, the Cowboys will also face seven teams that reached the playoffs in 2025. Dallas will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves as contenders in 2026, especially during tough stretches with limited rest throughout the season.
Let's break down how the 2026 schedule shapes up for the Cowboys, beginning with their AFC opponents:
Baltimore Ravens
Week 3 - Maracaña Stadium (Brazil) – Sept. 27 3:25 p.m. (CBS)
The Cowboys will play in their first international regular season game in 12 years by traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in Week 3 of the 2026 season to face off against the Baltimore Ravens. New head coach Jesse Minter takes over for John Harbaugh, who had led the Ravens for 18 seasons before taking over as the head coach of the Giants this offseason.
Dallas' defense will face an early test against two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and company, who have made the playoffs in six of the last eight years. Minter, a defensive minded head coach, will post a challenge for the Cowboys' high-powered offense as well with Pro Bowl pieces like safety Kyle Hamilton, linebacker Roquan Smith, and newly-acquired pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Houston Texans
Week 4 – NRG Stadium - Oct. 4, 12:00 p.m. (FOX)
Just a week after their trip to Brazil, the Cowboys will take the short flight south to face the Houston Texans for bragging rights in the state of Texas. Fourth-year head coach DeMeco Ryans has won 10 or more games and reach the playoffs in every season he's been a head coach, and has the backing of one of the league's best defenses. Houston finished the 2025 season allowing opposing offenses the least amount of yards per game and finishing second in the league in turnovers.
Offensively, quarterback CJ Stroud is looking to bounce back from an up and down third season at the helm, and the Texans hope new additions on the offensive line like first-round pick Keylan Rutledge and guard Wyatt Teller help Stroud, who has been sacked 113 times in three seasons.
Indianapolis Colts
Week 9 - Lucas Oil Stadium - Nov. 8, 12:00 p.m. (FOX)
For the first time since 2018, the Cowboys will head to Lucas Oil Stadium twice in the same year, not just for the NFL Combine. When Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts, Cowboys first-round pick Caleb Downs will get to face off against his older brother, Colts wide receiver Josh Downs. Indianapolis rolled out to an 8-2 start to the 2025 season, but lost the next seven games and missed the postseason while dealing with injuries at multiple key positions.
At November's trade deadline, the Colts traded two first-round picks to the Jets for All Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, the same day that the Cowboys traded with the Jets for Quinnen Williams. Now, the former Jets teammates that were core pieces of New York's defense will face off against one another for the first time.
Tennessee Titans
Week 11 – AT&T STadium - Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m. (FOX)
Dallas hosts a new-look Tennessee Titans team in Week 11, as Robert Saleh enters his first season at the helm. The Cowboys will see some familiar faces on the opposite sideline, such as former defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas.
It'll be another reunion for Caleb Downs, as he lines up against his Ohio State teammate and Titans fourth overall pick Carnell Tate. Tennessee was active in the free agency cycle, signing multi-year deals with wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor among others as they look to bounce back from a 3-14 finish in 2025.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 16 – AT&T Stadium – Dec. 27, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)
In only the ninth meeting between the two teams, the Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars will meet under the lights at AT&T Stadium during the home stretch of the 2026 regular season. The Jaguars will be the seventh team Dallas will face in 2026 that made the postseason in 2025, and it'll be a meeting between two second-year head coach in Dallas' Brian Schottenheimer and Jacksonville's Liam Coen.
The Jaguars will have multiple major roles to replace on their roster, as their leading rusher in Travis Etienne Jr. joined the Saints in free agency and Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd signed with the Panthers. Sixth-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and will look to carry that momentum.
