FRISCO, Texas – And now begins the Dallas Cowboys Road Show, commencing at 7:20 p.m. Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, playing the New York Giants in East Rutherford, and that's News Jersey by the way.
This 2026 season opener the first of five road games during the first seven weeks of the season, although technically in the NFL eyes it's only four road games since the Cowboys are considered the "home team" for the Sept. 27 game in Rio de Janeiro, a continent away, in the country of Brazil, against the "visiting" Baltimore Ravens.
For heaven's sake, please.
So consider this: During the first seven weeks of the season the Cowboys will be playing four nationally televised night games, at the Giants this Sunday night, Thursday night home against Tampa Bay, Sunday night at Green Bay followed by Monday night at Philadelphia. If you're scoring at home, that kicks off the season with two games on the East Coast and one 1,581 miles south of the Equator, the NFL doing the Cowboys no favors at the expense of network television capitalizing on their world-wide popularity.
And finally, Cowboys head coach Brian Schotteneheimer made somewhat of a veiled reference to the road warrior Cowboys schedule; knowing he can't wear out his players even more by practicing this first week of the regular season outdoors where the projected high in Dallas Wednesday afternoon was 102 degrees, with the temps around the 12:50 p.m. start to practice at 99, with the "feel-like" 114. Worse, the Cowboys trainers have a device measuring the heat dangers outdoors registering "extreme."
"I think the way the schedule is this year for the first couple of games we're not going to have much of a routine, and that's why again the live in the moment of the day I think matters," Schottenheimer says, knowing the importance of starting the season with two NFC East Division games against the Giants and the Commanders. "We have to plan ahead, knowing Rio is right down the street."
Speaking of that, Schotty says he has to pay attention to sports science factoring in the amount of travel facing this team.
"We've got a unique situation when you look at these next five weeks really when you factor in getting home at 5 a.m., the trip to Rio which is kind of a short week for us, then the league did us a favor (tongue in cheek) by getting us going to Houston and come home on Thursday (to play the Tampa Bay game), that was cool, so we're just trying to do what we can to avoid the heat."
Well glad Schotty brough that schedule up, figuring time we spelled out just what this travel will be like without everyone gaining American AAdvantge miles.
- Sept. 13, Sunday 7:20 p.m. start at the Giants: That means arriving back at DFW if all goes as planned at 4:30 a.m. Monday, shortening that day in half.
- Sept. 27, 3:25 p.m. Sunday two weeks later vs. the Ravens in Rio de Janeiro Dallas time and consider Rio is 1,581 miles south of that Equator, so a 10-hour flight leaving on Thursday night of that week, returning right after the game on another 10-hour flight and projected to arrive at DFW without any unexpected travel hassles at 7:45 a.m. Monday, nearly an entire wasted day before Tuesday's normal off-day.
- Oct. 4, Noon Sunday at Houton, at least a short flight but could have been a later start if the NFL had any amount of compassion.
- But then here comes Oct. 8, 7:15 p.m. four days later on Thursday, a mighty short week of all things, not what the doctor ordered, home against Tampa Bay.
- Oct.18 the following Sunday at Green Bay, a 7:20 p.m. start, projected to return to DFW around 3 a.m. Monday.
- Followed by, if you can believe this in Game 7, 7:15 p.m. Monday at Philadelphia, once again a late morning return to DFW, projected to be 4 a.m. Tuesday, meaning another short week to Sunday's home game vs. Arizona Oct. 26
Total air miles during this seven-game stretch?
Right at 18,000, the equivalent of three oil changes for your car.
Get what we're talking about. Not only a physically draining seven-game start to the season with all those night games and travel, but not to mention sleep deprivation. To survive these players must be in even better condition, better hydrate at high rates and most of all get as much sleep as possible to face the next six games before the Dec. 13 bye finally arrives.
Schotty's sarcasm is spot on, the NFL schedule makers doing the Cowboys no favors, including having the nerve to label the Cowboys the home team for the Rio game, the only benefit from that their 10-hour charter flight back to DFW scheduled to be first in line ahead of the Ravens taking off from Galeao International.
What a deal.
- The Safe Color: Not only do the Cowboys factor several device readings coming up with whether they practice outdoors or indoors, Wednesday's reading ending up in the "extreme" area, meaning too dangerous to practice outdoors, but the team also has purchased these hybrid urinals to measure player hydration levels that determines safety hydration levels. Players if practicing outdoors in such extreme heat also must weigh-in in these conditions, making sure they have eaten to replace any lost weight.
- More OL Depth: The Cowboys continue to ensure this roster is up to snuff, making sure after having to place All-Pro guard Tyler Smith on IR-Return and then elevating fourth-year veteran Nick Leverett from the practice squad to the 53-man roster to provide backup capability at center and guard that previous was T.J. Bass' responsibility now that he is starting. So they have signed 34-year-old veteran Laken Tomlinson to the practice squad. This is a former 2011 first-round draft choice now in his 12th NFL season, the guard having started 162 of 173 games played, yet another sign the Cowboys are leaving little to chance when comes to personnel this season.
- Emotional Tributes: There will be emotional tributes on the 25th year memory of the 9/11 attacks having taken place within eyesight of MetLife Stadium in New York City in 2001. Players, coaches and staff from both teams will wear commemorative NYPD, FDNY and PAPD hats on the sideline in recognition of the first responders who served on September 11 and in the days that followed. Players and coaches from both teams will also wear special 9/11-branded "Never Forget" T-shirts during pregame warmups and "Never Forget" will be stenciled onto the field. The NFL also has plans for similar remembrances at all season-opening games as well.
- How Fitting: Just to make an impression on these Cowboys players, when they showed up for the first practice of the week preparing to play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, the players were serenaded during their opening pre-practice stretch with the song "Empire State of Mind," that includes the very recognizable lyrics after seemingly each stanza with the elongated "Newww Yoooork, Newww Yoooork." Just can't miss a trick to make an impression.
- Opening Shorts: So Cowboys fullback Hunter Luepke forked over the No. 40 he had worn his first three years with the Cowboys to recently acquired Von Miller, who in return has given his teammate part ownership stake in his Greener Pastures Chicken company, and when asked about the transaction on Wednesday, Luepke said, "I'm a big chicken guy." . . . How about the fact DT Quinnen Williams and George Pickens played on the same peewee football team growing up in Alabama . . . Speaking of Miller, also owner of 138½ career sacks ranking ninth in the NFL, the 37-year-old edge rusher needs one full sack to move into a tie for seventh all-time . . . Remember the Cowboys opened the 2011 season at MetLife, 10 years after 9/11 against the New York Jets, a 27-24 loss . . . And it's been 10 years since QB Dak Prescott began his career as the Cowboys starter in the 2016 season opener against the Giants, a 20-19 loss, now 14-3 against the NFC East foe, two of those losses coming in Dak's 13-3 rookie season, with the only other the final game of the 2025 season when playing just 28 snaps in the first half of the eventual 34-17 loss that really shouldn't count.
For the season-opening last words for Shots, let's go to a great Schotty "shot" of another kind when announcing his four captains for the 2026 season, Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Dak Prescott and Brandon Aubrey, when he had this to say about how Q has assimilated to this Cowboys teams arriving by trade last year for the 10th game of the season.
"From the minute he's gotten here he's been about one thing and it's winning," Brian begins. "You know, he's never won in the NFL, and the leadership is real, the talent is incredible, but every decision that guy makes is what's best for us winning and I love that about him and it's infectious, it rubs off.
"And I love hearing him talk to the young linemen, the young defenders – he was very, very involved in some of the things to help the defense to grow and learn and all that stuff. So terrific young man, great dad – he and Maranda are great parents. Just thrilled to have him here, man."
So should.
