How many games will the Cowboys win or lose in 2024? We take a way too early look at how it may shake out.
It has been an interesting offseason for the Dallas Cowboys to say the least. With questions surrounding their moves, or lack thereof, coupled with looming contracts that need answers, it has been a whirlwind to keep up with since the sad conclusion of the 2023 season.
Despite all that, the slate is set for 2024 and the Cowboys are expected to step up and execute. It is fascinating to ponder what they will look like and how they will respond this season in such a transformable year. We take a way-too-early look at the schedule and try to predict how all of it will shake out on the field this season.
Week 1: Cowboys @ Browns
It’s a tough test right out the gate for the Cowboys as they head to Cleveland to take on the Browns. With a likely rookie left tackle and rookie center protecting Dak Prescott, growing pains against Myles Garrett and Co. should be expected. It will be a loss, but a close enough loss to keep Cowboys fans from going completely off the rails after one week.
Score prediction: Browns, 23-20 (0-1)
Week 2: Cowboys vs. Saints
Home opener time. The Cowboys look to avoid an 0-2 start the season versus an intriguing Saints team. The Cowboys are a better football team than New Orleans, and with the possibility of 0-2 staring them in the face, the Cowboys rise to the occasion and get a sound win in Week 2.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 30-17 (1-1)
Week 3: Cowboys vs. Ravens
Week 3 and their second tough AFC North opponent comes to town. The Ravens are the real deal, boasting the latest league MVP under center. Baltimore is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and if the Cowboys are going to come away with a win they will need to play perfectly. They fail and they fall to 1-2 on the season.
Score prediction: Ravens, 28-20 (1-2)
Week 4: Cowboys @ Giants
The Cowboys own the Giants and with no reason to believe that will change in 2024, Dallas sticks to the usual script and gives New York a whooping on Thursday Night Football. Until we see otherwise, this will assuredly be the default response for most of Cowboys Nation.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 34-17 (2-2)
Week 5: Cowboys @ Steelers
Their third AFC North opponent in five weeks is another tough matchup—this time on the road against a well-coached Steelers team. While Pittsburgh is a formidable opponent that won 10 games last season, the Cowboys are a better team and should play as such in Week 5.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 27-17 (3-2)
Week 6: Cowboys vs. Lions
This is the revenge game the Lions have been waiting for, and when there is that type of emotion involved, it can do wonders on the field. Coupled with the fact that the Lions are just flat-out a better football team than Dallas right now, it probably doesn’t set up to be a great situation for the Cowboys.
Score prediction: Lions, 34-30 (3-3)
Week 7: Bye Week
Week 8: Cowboys @ 49ers
Until the Cowboys prove they can beat the 49ers, it’s almost impossible to pick them to do so. Even coming off a bye week, the team that has had the Cowboys number over the last few seasons keeps that going in Week 8, and the Cowboys once again find themselves under .500.
Score prediction: 49ers, 30-24 (3-4)
Week 9: Cowboys @ Falcons
The Falcons are much improved, and will not be an easy task for the Cowboys in Week 9, but with their back against the wall and a home game against the Eagles next up on the docket, the Cowboys find a way to get the job done to even their record at .500.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 31-23 (4-4)
Week 10: Cowboys vs. Eagles
These two teams know each other so well, and with that comes evenly contested battles. With this matchup coming in Dallas, the Cowboys the nod here, knowing that any little thing can change the tide of the outcome when these two opponents meet.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 24-21 (5-4)
Week 11: Cowboys vs. Texans
The in-state rivalry between these two teams is alive and well. The Texans are the young team that everyone is excited for, and with C.J. Stroud looking like a new face of the league candidate, Week 11 against Houston looks to be a daunting task. The Cowboys could easily lose this game and it would be understandable, but big bro puts little bro in their place, at least for this week.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 35-31 (6-4)
Week 12: Cowboys @ Commanders
Dan Quinn and the Commanders will be motivated to get this W against his former team and bitter rival. While Washington has done a lot to make them better in 2024, it’s just a bit early to expect them to be a legit threat in the NFC and the Cowboys treat them as such in Week 12.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 31-14 (7-4)
Week 13: Cowboys vs. Giants
Read Week 4 and you know the feeling about the Giants’ chances. On Thanksgiving nonetheless, the Cowboys will feast against an inferior New York team.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 40-20 (8-4)
Week 14: Cowboys vs. Bengals
The fourth and final AFC North matchup comes late in the season, on the road, against Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Despite the talent and the challenge in front of them, this is a winnable game for the Cowboys. Dallas slips up here and falls back down to earth following a five-game win streak.
Score prediction: Bengals, 27-24 (8-5)
Week 15: Cowboys @ Panthers
The Panthers are young and have some pieces to feel excited about going forward. However, for 2024, they are a bit outmatched by a Cowboys team that is coming off a tough loss in this scenario. Dallas takes care of business soundly to get their ninth win of the season.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 30-13 (9-5)
Week 16: Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are a tough and gritty team that will command the attention of the Cowboys, no doubt about it. With a late-season matchup on tap, there could be a lot of playoff implications on the line here for both teams. The Bucs will give their best, but fall just short as the Cowboys find a way to pull out a W of a tightly contested matchup.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 23-21 (10-5)
Week 17: Cowboys @ Eagles
The Cowboys and Eagles are liable to split, and and that is what happens here with a Cowboys loss. Playing in Philadelphia late in the season is a tough task, and despite a close contest, the Eagles find a way to get the W over the Cowboys, giving Dallas their sixth loss of the season.
Score prediction: Eagles, 24-23 (10-6)
Week 18: Cowboys vs. Commanders
In the final week of the year, with playoff seeding surely on the line, the Cowboys will be hosting a familiar opponent with a chance to secure their 11th win of the year, and possibly a better playoff seeding for them. They get the job done, and despite not keeping up with the recent 12-win seasons, the Cowboys can have a better regular season than many had thought they would.
Score prediction: Cowboys, 34-13 (11-6)
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