Dallas Cowboys buried under pressure before 2026 season even starts

Dallas Cowboys buried under pressure before 2026 season even starts originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NFL is set to officially unveil its complete 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday, but the Dallas Cowboys could once again be chosen to open the season for the second consecutive year. Many believe the Cowboys have become victims of their own popularity, as the NFL consistently places them in high-pressure showcase games because they draw some of the highest television ratings.

Being selected for these spotlight events may be seen as an honor, but it also comes with huge challenges. Teams playing on the road in the NFL Kickoff Game are forced to begin the season against a championship-level opponent in a nationally televised environment packed with challenges.

Meanwhile, Dallas already knows at least one major game on its upcoming schedule, as the league announced that the Cowboys will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sept. 27. The matchup is technically considered a Cowboys home game, but the trip itself presents a difficult challenge for Dallas.

Traveling from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro covers roughly 5,300 miles, making it statistically more demanding than many of the NFL’s recent international games in Europe. Games played in London or Germany generally involve a five-to-six-hour time difference, but those games are often scheduled around potential bye weeks to help teams recover from the travel impact.