Most important parts of the Dallas Cowboys 2022 schedule

For the most part, the NFL schedule release doesn’t matter much. Unless you’re using it to make your own personal plans around, it doesn’t make as many waves as one might think. At least not from a team perspective. So it’s safe to say the Dallas Cowboys will be relatively unfazed either way.

For months the Dallas Cowboys and their fans have known the opponents in which they face. Aside from the usual NFC East suspects, the Cowboys play both Super Bowl teams from last year, Green Bay in Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, and Indianapolis, just to name a few.

Today we break down the important parts of the Dallas Cowboys 2022 schedule and what they should hope to avoid.

In January we looked at the opponents and offered some instant analysis (linked at the bottom) . While talking heads will say the Dallas Cowboys have the easiest schedule in the NFL (based on record from last season) I think we can all agree it’s not quite as easy as they’re making it out to be. Look no further than the listed teams above. There’s a good chance Dallas are underdogs in every one of those games.

Important Part No. 1: Weeks 1-3

How the season starts matters quite a bit. Not from a momentum perspective but rather from an injury and development side of things. Michael Gallup is recovering from ACL surgery so there’s a good chance he’s going to miss the first few games of the season. With Amari Cooper also subtracted from their year’s line-up, this pins a lot of responsibility on CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb is going to get locked down early this season so it’s going to up to guys like James Washington and Jalen Tolbert to win match-ups. Avoiding top teams early is critical. Especially since Tyler Smith is probably getting thrown into the fire at LG.

Important Part No. 2: December road games

The Dallas Cowboys already dodged a bullet here. The NFL has revealed the Cowboys play in Green Bay in mid-November so the fears of playing a cold-weather December game in the Wisconsin tundra are put to bed.

The only concerns now is poor weather in Philadelphia and New York but that’s nothing the Cowboys can’t handle.

Important Part No. 3: The Thanksgiving cluster

How the NFL clusters the Cowboys game around Thanksgiving will go a long way in how the Dallas Cowboys charge towards the playoffs. While the Thanksgiving game is always home for Dallas, the NFL typically does the Cowboys no favors when selecting the two other games that make up the Thanksgiving cluster.

Last season the Cowboys faced three teams in 12 days and the opponents were the Chiefs (the Super Bowl favorites), the Raiders (playoff team), and the Saints. Dallas lost the first two and if it hadn’t had been for injuries to the QBs 1-3, perhaps the same would have happened in New Orleans.

If the Cowboys have two tough road games sandwiching Thanksgiving again this year, they could be in a similar situation. Is it too much to ask for a lay-up after Thanksgiving here?

These are the primary items to focus on when looking at the Dallas Cowboys 2022 schedule this year. The start of the season, the cold weather games, and the Thanksgiving cluster. Cross your fingers.