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The five-game stretch that will show the Dallas Cowboys' true colors during 2024 NFL season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports
By Mauricio Rodriguez | Last updated 5/16/24

The Dallas Cowboys' 2024 season schedule is officially out and as we already expected since learning their opponents list at the end of last season, it's not an easy one.

Now that we've got dates, there are things to like and things to dislike. But one of the things that stands out from looking at their slate of games is that five-game stretch between Week 6 and Week 11.

Let's just say they're facing a gauntlet of NFL contenders, including a rising AFC foe that will be fielding one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.

In that stretch, the Cowboys will be taking on the following opponents:

Week 6: vs Detroit Lions
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 9: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 10: vs Philadelphia Eagles
Week 11: vs Houston Texans

Now, let me point out the obvious: This is a stretch with five likely playoff opponents. All of them but the Falcons made it into the postseason last year and Atlanta is now favored to win its division after landing quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency.

Coming out of that stretch with three wins would be a major achievement for Dallas considering they'll be going on the road against the NFC champions.

However, the schedule makers did help out the Cowboys a little bit with a couple of details with this tough stretch. After all, having a bye week in between games against the Lions and 49ers will come in clutch for Dallas.

Additionally, the road game they'll face before going up against the Eagles and Texans is a very winnable as they'll take on the Kirk Cousins-led Falcons. Although they've got a good team, their defense will be vulnerable against the high-powered Cowboys offense.

In my game by game predictions, I called an upset from the Falcons in Week 9 concluding a hypothetical 0-3 run for Dallas between Weeks 6 and 9. Now, let me be clear: I'm not trying to play Nostradamus here, as way-too-early predictions rarely make sense because of incalculable variables that we don't know at this stage like injuries.

But the Falcons' rushing attack could indeed give the Cowboys some trouble if the run defense woes persist by midseason.

Chances are this stretch of games is what makes or break their year, as it'll be key to earn good playoff seeding and home field advantage in January.

Mostly, we'll get a good idea as to what caliber of team the Cowboys are in 2024. Taking on two NFC Championship teams followed by the Falcons, the division rival Eagles, and the C.J. Stroud-quarterbacked Texans will be upper-echelon football. How will they come out of it?

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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