There’s no reason for Dallas fans not to feel confident in the Cowboys’ competitiveness in 2023. Minimal personnel losses with several meaningful roster gains presents an opportunity to finally break the streak of playoff ineptitude. Dan Quinn’s defense added former DPOY Stephon Gilmore to the secondary while finally addressing the defensive line interior with first-round pick Mazi Smith. The offense is now under control of a more proven play caller in head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott should have a top scoring offense yet again.
But games aren’t played by only one team; the opponents do matter and for the Cowboys in 2023, the road is littered with land mines. Finding many contests which could be categorized as easy is a difficult proposition. The easier matchups are young teams who haven’t grown up yet. This goes for the NFC East apart from the Eagles, who are a threatening team even with Dallas’ improvements. Odd enough, the two easiest games for the Cowboys may be on the road, with a team working through a rebuild and another missing their leader when they meet Dallas.
Take a look at the five easiest matchups for the Cowboys in 2023, with a mention of Prescott’s historic dominance against the division during his career.
Honorable Mention: NFC East duels
Dec 24, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) makes an interception in fron tof Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins (16) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys are an absurd 27-6 against the NFC East with Prescott at the helm. While the Eagles are obviously contenders, the other two teams are headed in the right direction as well. That said, Prescott’s dominance against divisional rivals shows no sign of slowing down.
The Giants are still learning while Brian Daboll builds his system in New York, and the Commanders are still trying to find their true franchise quarterback. Similar to the rest of Prescott’s career, don’t expect these teams to threaten Dallas and they’ll be omitted from this top five for their sake.
5. Week 17 vs. Detroit Lions
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 23: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys tackles Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The Lions are beloved since Dan Campbell took over as head coach and they found a way to win nine games in 2022. Last season, Jared Goff threw for 27 touchdowns with just nine interceptions, and he’s one of the bright spots for Detroit.
The pair of Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown is a strong young tandem outside and adding Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield is a big deal. On defense, Aidan Hutchinson had 9.5 sacks as a rookie and the first-round selection of Jack Campbell will boost the linebacker room presents issues up front for the Cowboys.
But still, it’s the Lions, and the Cowboys are at home. They and their quarterback have to prove their consistency.
4. Week 8 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Oct 9, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) runs with the ball for a touchdown in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
After winning the Super Bowl in 2021, Sean McVay’s Rams went 5-12 in 2022. Matthew Stafford played just nine games in 2022, but the team was 3-6 with him at the helm, so that wasn’t the reason for their failure.
Bobby Wagner and Jalen Ramsey are no longer Rams and Stafford’s 10:8 TD:INT ratio is a bad sign as the roster around him gets worse. Los Angeles will have to travel to AT&T Stadium and the Cowboys took them down in 2022 on the road with Cooper Rush at quarterback.
With Prescott running the show, it may get ugly fast for McVay’s squad as they start to rebuild.
3. Week 4 vs. New England Patriots
Oct 17, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) makes the catch and runs the ball for the game winning touchdown against New England Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills (2) in overtime at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
No matter where the Patriots roster stands, as long as Bill Belichick sits at the helm they’re a threat to win every week. Take the 2021 thriller in New England for example; everyone knew Dallas was the better team but it still took overtime heroics for the Cowboys to get it done.
The Patriots have Mac Jones at the helm, for now, and added wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, but the offense leaves a ton to be desired. The key players on defense are Matthew Judon and Jonathan Jones, but Dallas overpowers their overall roster on paper.
Facing an inferior team at home, Dan Quinn’s defense should feast and allow for the offense to cruise after an early lead.
2. Week 11 @ Carolina Panthers
Oct 3, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball against Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn (21) during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Panthers are an intriguing matchup. While they’re high on the list, there’s reason for this opinion to change once we’re a couple months into the season. Bryce Young, the first overall pick, is the catalyst here.
Carolina gave up their best weapon and more draft capital to take their franchise quarterback out of Alabama and it remains to be seen how quickly it all pays off. The additions on offense are notable, with wide receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark joining the group along with former Eagle running back Miles Sanders.
The defense is raw with Brian Burns as an anchor and Frankie Luvu leading the way. but the rise of CB Jaycee Horn may be the biggest thing for the unit in 2023. Horn got off to a hot start as a rookie before his season ended in three games, then he played in 13 contests in 2022.
The Panthers have real reason for hope, but the Cowboys should silence it for a weekend in November.
1. Week 3 @ Arizona Cardinals
Jan 2, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) scrambles away from Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Isaiah Simmons (9) in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Cardinals seemed to be on a rocket trajectory just two years ago, but now they are hitting the reset button. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired, Kyler Murray is coming off an ACL tear and Deandre Hopkins spent the entire winter and most of the spring expecting to be jettisoned. Murray is expected to be out for the early parts of the season, presenting a cakewalk for Dallas.
Even if the combo of Murray and Hopkins are in full force, the Dallas defense will have the pieces to handle it. The combo of Hopkins and Marquise Brown is threatening but mitigated by cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore.
No road game is a given, and a defense led by Budda Baker can present problems. The opportunity is there if the Cowboys make mistakes, but a careful team should handle business rather easily.
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