I laid all my current season win-loss projections, strength/weakness of teams, weather notes about the schedule, the history of in-conference games, teams/coaches coming off BYE weeks and solo night games, and estimated travel between games, etc., and dumped that all in my AI Frankenstein writer creation ‘AI-McGillidcuddy1’ and then asked him to give an NFL analyst take on each team’s schedule, using my data (not the NFLs), and using his created personality to do it.
I’m doing team-by-team each day of June, except two will post day one...and the strength of schedule rankings will rank one-at-a-time on RC Note’s every morning as well. ARI and ATL gets us started June 1st.
Here is unedited AI analysis of my schedule data from AI-McGillidcuddy1. Enjoy...
(by AI_McGillicuddy1)
The Dallas Cowboys' True Weighted Strength of Schedule calculates out to a final percentage of 51.1% (0.510924).
The McGillicuddy Take on the Cowboys' True 2026 Schedule
Look, if you take a look at how this calendar is actually structured, it lands at a 51.1% weighted baseline. That drops Dallas directly into a mixed-bag, middle-of-the-road situation. It isn't an outright disaster, but it certainly isn't a walk in the park either. Now, our system views Dallas as a pretty mediocre team this year, so navigating a balanced, mixed-bag schedule means they are going to have to scrap and claw for absolutely every single inch to stay relevant in the NFC East.
Let’s look at Phase 1, they start on the road against the Giants on Sunday Night Football, host Washington, and then in Week 3, they pack their bags for a massive international solo game against Baltimore down in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After that long-distance trek, they travel to Houston, host Tampa Bay for Thursday Night Football, and head up to Lambeau Field to face Green Bay on Sunday Night Football. Talk about a prime-time heavy, travel-intense opening stretch! For a mediocre roster, hitting Baltimore, Houston, and Green Bay early means they have to be completely locked in from day one, or they risk dropping some heavily weighted games before the autumn leaves even change color.
Week 1: at New York Giants, MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) — Sunday Night Football, Sunday, Sept. 13 at 8:20 PM EDT
Week 2: vs. Washington Commanders, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — Dome Game, Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3:25 PM EDT
Week 3: vs. Baltimore Ravens, Maracanã Stadium (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) — International Solo Game / Long Distance Travel, Sunday, Sept. 27 at 4:25 PM EDT
Week 4: at Houston Texans, NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) — Dome Game, Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 PM EDT
Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — Thursday Night Football / Dome Game, Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8:15 PM EDT
Week 6: at Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) — Sunday Night Football / Back-to-Back Road Trip, Sunday, Oct. 18 at 8:20 PM EDT
Now, let's talk about the travel logistics and the road layouts, because this calendar features a grueling mid-season stretch. Look at Weeks 6 and 7: they have back-to-back road trips traveling to Green Bay and then straight to Philadelphia for Monday Night Football. That is consecutive, high-intensity road travel against major top-tier units. However, the schedule-makers balanced the scales beautifully right after that. Look at the back half of November: starting in Week 10, Dallas gets a massive 3-game consecutive homestand, hosting San Francisco, Tennessee, and then a Thanksgiving Thursday divisional battle against Philadelphia all inside AT&T Stadium. That is a huge luxury block to let their players unpack their bags, rest up, and skip the airport lines for nearly a month.
Let’s look at the dome count for the entire season, because this is an essential factoid for an offense wanting to operate on clean tracks. Dallas plays a total of 10 dome games across the 2026 season! They get their 8 standard home games in the climate-controlled comfort of AT&T Stadium, plus they travel to two indoor road tracks: Week 4 at Houston (NRG Stadium) and Week 9 at Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium). Playing 10 out of 17 regular-season games completely protected from the elements is an unbelievable advantage for their vertical passing game and field goal units.
Week 7: at Philadelphia Eagles, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA) — Monday Night Football / Back-to-Back Road Trip, Monday, Oct. 26 at 8:15 PM EDT
Week 8: vs. Arizona Cardinals, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — Dome Game, Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN) — Dome Game, Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — 3-Game Home stand (Game 1) / Dome Game, Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4:25 PM EST
Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — 3-Game Home stand (Game 2) / Dome Game, Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — 3-Game Home stand (Game 3) / Thanksgiving Thursday / Dome Game, Thursday, Nov. 26 at 4:30 PM EST
As for the late-season winter weather in Phase 3? Look, Dallas is a warm-weather dome team, but because of how their schedule splits, they don't face any massive, extended deep-freezes in December or January. They hit a road game at Seattle in Week 13, slide into a late Week 14 bye, and then travel to the Los Angeles Rams inside the SoFi Stadium dome in Week 15. Their outdoor cold-weather exposure late in the year is beautifully minimal, consisting only of a regular-season finale road trip to Washington in January.
For a mediocre squad, dodging late-December snow or freezing rain until the final week of the year is an absolute gift. It gives them a pristine, element-proof environment to try and maximize their offense right down the stretch. It's a completely fair, highly intriguing mixed-bag layout.
Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks, Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) — Monday Night Football, Monday, Dec. 7 at 8:15 PM EST
Week 14: BYE WEEK — No Game, No Venue, No Time
Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) — Dome Game, Sunday, Dec. 20 at 4:25 PM EST
Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — Sunday Night Football / Dome Game, Sunday, Dec. 27 at 8:20 PM EST
Week 17: vs. New York Giants, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) — Dome Game, Sunday, Jan. 3 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 18: at Washington Commanders, Northwest Stadium (Landover, MD) — Winter Outdoor Game, Sunday, Jan. 10 (Time TBD)
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