While many within Cowboys Nation are zeroed in on whether or not the Week 14 bye is too late and how the team will handle a tough late-season stretch against playoff contenders, it is far more demanding for the players who will actually carry it out. Thursday’s schedule release showed a difficult run ahead for the Cowboys, one that could test their recovery and endurance late in the season. It has also drawn scrutiny toward Roger Goodell and the way the league structures its schedule.

“There is no way #NFL brass can say they care about player safety when you schedule a club to play 3 games in eleven days,” veteran sports commentator Newy Scruggs shared via X. “The #DallasCowboys will do that twice this season. Think about that when you predict their record. @NBCDFWSports.”

Based on Vegas projections of opponent win totals, the Dallas Cowboys face the fourth-toughest slate in the league. On top of that, they are set to meet seven playoff teams over their 17-game schedule and log nearly 27,980 miles of travel.

It’s been very well documented that Jerry Jones’ team has managed to avoid international games for years. Their last appearance outside the U.S. came in 2014. Now, it feels like that streak has come to an end in a tough way.

They’re set for a Week 3 matchup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, against the Baltimore Ravens. The bigger concern, though, is that just a week later, they’ll head straight into a road game against the Houston Texans, with no recovery time.

And it doesn’t get any easier from there.

That stretch rolls right into a short-week matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed by back-to-back trips to face the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a brutal early-season run, to say the least.

Their rest doesn’t come until Week 14, tying a franchise record for the latest bye week. Not only Scruggs but also many around the league have expressed their concern with the Cowboys’ schedule.

“The Cowboys’ early-season stretch is an absolute nightmare.” Cowboys beat writer Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted. “Traveling 11 hours back from Rio de Janeiro, going on the road for a noon game in Houston, and turning around for a Thursday night game all in 11 days will be incredibly difficult. All of that, just to go back on the road for back-to-back games against the Packers and Eagles. We’ll know a lot about this team in the season’s first seven weeks.”

However, when the team’s QB1 was asked about his approach towards such a grueling schedule and the subsequent expectations from this season, he had a reassuring response.

Dak Prescott reacts to the Cowboys’ gruelling 2026 schedule

With America’s Team falling to a 7-9-1 record, the pressure is constantly mounting on Dak Prescott, especially with Dallas’ Super Bowl drought extending to 30 years in 2026. But now with the 2026 schedule, things have gotten too challenging for the Cowboys’ QB1. Yet, the 31-year-old isn’t letting these factors affect him and his team as he lists out his plan for the upcoming season.

“I’m excited; it’s my first time playing an international game going into my 11th season,” Dak Prescott said, per Jon Machota. “I would have thought we would have had one by now, but it’s all good; obviously, it’s right to travel, like you said, the travel will be tough. But as part of growing this game, we’ll manage; we’ll figure out the best way, obviously, and take care of our bodies. We’ve been a part of three games of 11 days right every year, pretty much with our Thanksgiving Day game, so nothing new, just having to do it earlier.”

Prescott had a similar positive response when asked about his expectations for the upcoming season, as he comes off a year where he had near-MVP numbers while leading one of the best offenses across the league.

“Yeah, my expectation right now is just to grow every day, grow; this brotherhood obviously built off of what we did last year,” Prescott said, per Jon Machota.

The Dallas QB1 started in all 17 games, recording 404-of-600 passes for 4,552 yards with 30 touchdowns. He also had 53 rushes for 177 yards and two more scores while leading the league in passing attempts, completions, and passing yards.

Despite the daunting schedule ahead, Prescott’s calm and optimistic outlook suggests the Cowboys are focused on growth rather than pressure. With experience navigating tough stretches and a strong offensive showing last season, Dallas will need that resilience if they hope to end their playoff drought and finally contend for a Super Bowl in 2026.