No matter what Tom Brady thinks of the Cowboys’ “America’s Team” moniker -- a name they have held since 1978 when NFL Films used that as the title of its season-ending highlight film -- Dallas still draws. That’s why they open the NFL season in the first Thursday Night Football game of the season against the defending Super Bowl champions on Sept. 9.
It’s also the reason the Cowboys have five primetime games despite the team’s 6-10 record.
The NFL released its 2021 schedules Wednesday night.
The Cowboys will appear on Sunday Night Football two times besides their Thursday night appearance on NBC. They have one Monday night game. They also have what has become an annual Thursday Night Football appearance the week after Thanksgiving on FOX, NFL Network and Amazon.
They play the Eagles at home on Monday Night Football in Week 3, on Sept. 27, in their home opener. The Cowboys travel to Minnesota on Oct. 31 in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football, travel to New Orleans on Thursday Night Football on Dec. 2 in Week 13, and the Cowboys host Washington on Dec. 26 on Sunday Night Football in Week 16.
The Cowboys also have their annual Thanksgiving Day game, which usually draws the highest television ratings of the year. They will host the Raiders in 2021.
The Cowboys’ opponents went .452 last season, giving them the second-easiest schedule in the NFL behind the Eagles based on last season’s records.
The Cowboys begin with back-to-back road trips to Tampa and Los Angeles. They will face the Chargers in Week 2, but they do get 10 days between road trips.
They then have three consecutive home games.
The Cowboys’ bye week comes Week 7 in between a game against the Patriots and the game against the Vikings.
Four of the Cowboys’ final five games are division games, with three of those on the road. Dallas closes out the season against the Eagles on the road in Week 18.
Last season, the Cowboys had a game flexed out of Sunday Night Football for the first time since NBC won the rights to the flex-scheduling package. Instead of the Cowboys-49ers in Week 15, NBC showed the Browns and Giants.
But the Cowboys’ draw remains as strong as ever.
