Cowboys 2025 NFL Schedule Released for Dak Prescott, Lamb, George Pickens' 1st Year

Let the Brian Schottenheimer era begin.

The Dallas Cowboys hired the first-time head coach this offseason after they parted ways with Mike McCarthy following a disappointing 7-10 effort in 2024. They also traded for wide receiver George Pickens to provide more support in the aerial attack alongside CeeDee Lamb.

Full schedule information available on the team's official website

Such offseason moves set the stage for a 2025 campaign that will be the first one since 2021 where Dallas is looking to bounce back from a season when it missed the playoffs entirely.

That 2021 season kicked off a stretch of three straight playoff appearances, so Dak Prescott, Lamb, Pickens and Co. will look to replicate some of that success in 2025.

Here is a look at the schedule they will have to overcome while attempting to do so, which starts with a headline opener against the reigning-champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Analysis

Navigating the 2025 schedule will be anything but easy for the Cowboys.

Their own division naturally stands out, as the Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions. What's more, the Washington Commanders reached the NFC Championship Game and have a bright future ahead of them with Jayden Daniels under center.

Facing each of those teams twice is not a fortunate break for Dallas.

Neither is a slate of games against the AFC West and the NFC North.

The NFC North featured three playoff teams last season in the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. So did the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos.

Dallas will have to face a list of quarterbacks that includes Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Daniels, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and Jared Goff, among others, in a schedule that doesn't offer many breaks.

Pivotal Matchups

Every NFL team needs to win divisional games to remain competitive, but that is especially the case for the Cowboys.

After all, the Eagles and Commanders likely aren't going to lose many games between them this season given their overall talent level and expectations. Dallas will have the opportunity to hand them head-to-head losses a combined four times during the season and will need to take advantage of some of those chances to remain competitive in the NFC East.

Elsewhere, the games against the NFC North stand out.

All four teams in the division could be realistic wild-card contenders in 2025 after the Vikings, Lions and Packers reached the playoffs last season and the Chicago Bears hired new head coach Ben Johnson after he helped Detroit find success as the offensive coordinator.

If the Eagles or Commanders end up winning the NFC East, the Cowboys' only path to reaching the playoffs will be through the wild card.

They figure to be battling with the NFC North teams for those coveted spots and could use some head-to-head wins for tiebreaking purposes.