Dallas Cowboys players are still a few hours from seeing the full 2023 NFL schedule but before the drop, Micah Parsons took to Twitter to comment on the toughness of the NFC East.
“NFC east went from the worst division in football, to having the hardest schedule this year!” Parsons tweeted Thursday afternoon. “Life happens fast!”
The Cowboys’ division has become a much more competitive group since Parsons joined the league. In 2020, the NFC East started the season with a 6-19-1 record, prompting those in the media to label it the worst division in the league. Since then, the Eagles have won a Super Bowl title, the Cowboys have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the Giants made the 2022 playoffs and the Commanders… have new ownership.
Based on the combined win percentage of their opponents, the NFC East’s teams have three of the top five toughest 2023 schedules. The Eagles take the top spot, helped (or not helped) by the fact that they’ll face 10 teams who made the playoffs last season. The Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles’ Super Bowl opponents, face seven playoff teams.
Behind Philadelphia, the Dolphins and the Patriots have the second and third-toughest 2023 schedules, followed by Dallas, which is tied with the NY Giants.
According to Boston Herald columnist Bill Speros, the Cowboys will travel the 11th-most of all 32 teams during the 2023 season. They’ll fly 22,620 miles to see their opponents. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks top the league with 31,600 miles to fly. Unlike nine other NFL teams, the Cowboys’ mileage does not include flight miles for an international game.
Cowboys rank fourth in 2023 strength of schedule
Here’s a look at the Dallas Cowboys’ 2023 opponents, including the reported game dates from various leaked schedules, along with 2022 regular season records.
Home
- Washington (8-8-1) – Week 12, Thursday, Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving)
- NY Giants (9-7-1) – Week 10
- Philadelphia (14-3) – Week 14
- LA Rams (5-12)
- Seattle (9-8)
- New England (8-9)
- NY Jets (7-10) – Week 2
- Detroit (9-8)
Away
- Washington – Week 18, Sunday, Jan. 7
- NY Giants – Week 1, Sunday, Sept. 10, 8 p.m. ET
- Philadelphia – Week 9
- Arizona (4-13) – Week 3
- San Francisco (13-4) – Week 5, Sunday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. ET
- Miami (9-8)
- Buffalo (13-3)
- Carolina (7-10)
- LA Chargers (10-7)
