Breakdown
If the Cowboys want to return to the playoffs in Mike McCarthy's first year as coach, they must get off to a fast start. Of their first nine opponents, only two made the playoffs last season (Seattle, Philadelphia), and the Cowboys have three consecutive home games in October that could give them energy into the second half. They will face young quarterbacks --
Baker Mayfield,
Daniel Jones and
Kyler Murray -- during that homestand, with Mayfield and Jones playing their first seasons under new coaches. A year ago, the Cowboys needed a fast start to overcome a more difficult closing stretch, but a three-game losing streak, including one to a winless
New York Jets, ultimately haunted them in their 8-8 finish in 2019.
Tough stretch
Why is a fast start a must? The three-game stretch over a four-week period at Philadelphia and Minnesota wrapped around a home game at Pittsburgh could determine if the Cowboys are a true contender. Having the bye in Week 10 will help, but when adding in the preseason, the Cowboys will go 14 straight weeks before they get a break. They can thank the Hall of Fame Game for that predicament. McCarthy will have to be mindful of his team's energy, provided there is something that approaches a normal training camp. Closing the 2020 season with two of four games against San Francisco and Philadelphia is difficult, but at least the Cowboys are at home.
Breaking in the new place
While we don't know if the game will be played because of the
coronavirus pandemic, there was always the feeling the Cowboys were going to open the season at the
Los Angeles Rams' SoFi Stadium. Jerry Jones played a major part in the Rams' move back to L.A. and was a major proponent of the new stadium. The $5 billion stadium features a double-sided video board that is 120 yards long, dwarfing the digital board at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys' last trip to Los Angeles against the Rams was not so memorable. They lost in the divisional round of the 2018 playoffs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But there is some good news: Of the four new NFL stadiums that have opened since 2010, the Cowboys have won their first game in the venue three times.
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