MOCKSLATE

Dallas Cowboys Schedulegami: Opponents Never Faced in Primetime

What is a schedulegami? MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they’ve never shared before.

The Cowboys have faced the Buccaneers 20 times, but never on Monday night. If they were scheduled there, that would be a schedulegami, their first-ever Monday night meeting.

The Cowboys have never faced 3 of their 31 possible opponents on Monday, Sunday, or Thursday night. Every one of those 3 has met Dallas in at least one other scheduling window, such as a Saturday or a game abroad.

The 2026 schedule adds three schedulegamis: Baltimore in an international game in Week 3, Tampa Bay on Thursday night in Week 5, and Jacksonville on Sunday night in Week 16.

Every Cowboys opponent by scheduling window, 1966–2025

Each number shows how many times Dallas has faced that opponent in the listed window. “Never” means the matchup has not happened there yet; “2026 first” means this season will be the first.

OpponentGamessince 1966Mon nightsince 1970Sun nightsince 1987Thu nightsince 1978Thanksgivingsince 1966Christmassince 1966Saturdaysince 1966Kickoffsince 2002Intlsince 2005Fridaysince 1966Wednesdaysince 1966
Eagles1191216never2151nevernevernever
Commanders11917921112nevernevernevernever
Giants116131413never3nevernevernever1
Cardinals8194never422nevernevernevernever
Saints323521never1nevernever1never
Falcons2921nevernevernever1nevernevernevernever
49ers2923never2never1nevernevernevernever
Lions284never1nevernever1nevernevernevernever
Packers282312nevernevernevernevernevernever
Rams2732never1nevernevernevernevernevernever
Vikings262523nevernevernevernevernevernever
Bears243222nevernevernevernevernevernever
Steelers2011never1nevernevernevernevernevernever
Seahawks201never13nevernevernevernevernevernever
Buccaneers20never32026 first1never11nevernevernever
Browns191nevernever2never3nevernevernevernever
Panthers1621never1never2nevernevernevernever
Colts1611nevernevernever1nevernevernevernever
Titans163never131nevernevernevernevernever
Bengals151nevernevernevernevernevernevernevernevernever
Dolphins1511never5nevernevernevernevernevernever
Patriots1512never1nevernevernevernevernevernever
Broncos14nevernevernever2nevernevernevernevernevernever
Chargers141nevernever1nevernevernevernevernevernever
Raiders1411never3never1nevernevernevernever
Jets14never1never1never3nevernevernevernever
Chiefs131nevernever2nevernevernevernevernevernever
Bills123nevernever1nevernevernevernevernevernever
Jaguars8never2026 firstnevernevernevernevernever1nevernever
Ravens7nevernevernevernevernever1never2026 firstnevernever
Texans712nevernevernevernevernevernevernevernever

2026 Cowboys schedulegamis

  • Week 3 — Cowboys vs. Ravens

    First-ever Cowboys–Ravens International meeting. Final: Ravens 34, Cowboys 31.

  • Week 5 — Cowboys vs. Buccaneers

    First-ever Cowboys–Buccaneers Thursday night meeting. Final: Buccaneers 24, Cowboys 16.

  • Week 16 — Cowboys vs. Jaguars

    First-ever Cowboys–Jaguars Sunday night meeting.

Cowboys venue-first matchups, 1966–2025

Schedulegami vs. venue first: A schedulegami means the teams have never met in that scheduling window. A venue first means they have met in the window, but one team has never hosted it.

Some matchups have appeared in a primetime window several times, but always with the same team hosting. The table below shows where the other team has never hosted that matchup in the same window.

MatchupWindowGamesHosted bydesignated home teamNever hosted by
Cowboys–CommandersThanksgiving11CowboysCommanders
Cowboys–DolphinsThanksgiving5CowboysDolphins
Cowboys–CardinalsSunday night4CardinalsCowboys
Cowboys–CardinalsThanksgiving4CowboysCardinals
Cowboys–RamsMonday night3RamsCowboys
Cowboys–BuccaneersSunday night3CowboysBuccaneers
Cowboys–RaidersThanksgiving3CowboysRaiders
Cowboys–VikingsThanksgiving3CowboysVikings
Cowboys–GiantsThanksgiving3CowboysGiants
Cowboys–EaglesThanksgiving3CowboysEagles
Cowboys–SeahawksThanksgiving3CowboysSeahawks
Cowboys–TitansThanksgiving3CowboysTitans
Cowboys–GiantsSaturday3GiantsCowboys
Cowboys–PanthersMonday night2CowboysPanthers
Cowboys–PackersMonday night2CowboysPackers
Cowboys–VikingsMonday night2VikingsCowboys
Cowboys–SeahawksMonday night2SeahawksCowboys
Cowboys–49ersMonday night249ersCowboys
Cowboys–TexansSunday night2TexansCowboys
Cowboys–PatriotsSunday night2PatriotsCowboys
Cowboys–BearsThursday night2BearsCowboys
Cowboys–BearsThanksgiving2CowboysBears
Cowboys–BrownsThanksgiving2CowboysBrowns
Cowboys–BroncosThanksgiving2CowboysBroncos
Cowboys–PackersThanksgiving2CowboysPackers
Cowboys–ChiefsThanksgiving2CowboysChiefs
Cowboys–49ersThanksgiving2Cowboys49ers
Cowboys–CardinalsChristmas2CardinalsCowboys
Cowboys–PanthersSaturday2PanthersCowboys
Cowboys–CommandersSaturday2CowboysCommanders
Cowboys–BengalsMonday night1CowboysBengals
Cowboys–BrownsMonday night1BrownsCowboys
Cowboys–TexansMonday night1CowboysTexans
Cowboys–ColtsMonday night1CowboysColts
Cowboys–ChiefsMonday night1CowboysChiefs
Cowboys–ChargersMonday night1ChargersCowboys
Cowboys–RaidersMonday night1RaidersCowboys
Cowboys–DolphinsMonday night1DolphinsCowboys
Cowboys–PatriotsMonday night1PatriotsCowboys
Cowboys–SteelersMonday night1CowboysSteelers
Cowboys–FalconsSunday night1FalconsCowboys
Cowboys–PanthersSunday night1PanthersCowboys
Cowboys–ColtsSunday night1CowboysColts
Cowboys–JaguarsSunday night1CowboysJaguars
Cowboys–RaidersSunday night1Raiders (Oakland)Cowboys
Cowboys–DolphinsSunday night1CowboysDolphins
Cowboys–JetsSunday night1JetsCowboys
Cowboys–SteelersSunday night1SteelersCowboys
Cowboys–LionsThursday night1LionsCowboys
Cowboys–PackersThursday night1CowboysPackers
Cowboys–GiantsThursday night1GiantsCowboys
Cowboys–SeahawksThursday night1CowboysSeahawks
Cowboys–BuccaneersThursday night1CowboysBuccaneers
Cowboys–TitansThursday night1TitansCowboys
Cowboys–BillsThanksgiving1CowboysBills
Cowboys–PanthersThanksgiving1CowboysPanthers
Cowboys–ChargersThanksgiving1CowboysChargers
Cowboys–RamsThanksgiving1CowboysRams
Cowboys–PatriotsThanksgiving1CowboysPatriots
Cowboys–SaintsThanksgiving1CowboysSaints
Cowboys–JetsThanksgiving1CowboysJets
Cowboys–SteelersThanksgiving1CowboysSteelers
Cowboys–BuccaneersThanksgiving1CowboysBuccaneers
Cowboys–EaglesChristmas1CowboysEagles
Cowboys–TitansChristmas1TitansCowboys
Cowboys–CommandersChristmas1CommandersCowboys
Cowboys–FalconsSaturday1FalconsCowboys
Cowboys–RavensSaturday1CowboysRavens
Cowboys–LionsSaturday1CowboysLions
Cowboys–ColtsSaturday1CowboysColts
Cowboys–RaidersSaturday1Raiders (Oakland)Cowboys
Cowboys–SaintsSaturday1SaintsCowboys
Cowboys–49ersSaturday149ersCowboys
Cowboys–BuccaneersSaturday1BuccaneersCowboys
Cowboys–EaglesKickoff Game1EaglesCowboys
Cowboys–BuccaneersKickoff Game1BuccaneersCowboys
Cowboys–SaintsFriday1SaintsCowboys
Cowboys–GiantsWednesday1GiantsCowboys

2027 Cowboys matchups that could become schedulegamis

These are Dallas’s projected 2027 opponents and the scheduling windows where each matchup has never happened. Three opponents still depend on Week 18 standings. The full projection is on the Cowboys team page.

OpponentWhy they playWindows never playedStatus
New York GiantsDivision — twice a yearChristmas, Kickoff Game, International, Fridayconfirmed
Philadelphia EaglesDivision — twice a yearThursday night, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
Washington CommandersDivision — twice a yearKickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
Buffalo BillsInterconference rotationSunday night, Thursday night, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
Miami DolphinsInterconference rotationThursday night, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
Atlanta FalconsConference rotationThursday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
Carolina PanthersConference rotationThursday night, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
New England PatriotsInterconference rotationThursday night, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
New York JetsInterconference rotationMonday night, Thursday night, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
New Orleans SaintsConference rotationChristmas, Kickoff Game, International, Wednesdayconfirmed
Tampa Bay BuccaneersConference rotationMonday night, Christmas, International, Friday, Wednesdayconfirmed
Los Angeles RamsSame-place finish, NFC WestThursday night, Christmas, Saturday, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdaypending Week 18 standings
Detroit LionsSame-place finish, NFC NorthSunday night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdaypending Week 18 standings
Las Vegas Raiders17th game — same-place finishThursday night, Christmas, Kickoff Game, International, Friday, Wednesdaypending Week 18 standings

Cowboys schedulegami FAQ

What is a schedulegami?
MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they've never shared before. The Cowboys have faced the Buccaneers 20 times, but never on Monday night. If they were scheduled there, that would be a schedulegami, their first-ever Monday night meeting.
How many opponents have the Cowboys never faced in primetime?
Dallas has never faced 3 of its 31 possible opponents in primetime. Those teams are the Broncos, Jaguars, and Ravens. Counted one window at a time, the Cowboys have never faced 5 opponents on Monday night, 11 on Sunday night, and 22 on Thursday night; the 3 above are the ones missing from all three.
Which teams have the Cowboys never played on Monday night?
The Cowboys have never played the Buccaneers, Broncos, Jets, Jaguars, and Ravens on Monday night. That's 5 of their 31 possible opponents through the 2025 season.
Which Cowboys matchups have only happened on Sunday afternoons?
None. Every opponent has met the Cowboys somewhere other than a Sunday afternoon.
Which Cowboys games are schedulegamis in 2026?
Three: Week 3 vs. Baltimore in an international game, Week 5 vs. Tampa Bay on Thursday night, and Week 16 vs. Jacksonville on Sunday night. Each matchup will appear in that window for the first time.
What is the difference between a schedulegami and a venue first?
A schedulegami is the first time two teams meet in a scheduling window. A venue first means they have met in that window before, but one team has never hosted it.

About the data

MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they have never shared before. The order of the two teams does not matter, and neither does the venue: two teams that have only ever met on Sunday night in one city have still met on Sunday night, so the same game in the other city is a venue first, not a schedulegami. Sunday afternoon windows never count. A game counts in every window it fits, so a Monday night game in Mexico City is both a Monday night game and an international game. Primetime here means Monday, Sunday, and Thursday night. Two levels are tracked: the first time two teams meet in one window, and the first time they meet anywhere but a Sunday afternoon.

Game history is the same record as Primetime & Holiday History, regular season only, with franchises carried forward under their current names; Monday night counts every Monday game the way that tool counts it. Coverage by window: Monday night: since 1970, every Monday game as Slot History counts it; Sunday night: since 1987; Thursday night: all Thursday games since 1966 as Slot History counts them; the first non-Thanksgiving Thursday game in the data is 1978; the weekly package began in 2006; Thanksgiving: since 1966; Christmas: since 1966; Saturday: since 1966; Kickoff Game: since 2002; International: since 2005; Friday: since 1966; Wednesday: all-time. A Sunday international game with a verified 8 PM ET or later kickoff counts as International and Sunday night; two games count, the 2005 49ers at Cardinals game in Mexico City and the 2026 Vikings at 49ers game in Mexico City. Schedulegami is a MockSlate term, first published September 2026.

More Cowboys: Primetime & holiday history · Team page · Scorigami · Rest & travel · All schedulegami teams

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Updated: October 26, 2026