The Dallas Cowboys Are Primetime Darlings No Matter What<\/strong><\/h3>\nDespite missing the playoffs and being a late-season afterthought, Dallas will be all over national television in 2025. They open the season on Thursday Night Football against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>, host Patrick Mahomes<\/a> and the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> on Thanksgiving Day, and hit the national stage again on Christmas Day against the Washington Commanders<\/a>. And that\u2019s before we even get to their two Sunday and Monday Night Football slots each.<\/p>\nThe Cowboys are scheduled for a staggering eight standalone games, tied for the most in the league with the Chiefs and Commanders. The NFL doesn\u2019t view Dallas as background noise\u2014they know better. They are a national draw. No other 7-10 team gets this kind of treatment. Among the other four teams with the most standalone games, the lowest win total last year belonged to Washington, and they won 12 games.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t about competitive merit\u2014it\u2019s about marketability, and it\u2019s about ratings. And nobody moves the needle like the Cowboys.<\/p>\n
Call it nostalgia, call it whatever you want\u2014Dallas still owns the national stage.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_24870486_168400545_lowres-1024x682.jpg\")
Nov 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) stands with Madden Thanksgiving MVP trophy after defeating the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAn Unprecedented Thursday Slate<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Cowboys are making schedule history in 2025. Dallas is the first team in NFL history to play four Thursday games in a single season<\/a>. It\u2019s a scheduling quirk, yes, but it\u2019s also a reflection of the Cowboys\u2019 gravitational pull on the league’s biggest stages. Here\u2019s how it shakes out:<\/p>\n\n- Week 1: at Eagles (NFL season opener)<\/li>\n
- Week 13: vs. Chiefs (Thanksgiving Day)<\/li>\n
- Week 14: at Lions (Thursday Night Football)<\/li>\n
- Week 17: at Commanders (Christmas Day)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why is the NFL doing this? Simple: ratings. The Cowboys draw ratings. You either watch because you love them, or you hate-watch them, hoping to see them fall on their faces. Either way, you\u2019re watching.<\/p>\n
The opening night of the 2024 NFL season averaged 28.9 million viewers, a record for an NFL kickoff game<\/a>. Last year\u2019s Thanksgiving slate saw a record viewership of 34.2 million<\/a> across all three games. And Christmas Day of last year saw record-breaking ratings, drawing nearly 65 million<\/a> U.S. viewers. What do all of those games have in common this year? They are on Thursday, and they feature the Cowboys.<\/p>\nDespite losing their quarterback mid-season en route to a 7-10 finish, Dallas still averaged 23.14 million viewers per game in 2024<\/a>. That was third in the league behind only a pair of 15-win teams\u2014the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs and the darlings of 2024, the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\nThe NFL didn\u2019t give Dallas these games by accident\u2014they did so because the country always tunes in. Whether they rise or fall under that spotlight, one thing is certain: everyone will be watching.<\/p>\n
The Gauntlet: Weeks 12-17 Are Brutal<\/strong><\/h3>\nDallas better start fast, because the end of the schedule is filthy. They\u2019ll face their toughest test down the stretch, and it\u2019s not subtle. From Week 12 through Week 17, the Cowboys run into a buzzsaw:<\/p>\n
\n- Week 12: vs. Eagles<\/li>\n
- Week 13: vs. Chiefs (Thanksgiving Day)<\/li>\n
- Week 14: at Lions (Thursday Night Football)<\/li>\n
- Week 15: vs. Vikings (Sunday Night Football)<\/li>\n
- Week 16: vs. Chargers<\/li>\n
- Week 17: at Commanders (Christmas Day)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
That six-game stretch features teams that averaged a whopping 13.5 wins in 2024. All six made the playoffs. All six expect to contend again. According to Warren Sharp, Dallas faces the second-hardest schedule<\/a> in the league to close the season.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys are scheduled for a staggering eight standalone games, tied for the most in the league with the Chiefs and Commanders. The NFL doesn\u2019t view Dallas as background noise\u2014they know better. They are a national draw. No other 7-10 team gets this kind of treatment. Among the other four teams with the most standalone games, the lowest win total last year belonged to Washington, and they won 12 games.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t about competitive merit\u2014it\u2019s about marketability, and it\u2019s about ratings. And nobody moves the needle like the Cowboys.<\/p>\n
Call it nostalgia, call it whatever you want\u2014Dallas still owns the national stage.<\/p>\n The Cowboys are making schedule history in 2025. Dallas is the first team in NFL history to play four Thursday games in a single season<\/a>. It\u2019s a scheduling quirk, yes, but it\u2019s also a reflection of the Cowboys\u2019 gravitational pull on the league’s biggest stages. Here\u2019s how it shakes out:<\/p>\n Why is the NFL doing this? Simple: ratings. The Cowboys draw ratings. You either watch because you love them, or you hate-watch them, hoping to see them fall on their faces. Either way, you\u2019re watching.<\/p>\n The opening night of the 2024 NFL season averaged 28.9 million viewers, a record for an NFL kickoff game<\/a>. Last year\u2019s Thanksgiving slate saw a record viewership of 34.2 million<\/a> across all three games. And Christmas Day of last year saw record-breaking ratings, drawing nearly 65 million<\/a> U.S. viewers. What do all of those games have in common this year? They are on Thursday, and they feature the Cowboys.<\/p>\n Despite losing their quarterback mid-season en route to a 7-10 finish, Dallas still averaged 23.14 million viewers per game in 2024<\/a>. That was third in the league behind only a pair of 15-win teams\u2014the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs and the darlings of 2024, the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n The NFL didn\u2019t give Dallas these games by accident\u2014they did so because the country always tunes in. Whether they rise or fall under that spotlight, one thing is certain: everyone will be watching.<\/p>\n Dallas better start fast, because the end of the schedule is filthy. They\u2019ll face their toughest test down the stretch, and it\u2019s not subtle. From Week 12 through Week 17, the Cowboys run into a buzzsaw:<\/p>\n That six-game stretch features teams that averaged a whopping 13.5 wins in 2024. All six made the playoffs. All six expect to contend again. According to Warren Sharp, Dallas faces the second-hardest schedule<\/a> in the league to close the season.<\/p>\nAn Unprecedented Thursday Slate<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The Gauntlet: Weeks 12-17 Are Brutal<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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