The Dallas Cowboys schedule for the 2021 season ranks among the easiest in NFL. That may come as a surprise to some since the Cowboys have dates with both participants of Super Bowl LV, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite having to face those two teams, the Dallas Cowboys schedule ranks 31st in terms of strength based on opponents win % in 2020*.
Encouraging as that sounds for the Cowboys, experienced football fans know that ranking strength of schedule strictly based on opponents win % from the previous season is flawed. Every year there are teams that bounce back from poor performances as well as teams that regress after having success. There are numerous other factors as well such as Injuries, personnel upgrades, coaching changes, and not having to play the same exact schedule as the previous season. That is why a better indicator of strength of schedule is by measuring it against each teams 2021 projected wins totals. Using that measure, the Cowboys are tied in 26th place with the Colts at 142.8 combined win totals of 2021 opponents. That is not quite as favourable as 31st but with it being a far more accurate measure, that is very encouraging data for Cowboys fans. Moreover, the strength of the Dallas Cowboys schedule ranks very favourably to their NFC East division rivals who rank as follows: Washington Football Team (6th), New York Giants (10th), Philadelphia Eagles (18th).**
Being a Dallas Cowboys fan often means high expectations to begin each season followed by great disappointment at the end of the season. But the failures of the recent past should not extinguish hope for the future. The NFC East is widely considered the worst division in the NFL. With the return of Dak Prescott, the hiring of Dan Quinn as DC, and the relatively easy Dallas Cowboys schedule, there is little reason for Cowboys fans not to be optimistic this season.
*2021 NFL Strength of Schedule ranking for all 32 teams heading into the NFL’s inaugural 17-game season. by John Breech, May 12, 2021 @ 5:45 pm ET, cbssports.com https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2021-nfl-strength-of-schedule-ranking-for-all-32-teams-heading-into-the-nfls-inaugural-17-game-season/
**The Proper way to Calculate 2021 NFL Strength of Schedule. May 10th, 2021, sportsbettingdime.com https://sportsbettingdime.com
Photo by Joe Glorioso All-Pro Reels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
