They say football is a game of inches so no advantage, no matter how slight, should be overlooked. But the Dallas Cowboys might be receiving a significant one from the NFL heading into the 2023 regular season.

Specifically, the Cowboys are set to benefit from the way the league set up its 2023 schedule. As you might know, the NFL made significant rule changes to its scheduling rules this year, allowing itself to completely leave teams out of primetime slots. There's also a Black Friday game now and teams can play two Thursday Night Football games in the same year.

Whether directly or indirectly, that's resulted in a schedule that is historically imbalanced, per the insightful analysis from betting expert Warren Sharp. Let's dive into how the Cowboys benefit significantly from this.

Where the Cowboys get a big advantage

What Sharp is looking at in his Twitter thread and in an article for FOX Sports is essentially all about "rest advantage." In other words, how many days more worth of rest does a team have compared to the opponent? His thesis revolves around net rest edges and specific situations such as negated bye weeks and short road weeks.

Before we dive into the Cowboys' numbers, here's a quick look at the disparity that provoked a thread filled with outrage put together by Sharp: 

but even worse than the total games, it's the lack of balance

for example, last year in 2022:

one team played 5+ games with more rest than their opponent

this year?

FIVE teams play 5+ games with more rest than their opponent

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 16, 2023

In short, the league is giving many teams significant advantages over the season while giving many teams close to none. Keep in mind, the timing of these games is in full control of the NFL. While it doesn't determine who each team plays each year (that's done automatically by rule), it does determine when each happens.

An example of this is the fact that the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Washington Commanders are receiving a "+12 day net rest edge" which is the highest they've had in their respective franchise history. In other words, they'll get an accumulated 12 days more rest than their opponents throughout the season.

Here's where it gets interesting for the Cowboys, who are only at +1 in that category. Such a number isn't a big deal as it's near the balance the league should be aiming for. However, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants were put at a huge disadvantage by the schedule. Being the top two rivals for the Cowboys in the NFC East this year, that's likely to matter.

Both the Eagles and the Giants were pointed out as one of the teams "hurt the most" by the schedule. Philly is one of "two teams with -4 'net' games with rest edges." That means they'll play four more games at a disadvantage than they will at an advantage. 

For context, that didn't happen for any team in all of 2022. 

The Eagles also have a "negated bye week," which means their rival will also be coming off of a bye week when they are. While it will still help players heal and get some rest in, it won't be considered an advantage. 

As for the Giants, they're in a similarly disadvantageous spot. They'll play a schedule with "-2 'net' games with rest edges." Even worse, the three times they're on a short week, they'll be going on the road.

"What is challenging for a team like the Giants is they must play three such short week road games, while their counterparts in the NFC East, like the Cowboys and Eagles, don't have to play a single such game," writes Sharp for FOX Sports.

'So what? It's just a few days of rest!'

Listen, I don't know how much all of this will matter when it's all said and done. After all, better teams will play better on the football field and will win more games. Period. But if we're expecting a close race for the NFC East once again, every slight edge matters.

And the fact that the Cowboys' top two division rivals are put at a big disadvantage is noteworthy at least. Even if it makes a difference for one single game in which one veteran can't suit up because of the concussion protocol or the team is simply exhausted, it could swing the division one way or another.

One thing is undeniably true: I'd rather have the Cowboys schedule than the Eagles'. Expect it to matter.

For more on this topic and the Cowboys, check out my nightly live show A to Z Sports Dallas Primetime below!

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