The NFL makes a fun but surprising decision for the Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 schedule days before full release
The Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving. But this time, it’s the kind of game that can make or break their season as they’ll take on their top NFC East rival in 2026.
Make it three known official dates and rivals for the Dallas Cowboys season thanks to the latest NFL announcement.
After announcing the Cowboys are playing the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 in Brazil after a Week 1 opener at the New York Giants, the league revealed Dallas’ Thanksgiving rival for the 2026 season.
It will be a fun one as the Cowboys will host the Philadelphia Eagles for a late season NFC East clash.
Eagles @ Cowboys set for Thanksgiving
The choice for the Week 12 matchup is a surprising one. The Cowboys haven’t played the Eagles on Thanksgiving since 2014. Prior to that, they hadn’t played on Turkey Day since 1989’s infamous “Bounty Bowl.”
Nowadays, the Cowboys and Eagles are the better equipped teams to take home the division title. Dallas is the odds-on underdog compared to Philly, but an improved defense could allow them to reap the benefits of an elite offense.
Last season, the Cowboys lost to the Eagles in the NFL Kickoff Game and later came back from a 21-point deficit to beat them at AT&T Stadium.
The NFL will announce the rest of the 2026 schedule on May 14, and I’m already wondering when will the other Cowboys-Eagles game be. We already know about a late matchup, but will the other one be early in the year or a Week 17-18 type of showdown?
Last year, the league admitted it decided to schedule the two rivals for NFL Kickoff because it rarely squared them off in September or even early October. We’re about to find out.
What we know about the schedule so far
As of this writing, the NFL has announced three dates and rivals for the Cowboys in 2026:
- Week 1, @ Giants
- Week 3, vs Ravens (in Rio de Janeiro)
- Week 12, vs Eagles (Thanksgiving)