It’s hard to tell whether Dallas Cowboys fans should be excited or suspicious of the start to the 2024 NFL season. Eager to get the disastrous taste of January's playoff debacle out of our mouths, or simply suspicious in that it's foolish to hope for a better result this year, let alone to expect it? The answer is probably both.
The folks at Newsweek, however, are excited for the season to finally get underway. And according to their rankings of the 10 Best Thursday Night Football games and the 10 Best Monday Night Football games this season, they’re anxious to see both what kind of start the Cowboys can get off to and how the tail end of the season will go for Dallas.
Coming in at No. 7 on the Thursday Night Football list, Newsweek suggests viewers be in front of their TVs for the Week 4 “classic NFC East rivalry” matchup between Dallas and the New York Giants on Sept. 26.
“These two teams are no strangers to primetime matchups against one another,” the article reads. “Fans will get their first primetime look at Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, while the Cowboys aim to assert their dominance in the division once again.”
Of course, Thursday Night Football is a big deal. As exciting as the first full Sunday slate of games is, don’t forget that the NFL season this year starts on Thursday, Sept. 5, when the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs battle the Baltimore Ravens and last year's league MVP, Lamar Jackson.
Newsweek’s best Monday night games to watch in 2024 include a pair of late-season Dallas games. As the No. 6 MNF game of the year, Week 11’s Dallas vs. Houston Texans is worth being present for, the article says, because “if Dak Prescott can outperform C.J. Stroud on his home turf, it could go a long way to him earning a huge contract next offseason.”
An even better game to catch, coming in at No. 2, according to the site, is the Week 14 star-studded contest that takes place when the Cincinnati Bengals come to AT&T Stadium.
“Joe Burrow will face the Dallas Cowboys for the first time in his career after missing the 2020 matchup with a torn ACL,” Newsweek notes. “The Bengals and the Cowboys feature two of the NFL's best young receivers in CeeDee Lamb and Ja'Marr Chase. If they go off, it should be an exciting game.”
For our money, in a season filled with choice matchups, it's never a good idea to miss any of the games against division foes the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders. Both teams made significant additions to their rosters in the offseason and are more than primed for making the NFC East supremely tough for yet another season.
The Cowboys begin their 2024 campaign on Sunday, Sept. 8, against the Cleveland Browns. For those of you eager to see the opener, it’s worth remembering that there are plenty of reasons to maybe not be in such a hurry to see a Cowboys team that seems to have more questions than answers as the 2024 season finally begins ... But not at kicker. Placekicker is all set.