Mike McGinnis/Getty ImagesAlthough the Dallas Cowboys remain one of the NFL's most successful franchises with five Super Bowl titles, they have won just two playoff games since the start of the 1997 season. As you'd expect, the organization and the fanbase are eager to get back on a championship level.
It's going to take quite a turnaround to make that happen in 2016, though. The Cowboys are coming off a frustrating 4-12 campaign that was quickly derailed by injuries, close losses and some generally lackluster play in all three phases of the game.
Dallas finished 22nd in total offense and 17th in total defense en route to a last-place finish in the NFC East. It's a division that's almost always up for grabs heading into the final weeks, which leaves the door open for a quick return to contention, but the team will need to catch a lot more breaks along the way.
Let's check out the schedule released by NFL.com that the Cowboys will face starting in September. That's followed by some analysis about Dallas' outlook for the 2016 season.
Schedule
| 2016 Dallas Cowboys' Regular-Season Schedule | ||||
| 1 | Sept. 11 | vs. Giants | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 2 | Sept. 18 | at Washington | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 3 | Sept. 25 | vs. Bears | 8:30 p.m. | NBC |
| 4 | Oct. 2 | at 49ers | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 5 | Oct. 9 | vs. Bengals | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 6 | Oct. 16 | at Packers | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 7 | BYE | - | - | - |
| 8 | Oct. 30 | vs. Eagles | 8:30 p.m. | NBC |
| 9 | Nov. 6 | at Browns | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 10 | Nov. 13 | at Steelers | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 11 | Nov. 20 | vs. Ravens | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 12 | Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving) | vs. Washington | 4:30 p.m. | FOX |
| 13 | Dec. 1 | at Vikings | 8:25 p.m. | NBC, NFL Network |
| 14 | Dec. 11 | at Giants | 8:30 p.m. | NBC |
| 15 | Dec. 18 | vs. Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 16 | Dec. 26 | vs. Lions | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 17 | Jan. 1 | at Eagles | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| Source: NFL.com | ||||
Analysis
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesHealth has probably been a bigger deterrent to the Cowboys' success over the past couple of seasons than a lack of talent. Being able to stay mostly healthy—at least in terms of the team's key players—would go a long way toward a strong bounce-back season.
On the other side of the ball, standout linebacker Sean Lee made 128 combined tackles last season but missed all of the 2014 campaign because of a torn ACL.
And that's just the peak of the iceberg. The Cowboys have been forced to overcome numerous injuries to impact players in recent years. That's a major reason why they've been unable to sustain extended playoff runs, even when they succeed in the regular season.
When it comes to Romo, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still believes he's the quarterback who can lead the Dallas offense for the foreseeable future. He predicted on 105.3 The Fan in December that the veteran will remain under center for four or five more seasons (via Rob Phillips of the team's official site):
4-5 years. If you look at his play time, if you look at the years he's actually played, he started late. He really has excellent skills relative to where his skill set began and what his skill set is. More important than anything, from a mental standpoint and the things that also mean so much at quarterback, he's at the top of the list.
In the short term, keeping him on the field for the entire 2016 season would help the Cowboys mask weaknesses elsewhere on the roster. They will need to score a lot of points if the front seven doesn't improve after ranking 25th in sacks and 22nd in run defense last year.
So, while health isn't the only factor, it's a crucial one for the Cowboys. Full seasons from Romo, Bryant and Lee would do wonders for the team's postseason chances.
Pivotal Matchups
Tony Gutierrez/Associated PressThere's no doubt the divisional games are the most important ones for Dallas. As mentioned, the NFC East race is usually one of the most competitive in the NFL, at least in recent years, and that will likely be the case once again in 2016.
Last year, the Washington Redskins were the only team above .500 in division games at 4-2. That should be the minimum goal for the Cowboys if they want to take the crown back.
Outside of those vital games, the other notable contests on the schedule are road games against the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. They are two teams Dallas could be battling if it ends up in the wild-card race.
If the Cowboys can at least split those games along with reaching the 4-2 bar in the division, they likely only need to go 5-3 in the remaining games to make the playoffs. A quick glance at the schedule suggests that's a doable path.
All told, John Breech of CBSSports.com noted the Cowboys are tied for the fourth-easiest slate based on 2015 records. So, while Dallas has its fair share of concerns heading into the new season, the schedule shouldn't be one of them.
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