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          Dallas Cowboys

          Dallas Cowboys' 2023 schedule: Takeaways, predictions

          Where will quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys kick off the 2023 season? Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
          • Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterMay 11, 2023, 08:03 PM ET
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              Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
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          FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys’ 2023 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.

          In 2023, the Cowboys will be looking to make the playoffs for a third consecutive year, which would be their longest streak since going six straight times from 1991 to 1996, mixing in three Super Bowl wins. The Cowboys are out to end their Super Bowl drought at 27 years, but to get there they will have to make it through a difficult schedule, especially late.

          To open the season, the Cowboys play the Giants for the seventh time in the past 12 years, but just the second time in the Meadowlands. Quarterback Dak Prescott has not lost to the Giants since his rookie season, winning 10 straight against the NFC East rivals.

          Here's what's in store for the Cowboys:

          Schedule

          Sept. 10: at New York Giants (SNF)

          Sept. 17: vs. New York Jets

          Sept. 25: at Arizona

          Oct. 1: vs. New England

          Oct. 8: at San Francisco (SNF)

          Oct. 16: at Los Angeles Chargers (MNF)

          Oct 22: BYE

          Oct. 29: vs. Los Angeles Rams

          Nov. 5: at Philadelphia

          Nov. 12: vs. New York Giants

          Nov. 19: at Carolina

          Nov. 23: vs. Washington

          Nov. 30: vs. Seattle (Amazon Prime)

          Dec. 10: vs. Philadelphia (SNF)

          Dec. 17: at Buffalo

          Dec. 24: at Miami

          Dec. 30: vs. Detroit (ESPN)

          Jan. 7: at Washington

          Strength of schedule: .550 (tied for fourth toughest)

          Over/Under: 9.5

          Biggest takeaway

          The close to the schedule looks most difficult. From Week 13 to Week 17, they will face four playoff teams from 2022 and a fifth, Detroit, which is viewed as one of the up-and-coming teams this season. The Cowboys will have back-to-back Thursday games against Washington and Seattle in Weeks 12 and 13 and back-to-back road trips to the cold (Buffalo on Dec. 17) and the hot (Miami on Dec. 24). Three of their last four games are on the road.

          The Cowboys would be best served with a fast start, even with four of the first six away from AT&T Stadium. The Jets might be in a feeling-out process with Aaron Rodgers, and Arizona and New England at least have some quarterback issues based on availability or ability.

          Revenge game

          The San Francisco 49ers have ended the Cowboys’ past two seasons in the wild-card and divisional round of the playoffs, respectively. When these teams meet in Week 5, the stakes will not be as high, but the Cowboys could send an early message should they see San Francisco again in the playoffs. And perhaps this game could determine where the postseason game would be played. It doesn’t mean much, but the Cowboys have won their two regular-season games at Levi’s Stadium in 2016 and 2017 and four straight in the regular season overall.

          Bold prediction

          The Aaron Rodgers Curse ends. Rodgers has never lost at AT&T Stadium (4-0). His lone Super Bowl win came there, with Mike McCarthy as coach. Rodgers broke the Cowboys’ hearts there in the divisional round of the 2016 playoffs, threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Davante Adams in 2017 and ran out to a 24-0 lead in a 10-point win in 2019. But those were with the Packers. This time, McCarthy gets one over his former quarterback and the Jets in Week 2.