While the Cowboys didn’t handle their own business last Sunday night, they weren’t the only projected NFC contender with a bad season opener. In addition to hoping Dallas corrects course in Week 2, what else can we root for in this week’s schedule?
Last week, the preseason favorite Los Angeles Rams were dominated at home by the 49ers and lost Myles Garrett for at least a month. The Packers were the only NFC North team to lose a game, getting blown out by the Vikings and… Carson Wentz?!
Will Week 2
go more according to the oddsmaker’s script, or will we be reevaluating our predictions for the NFC? For the Cowboys’ sake, let’s hope last week was the outlier.
In addition to Dallas righting the ship against the Commanders, what else should Cowboys fans be rooting for in Week 2?
NFC East teams
- Titans d. Eagles
- Rams d. Giants
Until we’re much further down the road, it’s hard to imagine ever rooting for one of our division rivals to win. That’s especially true here: both Philly and New York are 1-0, and their opponents are relatively irrelevant to Dallas. The Rams losing last week only makes it easier to root for them, even if they’re still a top threat for playoff seeding.
Unfortunately, Tennessee might be one of the worst teams in the league this year. So if they hang a loss on Philadelphia, even as the home team, it will be a huge upset.
NFC vs. NFC
- Falcons d. Panthers
- Vikings d. Bears
- Cardinals d. Seahawks
Some of this may be splitting hairs, but we expect Carolina, Chicago, and Seattle to be more competitive overall this season than their Week 2 opponents. These picks are about those projected contenders taking losses, which will hopefully help Dallas later with playoff seeding. You never know how a September result could help decide who gets a bye week, home game, or some other postseason bonus.
NFC vs. AFC
- Bills d. Lions
- Jets d. Packers
- Ravens d. Saints
- Browns d. Bucs
- Dolphins d. 49ers
It’s a heavy interconference slate this week, and we can freely root for the AFC in every matchup. About the only time we’d root for an NFC team to win one of these is if it helped us with a future draft pick, like whenever the Steelers or Texans face an NFC opponent. But outside of those, or perhaps some rare scenarios that present themselves later this season, NFC losses are always preferred.
AFC vs. AFC
- Patriots d. Steelers
- Bengals d. Texans
As we just mentioned, monitoring the Steelers and Texans’ games is relevant for Dallas because of the 2027 draft. We own the Steelers’ fourth-round pick from the Broderick Jones trade, and the Texans’ seventh-rounder after sending them Nate Thomas.
Scenarios may present later where we’d prefer that Pittsburgh or Houston win, like when the Steelers play the Eagles in Week 11. The Texans will play every NFC East team this year, and we’d certainly prefer losses for our division foes to a higher seventh-round pick.
But for now, against other AFC teams, our rooting choice is clear.
