5 reasons the Cowboys shouldn’t worry about Ezekiel Elliott suspension

3. The Schedule Is Not So Bad

At first glance, the Cowboys’ schedule for the full length of Elliott’s suspension looks daunting. Week 1 brings a prime time Sunday night matchup against the New York Giants, who beat the Cowboys twice last season, and in Week 5 Dallas will welcome the Green Bay Packers to AT&T Stadium.

But in between those three games are road trips to play the Denver Broncos (Week 2) and Arizona Cardinals (Week 3), followed by a home game against the Los Angeles Rams (Week 4).  That looks like at least two wins, with a trip to take on the San Francisco 49ers on the back side of a Week 6 bye for the final game of Elliott’s ban.

It’s easy to see no worse than a 3-3 record for the Cowboys during the full length of Elliott’s suspension, with only one divisional game over that six games. As competitive as the NFC East always is, a back-loaded slate with a fresher Elliott available for it should work to the Cowboys’ advantage ultimately.

Without knowing it at the time, I think the NFL schedule makers did Dallas a bit of a favor early this season. They can survive Elliott’s absence, and maybe even emerge with a winning record.