The Dallas Cowboys now have a crystal-clear image of what their preseason will look like. There's a palpable sense of urgency within the organization recently, much more so than in the past few years. It stands to reason that'd be the case in 2018, considering the disappointing 9-7 finish to 2017 that came equipped with a playoff-less trophy that reads "At Least You Were Above .500". This was the follow-up to a historic 13-3 record from only one year prior, wherein the Cowboys also landed a first-round playoff bye and home field advantage -- all while being led by two rookies in quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. The team again couldn't capitalize on their storied season as the demons of 2014 came back to haunt them in the form of the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers, but the expectations for 2017 were through the shingles. Alas, it was not to be. For all intents and purposes (especially factoring in the intergalactic levels of off-the-field drama by players and owner alike), last season was a throwaway of the highest order. Even the final victory in Week 17 served to do more harm than good, dropping them in the first-round NFL Draft order -- and all for the right to say they barely defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles by a rousing score of 6-0, in which the Cowboys' offense looked as inept as ever against the Eagles' non-starters. It's time to begin washing the sour taste of 2017 out of their collective mouths and it began with a carousel of coaching changes followed by some impressive free agent signings and, as they prepare to open their offseason program, they'll do so knowing their four opponents for the NFL preseason to begin this August: Week 1 (Aug 9, 10pm EST): Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers* Week 2 (Aug 18, 7pm EST): Cowboys vs. Cincinnati Bengals* Week 3 (Aug 26, 8pm EST): Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals (NBC - Sunday, Aug. 26, 8pm EST) Week 4 (Aug 30, 8pm EST): Cowboys at Houston Texans Per an official league announcement just ahead of training camp, the dates above with an asterisk will also be televised nationally on NFL Network, for Cowboys' fans who aren't local to the Metroplex. It should come as no surprise the NFL would use the Cowboys as ratings bait for the preseason, considering they do it often during the regular season as well. The team took part in the NFL Hall of Fame Game one year ago, but was spared a fifth preseason game when what was to be their finale versus the Houston Texans was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The team opened up their facility to the neighboring Texans for practice, an invitation that was graciously accepted, but it was ultimately determined best for the players to return home to their families in what was a city decimated by major flooding -- amongst other disastrous damage left by Harvey, as Houston began to slowly piece itself back together. Barring any further interference by Mother Nature, players will have the usual four games to impress the Cowboys this time around. With the third game being the dress rehearsal for starters, depth and bubble players will truly have only three as they scratch and claw to not become a casualty of the cutdown that will see the team jettison 37 players to reduce the roster from the bloated 90-man head count down to the mandated roll call of 53. The Cowboys have long not viewed preseason games as anything more than evaluation opportunities, and considering how much they'll need to sort out at several positions -- most notably that of wide receiver -- it's certain to be a very interesting preseason campaign, to say the least.<doc-sep>The NFL Network on Thursday announced its slate of nationally televised preseason games. Included in its 15-game package will be the 49ers versus the Cowboys, Thursday Aug. 9 in the preseason opener for both clubs. The game will be shown on KPIX in local markets and will be blacked out on NFL Network in Northern California and parts of Texas. But fans outside of those areas will be able to watch the game on NFL Network. Here’s the full slate of preseason games the league’s station will televise:<doc-sep>Good news, 49ers fans! The team’s first preseason game next month, against the Dallas Cowboys, will broadcast live on NFL Network. The 49ers four preseason games had not included any national coverage, but NFL Network announced on Thursday they have picked up the 7 p.m. PT game. If you are in the 49ers broadcast region, this was not a huge concern. The 49ers announced last month that they will live stream all four preseason games on 49ers.com. That doesn’t help people outside Northern California, Reno and maybe bits of Oregon, but it’s a step forward in improving fan access to television broadcasts. The 49ers host the Cowboys on Thursday, August 9th. Here’s the team’s full preseason schedule. Thursday, August 9th vs. Dallas Cowboys — 7 p.m. PT Saturday, August 18th @ Houston Texans — 5 p.m. PT Saturday, August 25th @ Indianapolis Colts — 1:30 p.m. PT Thursday, August 30th vs. Los Angeles Chargers — 7 p.m. PT All games will be broadcast locally, but not otherwise nationally. NFL Gamepass will stream games, but you’re better off using their one-week trial offer to get any value from it. With the Week 1 game now available, I’d recommend using the one-week trial for the final two games since those will take place over the course of less than seven days.<doc-sep>
They’ll continue to try and claim the Cowboys don’t deserve the moniker of America’s Team, and the NFL will continue to prove them wrong. Pushing to the side the league’s quest to punish Dallas players more severely than their counterparts on other teams, the NFL certainly takes care of the team’s fans when it comes to accessing the product. In 2018, the Cowboys will have each of their first three preseason games televised to the world. When the schedule was first announced, Dallas was placed on the NBC schedule for the most important of the four exhibition games. Their Sunday, August 26 battle against the Arizona Cardinals is the dress rehearsal game and the instance where most starters play around a half of football. Now, with the release of the NFL Network’s live broadcast schedule, the importance of Dallas to the ratings is proven once again. The Cowboys first and second exhibition games will be carried live on the network, allowing fans not local to the DFW area the chance to watch the team develop. The team will travel to San Francisco in Week 1, then host Cincinnati in Week 2. In year’s past, the NFL Network has carried the broadcast of the road team, meaning broadcaster Bill Jones et al will be back in the lives of Cowboys’ fans at the earliest possible date. The only game not being broadcast nationally is the preseason finale, which is generally reserved for players trying to make impressions to latch on with other clubs. One note: The Week 1 game is part of a doubleheader, which means fans could very likely miss a part of the first quarter if the prior game runs long. It always runs long.