Brian Schottenheimer's Joke Shows Frustration With Cowboys' Historically Brutal Schedule

The Dallas Cowboys are making NFL history thanks to their trip to Brazil.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer instructs his team from the sideline against the Washington Commanders during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys won't have it easy over the next few weeks.

Dallas will take on the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and they will have to take a pair of 10-hour flights to get there and return home after the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, which means the Cowboys won't be back in Dallas until Monday.

From there, the Cowboys will have to get ready to take on a tough Houston Texans team in Week 4 on what is essentially a short week. Thankfully, they won't have to leave the state to play Houston.

After that, a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is on tap, and that game will take place on Thursday in Week 5, which is another short week for Dallas.

Brian Schottenheimer admits brutal scheduling quirk

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks at the video scoreboard against the Washington Commanders during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer joked he "thanked" the league for the brutal schedule Dallas will be navigating over the next few weeks, according to ESPN's Todd Archer, which amounts to a nice way of saying he's frustrated with it.

That said, Schottenheimer won't be making excuses if the Cowboys struggle.

“I'd be a hypocrite if I said, ‘I think it's a tough task,’ but we're up to it," Schottenheimer said. "And mentally tough, we need to be. This is a long season, and I can't be a win-the-day type guy and be angry about it."

"But in reality, it's a long trip, come home, Houston, short week, but we're going to win today and then we're going to go down there and we're going to win Friday, Saturday and play a really good team and hopefully win that," Schottenheimer added. "But you’ve got to stay in the moment, but it does require mental toughness. The schedule is the schedule, and we will play anybody anytime, anywhere, but it's a unique schedule for sure.”

Cowboys making NFL history

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) hugs Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys will travel over 10,400 miles round trip for the game in Brazil and, according to CBS Sports' John Breech, Dallas will be the first team in NFL history to travel 5,000 miles for a game and not have a bye the following week. And, bear in mind, Dallas' bye isn't coming until all the way in Week 14.

The Ravens won't have a bye in Week 4, either, but they have under 5,000 miles to travel each way, so Baltimore won't be making NFL history with the Cowboys.

Of course, we've seen other teams play international games in the past and not get a bye the following week, but those games didn't take place on a Sunday, so the teams involved had extra rest ahead of the following week.

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers played in Australia this year, but that game took place on a Thursday.

The two other Brazil games between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers both took place on a Friday.

The Cowboys landed in Brazil on Friday morning. From there they will hold a practice, followed by a walkthrough on Saturday. Right after the game, Dallas will hop on a plan and head home before preparing for a quick turnaround in Week 4.

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