Cowboys countdown to kickoff, Day 43 spotlights what makes a Dallas game “iconic”

The Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 kickoff calendar is closing in, and Yahoo Sports marked the next step of that approach with Day 43 of a new offseason countdown. The series lays out what the outlet says are the 100 most iconic games in franchise history, running in a day-by-day sequence until the start of the 2026 regular season.

Unlike a list built from a single metric, the series frames its method as intentionally broad. Yahoo Sports says its ranking does not rely only on outcome or statistics. Instead, it considers how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the moment proved to be over time, and whether the matchup produced unusual events that stand out in NFL lore.

The countdown is also presented as a way to capture variety across eras of Cowboys football. The outlet’s description emphasizes that the list will include different types of games, including instances where Dallas posted notable “firsts” and contests where the Cowboys “plainly dominated.” In other words, the franchise’s identity in the series is shaped as much by defining moments and swings in public memory as by pure results.

With Day 43, the emphasis remains on the logic behind the ranking. The “iconic” label, as Yahoo Sports describes it, can be earned by postseason weight, organizational significance, a cultural afterlife among fans, and rare or unexpected developments. That approach means the ordering is meant to tell a story of franchise history rather than function like a record book.

For Cowboys supporters, the practical value of this kind of offseason series is context. Each day provides a quick bridge between eras, reminding readers that Dallas’ place in the league is not only built on titles or individual stars, but also on the way certain games became shorthand for the team’s peaks, its pressure moments, and its larger mythos.

What to watch next is simple, and also constrained by the format. As the countdown moves forward, readers will be looking for how the ranking balances categories like postseason stakes, “unusual events,” and “domination” with the franchise’s most durable legends. The later days should clarify which factors the list ultimately treats as most decisive when more than one game could qualify as a fan favorite.