THE APEX TIMES
Dallas is marking 100 days to the 2026 NFL opener with a daily series ranking the most iconic moments in Cowboys history, using a blend of criteria that goes beyond wins and losses.
The Dallas Cowboys’ 100-day countdown to kickoff continued on Wednesday with Day 88 of a franchise-focused list of the most iconic games in team history. The series is designed to run daily up to the opening game of the 2026 season, with each installment revisiting a matchup the Cowboys believe stands out in the team’s overall lore.
Unlike a simple greatest-hits set built only on the final score, the countdown is structured around multiple categories. The writers say the rankings take into consideration the size of the moment for the organization, how memorable the game was, and whether unusual events turned a normal week into something bigger. That includes games that have become part of NFL lore.
The series also emphasizes “Cowboys firsts,” a category that indicates the editors are looking for landmark performances and turning points, not just postseason theatrics. In addition, the list includes games where Dallas “just plain dominated,” pointing to a willingness to reward overwhelming performances even if the matchup is not remembered solely for drama.
The Cowboys’ history is large enough that any single ranking framework would likely be incomplete. To address that, the series explicitly calls out variety as an organizing principle, stating that the daily selections will cover different types of Cowboys games rather than forcing the list into one mold. That approach matters because it changes what fans might expect on different days, from moments known for spectacle to games remembered for command.
Still, the Day 88 entry does not present a public-facing view of the broader methodology beyond the categories mentioned. As a result, readers should treat the countdown as a curated editorial series, not an official league measurement of greatness or an objective ranking system endorsed by the franchise in an institutional way.
For fans tracking the offseason, the timing is notable. The countdown runs through the summer calendar and leads directly toward the 2026 opener, essentially turning the gap between organized team activities and kickoff into a long-form look back. That makes the series a kind of seasonal bridge, keeping team history in the foreground while the roster and coaching staff work toward the next chapter.
What to watch next is how the remaining days balance the franchise’s different eras. The stated criteria, including firsts, lore, unusual events, and dominance, suggests the list could rotate between regular-season signature games, postseason classics, and matchups that became reference points across the league. When the countdown reaches its later stretch, the selection likely reflects the same broad lens, but readers may start to see which Cowboys teams and game types the series values most.
