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Finally, after a delay and weeks of wondering, the NFL schedule will be released at 7 p.m. CT today.

Here's a primer for the Cowboys:

Who they play: The home games are against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. The road games are against the NFC East and Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers.

Reunion games: The Cowboys will face former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, now in New Orleans. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli takes on the Lions, whom he was the head coach for from 2006-08, at Ford Field and the Bears, where he was an assistant/defensive coordinator the last three seasons, at Soldier Field. Of course, Tony Romo faces his favorite team growing up, the Packers.

The strength of schedule: Cowboys' opponents had a .475 winning percentage last season. There are four teams on the schedule -- Washington, Green Bay, Minnesota and Denver -- who reached the postseason last year.

Who plays on Thanksgiving? The Cowboys have alternated NFC-AFC opponents on Thanksgiving Day, with the Redskins (NFC team) visiting Cowboys Stadium last season. Possible opponents this season could be Denver and Oakland. The Cowboys faced the Raiders on Thanksgiving in 2009, so the Broncos appear the favorite for 2013.

Late season schedule: The Cowboys posted a 3-2 mark in December last season and it still wasn't good enough to reach the postseason. The Cowboys were a combined 5-7 from 2009-11 in December. A late-season road game in New Orleans or Chicago could have playoff implications, if that's what the schedule reads.

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Cowboys free agent linebacker Victor Butler is drawing interest from several teams.

There are reports that he is visiting the New Orleans Saints on Thursday. Butler has also visited the Pittsburgh Steelers and has the New York Jets interested in his services.

Butler was a backup for the Cowboys, but former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan loved the impact he made on the field. The problem with Butler was consistency, or lack thereof.

A look at the Cowboys' coaches stats from the 2012 season reveals Butler did make plays. He was fourth on the team in sacks (three), had seven quarterback pressures, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.

Butler is one of those players who could excel with a new team in the 3-4 scheme, which is what the Saints are moving toward with Ryan as their defensive coordinator.

In an interview on dallascowboys.com, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett talked about possible changes, "tweaks" to the offense.

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Garrett said in the last six seasons, the Cowboys have the fourth best passing offense (370.7 yards per game) in the NFL. New Orleans is No. 1 with 404.4 yards per game. Garrett also mentioned scoring (seventh at 24.1), passing (fourth in yards 25,153 yards) and running (22nd at 108.6 yards per game) as statistics worth looking at over the last six seasons.

"A lot of this stuff is pretty good," Garrett said.

However, changes are expected in 2013 with offensive line coach Bill Callahan taking over the playcalling duties, though Jerry Jones said no decision is final. The Cowboys will have three new offensive coaches in 2013.

With the personnel, the Cowboys will need to replace backup running back Felix Jones (free agency) and quite possibly some offensive linemen given the struggles of the unit.

"This is an opportunity to add some people and add some influence to our offense," Garrett said. "And hopefully it's a tweak for us that can help us get a little bit better and help us break through as a football team. So that's really the approach right now we want to stay on the same track but also we want to add coaches to our staff that can really help us break through."

You can read into what Garrett says when he talks about "add some influence" to the offensive unit by saying Callahan will take over the playcalling or at least have more of a hand in what goes on with the game plan.

The 2013 season is a big year for Garrett, regardless of whoever takes over the playcalling duties.

Are the New Orleans Saints a much better fit for Rob Ryan than the Dallas Cowboys were? First Take debates ...

MOBILE, Ala. -- In the middle of the season, a report surfaced on ESPN about a clause in Sean Payton's contract that prevented him from signing an extension with the New Orleans Saints. Rumors began flying that Payton could become the Dallas Cowboys' next head coach.

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At the time of the rumors/report, the Cowboys were coming off a 19-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that dropped them to 3-5.

It seemed that if Jason Garrett couldn't fix things, he could be let go and Payton would take over.

Payton's contract with the Saints did eventually get resolved, and Wednesday he made it clear he had no intention of leaving New Orleans.

"There was no way I was going to another team," Payton said in his first public statements since getting reinstated after the bounty scandal. "The issue was a minor technicality. There was a minor clause, (the media) had it right, there was a minor clause in there that wasn't approved. What became more challenging really, was being out of the building and then trying to work through the specifics to get the contract done."

John Clayton talks about Sean Payton's deal with the Saints and what that means for Jason Garrett and the Cowboys. You can read about the Payton deal here.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys are getting plenty of strong performances from their best players, but they’re struggling on defense because too many role players are getting extensive playing time.

To beat Washington and earn a playoff berth, the Cowboys' best players must perform at an even higher level to compensate for the team’s flaws. The way to beat Washington is for the Cowboys to dominate the game offensively because that’s their best unit.

Each week, during the season, I rank my top 10 players on the roster based on their performances.

1. Anthony Spencer: Spencer turned in yet another strong performance with seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a couple of pressures, but he had two costly penalties that led directly to points.
Last Week: 1

2. Tony Romo: In the last eight games, Romo has 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. He passed for 416 yards and four touchdowns against New Orleans. He’s 3-5 when he throws 40+ passes this season.
Last Week: 2

3. Dez Bryant: Bryant has been sensational over the last seven games with 10 touchdown receptions and 13 grabs of 20+ yards. He had a career nine catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns against the Saints.
Last Week: 3

4. DeMarcus Ware: He’s essentially been playing with one arm for a while and it’s starting to affect his production, though he still commands quite a bit of attention. Ware has two sacks in the last seven games.
Last Week: 4

5. Jason Witten: The veteran set an NFL season record with 103 receptions after catching six for 60 against New Orleans..
Last Week: 5

6. Brandon Carr: After watching him make game-changing plays against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in consecutive games, New Orleans left him alone for the most part.
Last Week: 7

7. DeMarco Murray: Murray has key fumbles each of the last two games, which is out of character. That needs to stop. With just 15 touches, he still totaled 91 yards.
Last Week: 5

8. Jason Hatcher: He played a season-high 72 snaps -- 11 more than any other game -- and was the only defensive lineman putting consistent pressure on Drew Brees.
Last Week: 8

9. Dan Bailey: He nailed his only attempt, a 47-yarder, and has made 28 of 30 field goal attempts.
Last Week: 9

10. Gerald Sensabaugh: He delivered a key big hit in the third quarter, but his missed tackle on Darren Sproles 44-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter was a huge play.
Last Week: 10

Play: Darren Sproles 44-yard reception
Situation: First-and-10 from New Orleans 30
Score: Tied, 14-14
Time: :47 left in second quarter
Taylor's Take: After the Cowboys burned just 15 seconds on their last possession of the first half, it gave New Orleans a chance to take the lead. Sproles circled out of the backfield and beat cornerback Sterling Moore inside, catching the ball at the 40. Gerald Sensabaugh missed a tackle at the Dallas 45 and Sproles gained another 19 yards, setting up a field goal as time expired in first half.

Play: Drew Brees incompletion
Situation: Third-and-8
Score: Tied, 17-17
Time: 8:13 left in third quarter
Taylor's Take: It would’ve required a great play, but the Cowboys missed an opportunity to get a game-changing turnover. Sterling Moore, blitzing on the play, couldn’t get past the line of scrimmage but deflected Drew Brees‘ pass. Mike Jenkins changed directions and made a diving attempt to intercept the pass, but could only get one hand on it.

Play: James Hanna fumble recovery
Situation: Second-half kickoff
Score: New Orleans, 17-14
Time: 15:00 left in third quarter
Taylor's Take: Dwayne Harris muffed the opening kickoff and it ricocheted off his knee and into a pile of players. Somehow James Hanna fell on the ball, otherwise the Saints would’ve been in prime position to extend their lead to 10 points. Instead, the Cowboys drove for game-tying field goal.

Play: DeMarco Murray fumble
Situation: First-and-10 from Dallas 3
Score: Tied, 17-17
Time: 4:25 left in third quarter
Taylor's Take: The Cowboys were trying to move the ball off the goal line, when Murray’s body was twisted at the end of short run and the Saints ripped the ball out. It’s only the second fumble Murray has lost with the Cowboys, but each has occurred in the past two games. New Orleans turned the turnover into the go-ahead touchdown.

Play: Tony Romo incompletion
Situation: Third-and-5
Score: Tied, 31-31
Time: 13:47 left in overtime
Taylor's Take: The way the Cowboys’ defense was playing, they needed to score a touchdown on the first possession of overtime to win. Instead, they managed just one first down before punting. Romo went to Dez Bryant on a slant, but he ran a poor route and the play never had a chance.

IRVING, Texas -- It's hard to dissect what Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones is saying about coach Jason Garrett these days.

There have been reports since the Atlanta game that Jones would consider dumping Garrett for Sean Payton if he becomes free of his contract with the New Orleans Saints.

In some ways, Payton remains in limbo for the 2013 season.

Jones has never said anything regarding the possibility of Garrett's job being on the line. While Payton is an excellent coach with a Super Bowl ring -- one who was missed this season by the Saints because of his one-year suspension -- Garrett is the best man for the job right now.

We're not sure how Payton would have handled the death of Jerry Brown or even Dez Bryant's offseason arrest. We do know Payton would have managed some of the Cowboys' games this season better than Garrett.

Maybe it's experience or maybe Payton is just better.

We believe Payton is better, but that doesn't mean Garrett has to go.

It seems unfair that Garrett's job status is being talked about considering his team was 3-5 at one point, having lost four of five games in the most difficult part of their schedule.

Garrett has the Cowboys on the verge of a playoff berth if they win Sunday night on the road in Washington. The Cowboys have won three of their past five games; they were 3-0 in December before losing to New Orleans 34-31 in overtime on Sunday. The last time the Cowboys started December 3-0 was 1993.

The Cowboys have bought into what Garrett is preaching. Firing him won't be the answer to the franchise's problems, regardless of Sunday's outcome.

The team needs to draft better and fix its salary-cap problems (roughly $20 million over). There are two veteran players, Jay Ratliff and Doug Free, who struggled with their health and play this season. The Cowboys need to decide if they're worth keeping in 2013. The offensive line, like most in the NFL, was inconsistent.

Finding backup running backs and seeing if there's another solid pass-rusher in free agency or the draft are among the priorities in 2013.

Payton can't fix all this. Garrett can't either. But Garrett's plan is the right one for the Cowboys. The players have bought into his one-game-at-a time mantra. He holds players accountable, not so much in the media but in other ways. Just look at Free's status. He's now in a rotation with Jermey Parnell. We've seen reduced playing time for Felix Jones and Kevin Ogletree. Dez Bryant's punt-return duties were taken away after too many mistakes.

Garrett churns the bottom of the roster, looking for ways to improve it.

Would Payton have done this? Probably.

But he isn't here. Garrett is, and his team is a victory away from an NFC East title and a home playoff game.

IRVING, Texas – With the return of DeMarco Murray from a sprained left foot, Felix Jones has been marginalized in the Cowboys’ offense.

Jones has played 31 snaps in the last four games and has not reached double digits in terms of snaps in the last three games. He saw action in seven plays in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans.

In the first four games of the season in which Murray and Jones were active, Jones saw 50 snaps. In Murray’s absence, Jones played as many as 62 snaps in a game and as few as 33.

“DeMarco’s been playing a lot more for us, obviously on first and second down, and even in the third down situations,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Felix has been dealing with a lot of different injuries over the course of the year, and he’s gotten healthier and healthier as the season has worn on. But just the combination has been right to get DeMarco those chances, and we didn’t have that many plays in the ballgame. They had a lot of plays on offense. I think we had 18 plays at half and however many we had, I think we had maybe in the mid-30s in the second half, so fewer opportunities than normal, and DeMarco just has been in those situations and we feel good about that. But we also feel good about what Felix has done for us, so it’s not a knock on what Felix Jones has or hasn’t done, just went that way (Sunday).”

IRVING, Texas -- In the history of the Dallas Cowboys, no receiving corps has had three players finish a season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.

Jason Witten (17 yards away) and Miles Austin (57 yards away) could join Dez Bryant (1,311) Sunday against Washington.

Bryant leads the Cowboys with 12 touchdowns. Witten (983 yards) leads the team and is fourth in the NFL in catches (103). Austin is third on the team in yards (943) and second in touchdowns (six).

Last season the Cowboys didn't have a receiver gain over 1,000 yards but had at least one player do it for six consecutive seasons prior to 2011. The Cowboys had at least two receivers get over 1,000 yards in 2010, 2009, 2007 and 2006.

You can attribute the high numbers this season to the amount of throwing attempts by Tony Romo. The Cowboys have trailed in some games where Romo has attempted at least 60 passes twice and over 40 passes eight times.

It's no wonder Romo is third in the NFL in passing attempts with 611. Detroit's Matthew Stafford (685) and New Orleans' Drew Brees (627) have more attempts than Romo.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys’ decision to insert Eric Frampton into the starting lineup at strong safety Sunday against New Orleans had more to do with over-exposure for Danny McCray.

McCray started 10 games this season and had been the team’s second-leading tackler, but he started to wear down as the year has gone one.

It was the first start of Frampton’s career, and he was credited with two tackles. Frampton had been playing on some sub packages on defense, but the return of Charlie Peprah from a foot injury after a three-week absence allowed Frampton to play in the base defense.

“Danny’s been playing so many snaps on defense, on special teams and battling through injury after injury all year long,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We just felt like it was best for him when we got these other guys back to give them more of an opportunity on defense and all the different personnel packages and let Danny kind of play a little more special teams, spot play on defense a little bit and then kind of get himself back in the role he’s most accustomed to playing. So we feel like we had these other guys who we felt were capable of helping in that way and felt that was the best thing for us this week.”

IRVING, Texas -- Dez Bryant has scored a touchdown the last seven games and is just becoming a difficult man to cover these days.

The Cowboys wide receiver had nine catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. Bryant has produced five games with over 100 yards and nine games with at least 70 receiving yards.

Bryant's 224 yard performance was the fifth best performance by a wide receiver this season. Houston's Andre Johnson had a seasons best 273 yard effort against Jacksonville on Nov. 18.

"He’s playing pretty well," coach Jason Garrett said of Bryant. "There’s no question about that. He’s done an amazing job with that finger. It doesn’t seem to faze him in any way shape or form. He made a couple of really big plays in the ballgame early for us, running the 9 route, making the play over his head and then catching a slant and breaking a couple of tackles to score. Not only did he make those plays, but he made a number of other plays in the game. I think he’s grown. I think he’s playing with a great deal of confidence. He and (Tony Romo) have a really, really good relationship. They’re seeing the field the same way. He’s been good. There’s no question about that."

IRVING, Texas -- Prior to last week, Cowboys starting running back DeMarco Murray had fumbled only once and it was recovered by the Cowboys.

But in the last two weeks, Murray has lost two fumbles, including one on Sunday against the Saints where he cost the Cowboys the lead. Murray's fumble came at the Cowboys 3 and the Saints turned that into a go-ahead score when Drew Brees connected with Pierre Thomas with a five-yard pass to make the score 24-17 Saints.

Against Pittsburgh, Murray fumbled at the Steelers 7. Now that turnover didn't cost the Cowboys any points but heading into the regular season finale against Washington, you can't afford to have your starting running back dealing with turnover problems.

"Ball security is critical, and he’s been very good throughout his career and they’ve been critical," coach Jason Garrett said of Murray. "One of them was down in the red zone with a scoring opportunity last week and this one was coming out, which gave them a real easy scoring opportunity. We obviously have to get that corrected."

The run game overall produced just 40 yards and it was due to the limited opportunities with the Cowboys' offense. The Cowboys held the ball for just 8:12 in the first half, compared to the Saints which had control for 21:48.

"I think we had 18 plays in the first half," Garrett said. "We were 11 for 40. Eight of those 11 runs were what we would describe as efficient runs. We had a couple of minus runs that contributed to that. In general, we felt that was something we could get to."

Garrett later explained an efficient run is something where the running back gets at least four or more yards a carry. In Sunday's game, Murray had eight carries with four or more yards gained.

IRVING, Texas -- Every week teams ask the NFL to review plays they deem to be questionable, and the Cowboys will ask about Walt Coleman’s overtime review of Marques Colston’s 9-yard catch and fumble that led to New Orleans’ game-winning field goal attempt Sunday.

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“That probably will be one of the ones we send in,” coach Jason Garrett said.

The Cowboys were hurt by replay reviews in back-to-back weeks on similar plays that led to different conclusions.

Against Pittsburgh, referee Clete Blakeman reversed a fumble by Pittsburgh’s Emmanuel Sanders after it appeared he got two feet down before losing the ball on a hit from safety Eric Frampton. On Sunday, Morris Claiborne punched the ball free from Colston after he got two feet down and turned upfield.

In the scramble, tight end Jimmy Graham was able to recover the fumble at the Dallas 2, and the Saints kicked the field goal for the winner.

“He had two feet down, had possession of the ball, and turned upfield and got hit as his third step was coming down,” Coleman said to a pool reporter after the game. “He had possession and time enough to do something with the football -- a football move.”

The Cowboys just want clarification on the difference in plays, not that it will change the outcome.