Hotels for Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys

A Thursday night kickoff means a shortened week of preparation for both sidelines, which tends to sharpen the hitting and simplify the game plans on offer. NFC South visitors bring a different tempo and roster of threats than the divisional rivals fans see most weeks, so this is a chance to size up a team otherwise only watched on television.

Dallas joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960, taking a name rooted in Texas cattle-driving heritage. The Cowboys won five Super Bowls, in the 1971, 1977, 1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons, the middle three built around the young trio of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin under coach Jimmy Johnson.

A widely watched 1978 NFL Films special crowned them 'America's Team,' a nickname that stuck and reflects the franchise's outsized national following relative to its home market. Despite that history, Dallas has not returned to a Super Bowl since the mid-1990s. The star on a silver-blue helmet remains one of the most recognisable logos in American sport.

Home to the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium in Arlington is one of the world's largest arenas, a colossal retractable-roof venue also hosting Super Bowls and stadium-scale concerts between Dallas and Fort Worth. The surrounding Entertainment District clusters restaurants and bars alongside Globe Life Field.

The Trinity Railway Express commuter rail stops nearby, linking to downtown Dallas and Fort Worth. Booking a room in the Arlington Entertainment District or downtown Dallas provides a comfortable base, with the train an alternative to the sprawling Dallas-area freeways.