Dallas Cowboys schedule release 2017: 5 hardest games
With the Dallas Cowboys regular season schedule just released, we attempt to determine the Cowboys top five hardest games in 2017.
The NFL released the 2017 regular season schedule for every team, including the Dallas Cowboys, on Thursday night. Now that we have that information, we attempt to divine the Cowboys five hardest games of the upcoming season.
#5 – Week 9: Chiefs @ Cowboys
Edging out the Cowboys matchup with the Cardinals in Arizona at number five is the Kansas City Chiefs coming to Dallas in early November. Any time Cowboys old NFC East nemesis in head coach Andy Reid comes to town, buckle up for a battle.
The Chiefs quietly finished last season with a 12-4 record, losing in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 18-16. Kansas City has a sneaky good team that Dallas should not underestimate.
#4 – Week 2: Cowboys @ Broncos
What an early test for second-year Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott here. Not only does Prescott has to face the top pass defense in the league in the Broncos, but he has to do so in Denver in Week Two!
Although the Bronco’s offense may be in flux, hence why they are not higher on the list, this early contest between the Cowboys high-powered offense and Denver’s defense led by All-World linebacker Von Miller could be the best barometer as to how well Dallas will play throughout the rest of the season.
#3 – Week 5: Packers @ Cowboys
This one is a no-brainer. And if this contest took place in Lambeau, it would actually be lower on the list because the Cowboys destroyed the cheeseheads at home last season 30-16. But Dallas will once again host the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of the NFC divisional playoffs.
The Cowboys will be looking for revenge after the Pack defeated them 34-31 to end their short postseason run on a last minute field goal after allowing Green Bay to go up 21-3 early. Beating the Packers this go-around will prove that playoff loss was only a fluke.
#2 – Week 8: Cowboys @ Raiders
The Oakland Raiders finished last season with a 12-4 record and earned themselves a playoff berth. Unfortunately, they lost their starting quarterback, Derek Carr, to a broken leg at the end of December and flopped in their lone playoff appearance in the Wildcard round, losing to the 9-7 Houston Texans 27-14.
The Raiders have one of the most talented and hungriest teams in the NFL today. And the fact they want to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Oakland before moving to Las Vegas gives them extra motivation to rip through the league this season.
#1 – Week 10: Cowboys @ Falcons
This is likely the matchup many Cowboys fans will have circled on their calendars. If Dallas had beaten the Green Bay Packers in the divisional playoff round last season, they would have hosted the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. Instead, the Falcons stomped the Packers and proceeded to give away the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.
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This will be a game about what “could have been” for the Cowboys last year and a measuring stick for just how good they are now. Facing the Falcons at home will be the ultimate test for this young Dallas team. And this game is our selection for the Cowboys hardest challenge in 2017.