The Cowboys should win that game, but it will likely be a shoot out if the Cowboys cannot improve the secondary.

The full schedule is posted below, but I will discuss a few of the games now:

• Sept. 21 at Green Bay, a rematch from the game last year in which Dallas won 37-27, after nearly blowing a 17-point lead. Dallas dominated the Brett Favre-led Packers until the second half, when they fell apart a bit. Favre was injured in this game and back-up Aaron Rodgers came in and played a pretty decent game. But I am not sold that he will save the franchise.
• Oct. 5 hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. We should demolish these guys, but I think the game will be interesting because Chad Johnson may not be able to play for the Cowboys, but he will see what it is like to play against them.
• Dec. 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers. Is this game still a rivalry? I think it is. Those battles in the 70′s haven’t been matched by any other teams in my opinion, other than maybe the Colts and Patriots division title matches. I like this matchup, although the Steelers really lack a go-to receiver.
• Oct. 12 at Arizona Cardinals. For the past four years in a row I have said “watch out for those Cardinals. I think this is their year.” And each year they have disappointed. It will be fun to watch the Cardinals high-profile receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald face the Dallas defense. But the Cowboys should come away with a win here after Tony Romo exploits the Cardinals defense.
• Thanksgiving the Cowboys host the Seattle Seahawks. This is an intriguing game because Julius Jones is now the feature back for the Hawks. Will he get booed? Cowboys safety Ken Hamlin also faces his old team. I think this will be a good matchup for the historic Thanksgiving night game. I will be excited to watch it.

Other than that, and besides the division rival games against the Crapskins and the Jerkles, the Cowboys have an easier schedule this year than I think they had last year.

We know the Crapskins is two wins. We know we will crush the 49ers. Playing the Bengals is kind of funny and an easy win. We play the St. Louis Rams again and they are horrible. (I am at five wins already). The Baltimore Ravens still don’t have a quarterback and no team without a good QB will beat the Cowboys in 2008. The Tampa Bay Bucs made the playoffs last year and no one can explain that one. I don’t see this team being anywhere as good as they were last season, but then again I said they would stink then, too.

What I want to know is how did a 13-3 team get a schedule like this? Does the NFL really want to see the Cowboys go undefeated?

Sun 9/7 @ Cleveland 3:15 PM
Mon 9/15 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 PM
Sun 9/21 @ Green Bay 7:15 PM
Sun 9/28 WASHINGTON 3:15 PM
Sun 10/05 CINCINNATI 3:15 PM
Sun 10/12 @ Arizona 3:15 PM
Sun 10/19 @ St. Louis NOON
Sun 10/26 TAMPA BAY NOON
Sun 11/02 @ NY Giants 3:15 PM
Sun 11/09 BYE
Sun 11/16 @ Washington 7:15 PM
Sun 11/23 SF 49ERS NOON
Thur 11/27 SEATTLE 3:15 PM
Sun 12/07 @ Pittsburgh 3:15 PM
Sun 12/14 NY GIANTS 7:15 PM
Sat 12/20 BALTIMORE 7:15 PM
Sun 12/28 @ Philadelphia NOON

Although I would prefer that the Browns come later in the season, this sure would be one game we all can look forward to watching. This will be an awesome game.

We will all find out the Cowboys 2008 schedule TUESDAY at Noon.

Strong rumors are suggesting the Cowboys will open their 49th season on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Cleveland, where they have not played since 1991, coincidentally the season opener that year. This speculation began during the NFL Annual Meeting the first of April, and seems to be gaining speed as Fox Network’s 3:15 p.m. (CDT) game to be nationally televised.

This is one tough game to start the season. We can only expect the Browns will be true contenders in the AFC this year, but the NFL can be real funny at times. The article also speculates the Cowboys may face Pittsburgh in the opener. Either game would be away. And both are within 8 hours of driving, so I may attempt to get tickets.

At home, the Cowboys play:

• New York Giants: I don’t expect the Giants to make it to the Super Bowl again. But I also don’t think they will roll over. Everyone thought when Tiki retired they’d stink. Oops. The Cowboys will probably split with the Giants if all players and the coach stays.

• Philadelphia Eagles: With McNabb traded, these guys will be rebuilding. With McNabb on the team, these guys will be rebuilding. Not one all star receiver on this team means another 8-8 year for the Iggles and likely two losses to the Cowboys.
  

• Washington Redskins: I expect the Redskins will struggle considering they don’t even know who the coach is. Dallas should take both games in 2008 with revenge on their minds.

• San Francisco 49ers: These ain’t the 49ers we all grew to hate. Easy to love these guys the way they played this year. The Cowboys should hammer these guys. What does Drew think about this game at ninernoise?

• Seattle Seahawks: No question about it, Dallas wins and wins big against the Seahawks. Romo is going to kill em.
  

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Not a bad matchup here considering Romo threw for five touchdowns against them in 2006. Will he throw six in 08? I wonder what the PewterPlank thinks about this matchup.

• Baltimore Ravens: Has the fear of this team’s defense come to an end? Probably not. I bet the EbonyBird will know if the Ravens will challenge the Cowboys next year.

• Cincinnati Bengal: This was one of the more disappointing teams of the season. Must improve to save the coaches. On their fourth or fifth defensive coordinator or something like that. This won’t be a cakewalk. The StipeHype is confident, I am sure, that the Bengals will improve, right?

Away, the Cowboys take on:

• New York Giants

• Philadelphia Eagles

• Washington Redskins

• Arizona Cardinals: I don’t want to play these guys. I think RaizingZona ought to demand the playoffs this year. The nucleus is there if everyone stays.

• St. Louis Rams: Bring it. The Rams need a lot of help to be good again. Even the RamblinFan will tell you that the coach most likely had to go this year. But the Rams kept him.

• Green Bay Packers: Rematch!!
  

• Cleveland Browns: If the Browns improve that defense there is no telling how good they may be. Is Anderson for real? Anderson vs Romo sounds like it will be hyped up quite a bit depending on when these two teams play and what their respective records are. The DawgPoundDaily has a lot to look forward to, but I wonder if this is one game he’d like to see removed from the schedule.
  

• Pittsburgh Steelers : Rivarly of old. Steelers haven’t beaten Dallas in awhile. But we haven’t played them with Roth at QB. This should be fun. Will NicePickCowher like to make a prediction here? CORRECTION: Kudos to colorblind for catching my error. The Cowboys played the Steelers and Roethlisberger in 2004 and lost 24-20 after a Testaverde fumble. Ouch. There is a reason I forgot that game.

Two games right off the bat I am excited to see are an away game against the Cleveland Browns and a home game against the Seattle Seahawks. I think the Browns game will just be a fun game to anticipate. The Seahawks game is pure revenge. Overall, and looking over this schedule hard for a few hours, I think the Dallas Cowboys face great challenges in 2008. A rematch against the Packers in Green Bay and a tough away game at Pittsburgh are highlights on the schedule as well. The teams that had losing records will surely be expected to improve, especially the Bengals and Ravens.

It also appears the NFC East might be the toughest division in football for the coming year. Only the Giants can do worse in 2008.