4 most concerning games on the Cowboys 2022 schedule

The offseason is well underway. The 2022 NFL Draft is behind us. It is truly time to start looking ahead to the Dallas Cowboys‘ 2022 NFL season. Even though we are sadly still four months away from the start of the season, the NFL regular season schedule for all 32 teams is set to drop tonight at 8 pm ET on NFL Network.

While we do know who the Cowboys will be playing and where those games will take place, knowing when the team has to play those opponents is a critical factor in the season. Later games breed more importance for playoff rankings and facing tougher opponents towards the end of the season can make or break a team’s chance at the Lombardi Trophy.

According to CBS Sports, the Dallas Cowboys have the easiest strength of schedule out of any team in the NFL. We were a bit surprised by this given some of the Cowboys’ opponents this year versus the 2021 schedule.

In particular, there are four games on the schedule that will be a bit nerve-wracking for the Cowboys. Let’s see which ones they are.

4 games on the Cowboys 2022 regular-season schedule that make us nervous

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Dallas Cowboys

The rematch of the incredible Week 1 game of the 2021 season. For a moment, this game was going to be a walk in the park with the “retirement” of Tom Brady. Now that the 44-year-old is back to do it again, Cowboys fans can expect another major battle.

While all teams love the opportunity to try and beat Brady, the sting of defeat from Week 1 is still palpable almost a year later. When your team is only up by one point with over a minute to go against Brady, the odds are certainly against you. The victory for the Bucs marked Brady’s 49th game-winning drive in his storied NFL career.

Furthermore, the Cowboys have never had the pleasure of beating the seven-time Super Bowl champ. Brady is 6-0 against the Cowboys, and you’d think that Dallas would love to get a victory against him before he retires… although that may not be for another ten years at this rate.

America’s Team will get their shot at revenge. No matter where this matchup sits on the schedule, it’s likely to be a nailbiter simply because of what happened in 2021. If a Dallas team that has been laughed at and mocked since their frustrating playoff loss can go in and serve Brady his first loss against the franchise, it will be a huge victory for the organization.

Plus, and this is a pattern we will see with many of these matchups, a former Cowboy will be on the other sideline. Safety turned linebacker (who will now go back to playing safety) Keanu Neal signed with the Bucs during free agency.

3. Cincinnati Bengals vs Dallas Cowboys

The Bengals have done everything the Cowboys have been trying to do for the last several years. They went from bad to great very quickly. Just two years after going 2-14, the Bengals won their division and made a trip to the Super Bowl. The team is young, hungry, and led by a stellar quarterback in Joe Burrow.

The last time these two teams faced each other was in December of 2020 when Andy Dalton was at the helm for the Cowboys. Dallas won the game 30-7, but things look a lot different now. Most notably, the Bengals have former Cowboys OT La’el Collins on their roster now. Mere hours after Dallas decided to release Collins as a post-June 1 cut in March, the OT was on a flight to Cincinnati to meet the team. The Bengals gained a top offensive lineman and Collins seemed pretty happy, too.

Not only will the Cowboys have to face a team that is coming off of a Super Bowl appearance, but they will also have to face Collins and another former Cowboy in Chidobe Awuzie (who excelled for the Bengals in 2021).

Here’s what Collins had to say about facing his former team in 2022:

"“Dallas that’s been my home for the last seven years. That organization has been special to me, been great to me. It’s no animosity. It’s nothing but love. I’ll be a Cowboy for the rest of my life. I gave them a lot. So, for me anything that’s not orange and don’t have those stripes on them when it comes game day, then at the end of the day if you’re in the way, you’ve got to get moved out of the way. That’s just the bottom line. It doesn’t matter who it is; it doesn’t matter where we’re at; it doesn’t matter what time we play. That’s the mindset each and every week from me.”"

2. Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers

This is one you’ll want to get the popcorn for. Not only are these two NFC teams with storied franchises and incredible histories, but this game is going back to Lambeau Field for the first time since 2016. For what it’s worth, the Cowboys won the last matchup that happened in Wisconsin. But a lot has happened since then.

As of Wednesday, we actually know when this matchup will be. The NFL revealed that these two teams will play each other in Week 10 on November 13. That likely means Green Bay will be the frozen tundra it’s known to be, and the Cowboys will need to be prepared. However, the cold weather, for once, is one of the least notable parts of this matchup.

These two teams have a rivaled history. From the Ice Bowl days in 1967 that saw Vince Lombardi’s Packers beat Tom Landry’s Cowboys to the heartbreaking divisional-round playoff loss in 2017 thanks to an epic Jared Cook toe-drag catch to one of the most controversial catches/non-catches in NFL history from Dez Bryant in 2015, these two teams seem to set off fireworks when they play each other.

Now, there’s a whole new element. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will be making his first trip back to Green Bay since the team fired him four years ago. McCarthy led the pack to six NFC North titles and a Super Bowl win in his 13 seasons. This matchup will bring big pressure for the Dallas head coach.

The Packers lead this all-time series 20-17, but with a storied rivalry like this, you never know what’s going to happen. It will be a Sunday afternoon game to remember.

1. Dallas Cowboys @ LA Rams

This game is scary for a whole number of reasons. So let’s just break them down:

1. The Rams just won the Super Bowl
2. Given the Cowboys have played the reigning champs in several opening games, there’s reason to think this could be a daunting Week 1 matchup
3. Aaron Donald
4. The Rams added Bobby Wagner to an already high-powered defense, a man the Cowboys could have added to their team.
5. This is a road game against the reigning champions

The last time these two teams played was in 2020 and the Cowboys lost 20-17. It also doesn’t help that Dallas hasn’t defeated the Rams in Los Angeles since 1990. While the Rams did lose Robert Woods, Von Miller, and Austin Corbett, this team is still loaded. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Cam Akers, Tyler Higbee, Aaron Donald, and Jalen Ramsey will be more than glad to take the Cowboys down at home.

Let’s also not forget that Ramsey apparently still holds a grudge against Jerry Jones and the Cowboys for selecting Ezekiel Elliott over him in the 2016 NFL Draft. If this game is in Week 1, it’s really hard to imagine the Cowboys taking down the reigning champs without Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.