Ranking the 4 toughest quarterbacks the Cowboys will face in 2022

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati, Week 2

On top of facing the defending champions this season, the Cowboys will also host the AFC Champions. They did have to play the champs from the opposite conference as well last season, losing to the Chiefs on the road.

This meeting will come in Week 2 as Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals will be in AT&T Stadium on Sept. 18. Burrow and the Bengals had a historic rise last season that nearly ended in them holding the trophy in February.

Cincinnati was just 4-11-1 in 2020 and Burrow was coming off a torn ACL that prematurely ended his rookie campaign. Head coach Zac Taylor was on the hot seat and there weren’t many expectations that they would be contenders.

That didn’t stop them from winning 10 games in the regular season and then knocking off the No. 1 seed Titans as well as the defending AFC Champs en route to a Super Bowl berth. They were defeated 23-20 by the Rams but Burrow played well and might have led them to the win had their offensive line not struggled as mightily as they did.

This offseason, they addressed this concern with several new faces on the line, including La’el Collins who was released by Dallas. Burrow had 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns with a porous offensive line. With a revamped unit, he could be incredibly dangerous, so the Dallas defense needs to be on their game. Plus, Prescott might need to be prepared to throw it early and often in an effort to keep pace.