During July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department has been analyzing the schedules of every team in the NFL. We will be ranking each game in order of difficulty (with one being the most difficult). This series will be split up into the eight most difficult games (ranked 1-8) and the eight easiest games (ranked 9-16) for each team. In this article, the Dallas Cowboys easiest games are the focus.
Dallas Cowboys Easiest Games in 2017
9. Week 12 vs Los Angeles Chargers
It’s tradition for the Cowboys to play on Thanksgiving Day, but this game will be just four days after a Sunday night matchup against the division rival Eagles. Joey Bosa could pose a threat to the Cowboys but he’ll have to get past the best offensive line in the NFL first. San Diego has a good offense lead by Philip Rivers so Dallas could find themselves in another offensive shoot-out here.
10. Week 14 at New York Giants
The Giants historically play better on the road so this one should be a little easier for Dallas than the week one matchup. New York’s defense still matches up very well with the Cowboys offense, though, so it’s far from being an easy game. At this point in the season, this could likely be a tie-breaker for which of these teams takes the NFC East crown.
11. Week 8 at Washington Redskins
Dallas was able to sweep the Redskins last season but it wasn’t an easy feat. Their first matchup was a four-point comeback victory for the Cowboys and the second game was a close one that Washington almost came back to win. Washington may not be as much of a threat as the Giants but they’re still a tough division rival.
12. Week 2 at Denver Broncos
The Broncos still have a dangerous defense and running back C.J. Anderson will be back to full strength. Winning in Mile High Stadium is no easy task either. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Denver doesn’t have a reliable quarterback. Unless Paxton Lynch is named the starter and comes in and dominates, Trevor Siemian isn’t scaring anyone.
13. Week 13 vs Washington Redskins
The NFL schedule makers were gracious enough to make sure both the Redskins and Cowboys played on Thanksgiving before their Thursday night matchup the following week. This will be the third consecutive home game for Dallas. The Cowboys will be coming off of a relatively easy matchup against the Chargers while the Redskins will have previously faced a tough division rival Giants team.
14. Week 9 vs Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs still have a strong defense, even without Dontari Poe. If Alex Smith wasn’t the quarterback and if a healthy Jamaal Charles was still their running back, this would be a more difficult game. Even with Dallas having a defensive secondary full of unproven, young players, “noodle arm” Smith won’t put up more than 20 points. The Cowboys offense may struggle a little bit but should still be able to pull this one off relatively easy.
15. Week 4 vs Los Angeles Rams
The Rams aren’t as bad as the 49ers, but they’re not a good team either. Jared Goff was inconsistent last season and Todd Gurley was a bit disappointing after his impressive rookie season. The Rams will have a new head coach in Sean McVay and new offensive coordinator Matt LeFleur who will likely upgrade the “middle school offense.” They also added Wade Phillips as the defensive coordinator so the future looks bright for the Rams. This season, however, Dallas has nothing to worry about.
16. Week 7 at San Francisco 49ers
Dallas will be coming off their bye week while the 49ers will be recovering from three consecutive road games. It doesn’t help that those road games are against the division rival Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins. San Francisco has questions at almost every position, and a new head coach in Kyle Shanahan who is known for his complex offensive scheme. This will be the easiest game for Dallas this season.
Be sure to check out the most difficult games on the 2017 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
