{"id":69406,"date":"2019-07-31T06:20:48","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T10:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=69406"},"modified":"2019-08-10T10:33:56","modified_gmt":"2019-08-10T14:33:56","slug":"dallas-cowboys-schedule-most-difficult-games-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/07\/31\/dallas-cowboys-schedule-most-difficult-games-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys Schedule: Most Difficult Games of 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With training camp underway and the preseason fast approaching, Last Word on Pro Football is analyzing the schedules of all 32 NFL teams. Each team\u2019s schedule will be split into most difficult (1-8) and easiest (8-16) games. Let\u2019s kick off the series by taking a look at the hardest games on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> schedule.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/08\/10\/dallas-cowboys-easiest-games\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><strong>Dallas Cowboys Easiest Games<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Most Difficult Games on 2019 Dallas Cowboys Schedule<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>1. Week 12: At New England<\/h3>\n<p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BradTo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> and <strong>Bill Belichick<\/strong> Era is nearly two decades old, yet the duo still remains the best in the league. Despite Brady entering his age-42 season, there is no reason to believe the six-time Super Bowl champ will fall off a cliff any time soon. If anything, he <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2019\/06\/26\/tom-brady-even-better-2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">should be even better<\/a> in 2019. Ditto for Belichick, who remains one of the best minds in football. Beating the Patriots is hard, but beating them in Foxboro is nearly impossible. Good luck to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/PresDa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dak Prescott<\/a><\/strong> and the Cowboys \u2013 they\u2019ll need it.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Week 16: At Philadelphia<\/h3>\n<p>This game could easily determine the NFC East champion. Dallas and Philadelphia boast two of the best rosters in the league, with each team led by their fourth-year quarterback. The last we saw of these two teams, Dallas pulled off a thrilling 29-23 victory on an overtime touchdown to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CoopAm00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amari Cooper<\/a><\/strong>. If <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WentCa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carson Wentz<\/a><\/strong> can stay healthy through Week 16, this could be the game of the year.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Week 4: At New Orleans<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BreeDr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Brees<\/a><\/strong> slowed down near the end of 2018, but he should be back to old form when the Cowboys travel to the Big Easy. Brees is notoriously better in his dome than on the road, so Dallas\u2019 road trip plays into Brees\u2019 favor. This goes beyond the quarterback, as the Saints have one of the most talented rosters in the league. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/K\/KamaAl00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alvin Kamara<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=ThomMi05,ThomMi02&amp;search=Michael+Thomas&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Thomas<\/a><\/strong> keep the chains moving while <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/J\/JordCa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cameron Jordan<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/L\/LattMa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marshon Lattimore<\/a><\/strong> can completely ruin a passing attack. Dallas will need to play their best football if they\u2019re to pull this one out.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Week 7: Vs Philadelphia<\/h3>\n<p>Outside of the Cowboys, the Eagles are the only team who has a realistic shot to win the NFC East. Because of this, Dallas needs to make sure that they take at least one game against their division rivals. The Eagles might have the most complete roster in the league, but the Cowboys aren\u2019t far behind. This should be a hard-fought game, but playing in JerryWorld makes it a bit easier for Dallas.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Week 14: At Chicago<\/h3>\n<p>Playing December football in the elements is never ideal for a dome team like the Cowboys, and the idea of traveling is made worse by the fact that the Bears are an extremely talented football team. The defense was easily the best in 2018 and should remain a top unit in 2019. If <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/T\/TrubMi00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitchell Trubisky<\/a><\/strong> takes a step forward in Year Three, then this matchup could move a lot higher up on this list.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Week 15: Vs Los Angeles (Rams)<\/h3>\n<p>Taking down the reigning NFC Champion is never easy, but the Rams probably won\u2019t be as good in 2019 as they were in 2018. The league appeared to figure out <strong>Sean McVay<\/strong>\u2019s offense late in the year, and the Rams weren\u2019t able to adjust. Even though they made it to the Super Bowl, the offense wasn\u2019t the same after their Week 13 matchup against the Detroit Lions. <strong>Bill Belichick<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prideofdetroit.com\/2019\/2\/4\/18210122\/patriots-bill-belichick-lions-game-plan-super-bowl-winning-strategy-rams\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">credited<\/a> <strong>Matt Patricia<\/strong> for figuring out how to slow McVay\u2019s offense, and now we\u2019ll need to see if McVay can adjust.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Week 10: Vs Vikings<\/h3>\n<p>The Minnesota Vikings underachieved in 2018 and some people are overlooking the plethora of talent on this roster. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/T\/ThieAd00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Thielen<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DiggSt00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stefon Diggs<\/a><\/strong> form the best wide receiver duo in the league, and quarterback <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CousKi00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kirk Cousins<\/a> <\/strong>is capable of keeping the offense moving. Defensively, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/SmitHa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Harrison Smith<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RhodXa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xavier Rhodes<\/a>, <\/strong>and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BarrAn00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Barr<\/a><\/strong> all have the ability to be among the best at their respective positions. Minnesota\u2019s Achilles heel was their offensive line, but they\u2019ve invested significant draft capital to shore up the unit. The Cowboys should still win this one, but it should go down to the wire.<\/p>\n<h3>8. Week 5: Vs Packers<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RodgAa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong> wasn\u2019t himself in 2018, but most of those struggles can be placed on a Week One knee injury. Even if he hasn\u2019t played like 2014 Rodgers in a while, the future Hall of Famer still remains one of the five or 10 best passers in the league. <strong>Mike McCarthy<\/strong> has been replaced by <strong>Matt LaFleur <\/strong>and the Packers added all sorts of defensive talent in free agency. This change in scenery might be exactly what Rodgers needs to find his old form. Even if Rodgers doesn\u2019t have another 2014 campaign in him, the improved roster ensures that Green Bay won\u2019t have another six-win season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/08\/10\/dallas-cowboys-easiest-games\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><strong>Dallas Cowboys Easiest Games<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"vvNH_9DvSahSkUR4d_ckBg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/637338900\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'vvNH_9DvSahSkUR4d_ckBg',sig:'50aAa2xT2Grr-MJ5T1hcOPKFTt-xR_KhVuaB_DIGRcI=',w:'594px',h:'451px',items:'637338900',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With training camp underway and the preseason right around the corner, let&#8217;s take a look at the most difficult games on the Dallas Cowboys schedule<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":69407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,19],"tags":[49,61,38,40,46],"class_list":["post-69406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-cowboys","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-football","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia-eagles"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}