Cowboys make NFL history with one of league's toughest schedules

The Dallas Cowboys are aware of what their schedule looks like for the upcoming season, and it is quite the gauntlet.

The team starts off against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road, but it gets harder as the season goes on.

In the final third of the season, the Cowboys' toughest tests await, where they will make NFL history in the process.

"Someone in the NFL scheduling department must have wanted to see the Cowboys suffer this season, because they got handed a brutal stretch that will go on for SIX WEEKS," CBS Sports contributor John Breech wrote.

"Starting in Week 12, the Cowboys will face the Eagles, Chiefs, Lions and Vikings in consecutive games, which will make Dallas to play four straight games against teams that all won at least 14 games in the prior season. The Cowboys will also face the Chargers and Commanders in that stretch, so they'll also become the first team in NFL history to play six straight games against teams that all won at least 11 games in the prior season. Basically, the Cowboys have a nightmare schedule."

The Cowboys will need to ensure that they are playing their best football before getting into the nitty gritty of the season, because there will be a few games where they aren't considered the favorite down the stretch.

If Dallas can go into late November with six or seven wins before the Week 10 bye, it will have its playoff chances raised tenfold.