It’s been something of a rollercoaster season so far for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans.

What we thought was a typical early-season road win in Cleveland turned out to be the Cowboys simply beating a bad team. The Browns have been terrible this season and are currently on a four-game losing streak.

The next win came for the New York Giants in a close game in which the Cowboys did just enough to earn the victory. Their third and final win so far came against a strong Pittsburgh Steelers team.

As unimpressive as their wins were, the Cowboys’ losses this season were impressively terrible. In three home games (all losses), the Cowboys have lost a total of 119-53.

The defense was atrocious, ranking last in the NFL in both rush yards allowed per game and yards per attempt. It won’t get any easier in the next few weeks. A brutal five-game stretch will define the rest of the Cowboys’ season.

Dallas’ variety of results at this stage could see them emerge on the other side with a poor record of 3-8 or a complete turnaround at 8-3.

Week 8 at the San Francisco 49ers

The Dallas Cowboys were beaten by the Detroit Lions in a game that was out of reach at the end of the first quarter. The final score of 47-9 was the worst loss the Cowboys have suffered at AT&T Stadium, and they have a bye week to prepare for an equally tough matchup.

Dallas’ current nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers, will welcome the Cowboys to Levi’s Stadium for a date on Sunday Night Football. I have to admit that it feels like the school bully dared the new kid to fight behind the school. However, the Cowboys are not new and the 49ers have beaten them a few times before.

San Francisco enters the game with an equal 3-3 record as the Cowboys and is also struggling with a lot of injuries. If there was a time for the Cowboys to take advantage of and ultimately defeat Kyle Shanahan’s team, it’s never been a better time than now.

Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons

After a likely loss in San Francisco, the Cowboys visit the new-look Atlanta Falcons. QB Kirk Cousins ​​is embracing his role in the locker room and the Falcons are riding high with a 4-2 record and a three-game winning streak.

Cousins ​​​​has a variety of weapons. From running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to TE Kyle Pitts and wide receivers Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud.

The Falcons offense does a great job putting pressure on the defense, and the Cowboys defense is unable to withstand any pressure after so many key injuries.

Atlanta’s two losses were narrow defeats to the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, but they also had impressive wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Week 10 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The first matchup between Dallas and the division rival Eagles isn’t until Week 10, and no matter what the teams’ records are, they’ll be in for a tough battle.

It’s extremely important for the Cowboys to have bragging rights over the Eagles, and it might be even more important for the fans. Social media is no fun when the Cowboys lose, and it’s even worse when the loss comes from the Eagles.

Both teams have underperformed so far this season, but injuries to key positions and new faces on both sides of the ball mean they are off to a slow start. Both teams are trying to get their season on track and this will be an added element to the matchday drama.

Normally I expect the Cowboys and Eagles to split their home win streak. I still believe that will happen, but if the Cowboys can’t stop the run, I fear the Eagles will leave AT&T Stadium with a better record.

Week 11 vs. Houston Texans

The battle of the Texas teams continues this season when the Houston Texans visit Arlington.

I don’t think this game will end well for the Cowboys. Houston HC DeMeco Ryans earned the job he has because, as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator, he stifled Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ No. 1 offense in the playoffs.

The Texans are a team on the rise, and if the Cowboys can’t get the car back on track, QB CJ Stroud will step in and do whatever he wants. Stroud has playmakers like RB Joe Mixon and wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

If the offense can’t get a shootout going, it could be another long game for Cowboys fans.

Week 12 at Washington Commanders

Dallas finally faces former DC Dan Quinn’s new team, the Washington Commanders, in Week 12 of the regular season.

There are a lot of former Cowboys on the Commanders’ roster, and they will look to show Jerry Jones and the Cowboys what they could have had on their team this season if they had been retained.

I’m sure the game will be full of revenge stories, and it’s even more exciting for us to watch rookie QB Jayden Daniels make electrifying plays on the field. Hopefully there won’t be too many against the Cowboys.

The last time Washington had such a dynamic, young, new quarterback was in 2012 after they drafted Robert Griffin III. We saw him torch the Cowboys defense back in the day, and we can only pray that Daniels doesn’t do the same to this version of the Dallas defense.

Dallas needs to play its best football in this five-game stretch or risk the season being over before we put up our Christmas trees.