10 Games Circled by Dallas Cowboys in 2011

The first week of preseason is over and that means there is just under a month until the 2011 NFL regular season kicks off.

NFL fans have finally been able to get a taste of what the new season will be after an offseason dominated by the lockout.

With football drawing near and fans salivating to see their favorite team's first regular season game, here are 10 games the Dallas Cowboys coaches and fan base have circled in 2011.

September 11th at the New York Jets

It's the battle of the Ryan brothers in the first Sunday of the 2011 NFL season, with Rob Ryan and the Cowboys traveling to the Meadowlands to take on the Rex Ryan's New York Jets.

The Cowboys will take on the entire AFC East this year and they'll battle the team who knocked off New England in the 2010 playoffs in their very first game.

It will be interesting to see how both Ryan brother's defenses fair against the opposing offenses, considering the two would know each other's game plan and schemes better than any other opposing coach.

Ultimately, that may just be what this game comes down to. Will the Jets' highly regarded defense be able to shut down the Cowboys' array of offensive weapons? Will Mark Sanchez and company be able to put up enough points to win their first home game of the year? We'll find out during the opening weekend of play.

September 26th Versus the Washington Redskins

While it may be true that the Washington Redskins are in a rebuilding year this upcoming season, the rivalry between these two storied franchises is always fierce.

The game will be both team's only appearance on Monday Night Football, so look for both squads to bring their best for the national audience.

No matter how good or bad a season the Redskins or Cowboys may be having in a given year, these two bitter foes always play each other close. Last season, both games were decided by less than a touchdown.

Look for one of the oldest rivalries in the league to put on a nail-biter of a game come week three.

October 2nd Versus the Detroit Lions

These two NFC teams have been linked with one another over the past several seasons. There have been two trades between the Cowboys and Detroit Lions in recent years, with Dallas receiving former wide receiver Roy Williams and current backup quarterback Jon Kitna in the deals.

In addition to some talent exchange, the two have come accustomed to seeing one another on their regular season schedules. In the past 10 NFL seasons, Detroit and Dallas have played against each other in eight of them. The most recent bout coming last season when the Cowboys defeated the Motor City  team 35-19.

The Lions are looking more formidable than ever this season, with young talent such as Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best on offense and Ndamukong Suh and rookie Nick Fairley on defense.

This could finally be the year the NFC North squad finds itself in the post-season and it will be important for Big D to defeat this team of young guns in the early half of the season.

October 16th at the New England Patriots

If there's been one thing consistent since 2001, it is that the New England Patriots are never an easy win. These two franchises don't play each other all that often, and there's reason to believe that the Cowboys will be out for a little payback come October.

Last time the Pats and Cowboys met, Bill Belichick's squad walked into Texas Stadium and ran up the score on the 'Boys in route to one of their 16 wins in 2007.

Members of that 2007 Cowboys team like Jason Witten, Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware probably haven't forgotten about that embarrassing home loss and will hope to give the Pats a taste of their own medicine in Foxborough, MA this year.

October 30th at the Philadelphia Eagles

The first meeting between these two NFC East rivals will come on the eve of Halloween and will surely be one of the most talked about games heading into that Sunday.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had some harsh words for the Philadelphia Eagles (albeit without naming them specifically) this off-season, deeming them the "all hype team" heading into the year.

Division games are always crucial in the hunt to become the NFC East champions, and with Philly entering into the season as a Superbowl favorite, this game will help prove if the Cowboys are contenders or pretenders in 2011.

Dallas and Philadelphia will be in a battle to prove who is the more playoff bound squad in the division, and they will be doing so in prime time on NBC's Sunday Night Football.

November 6th Versus the Seattle Seahawks

It's hard to know what to expect from the Seattle Seahawks heading into 2011, with coach Pete Carroll entering his second year with the team and Tavaris Jackson taking over under center.

Though the Seahawks may have questions at some positions, this is still a team that made it to the second round of the playoffs last season and could potentially end up back in post-season play if they win their division for the second straight year.

The added storyline to this match-up is the fact that Tony Romo and Seattle will forever be linked due to the embarrassing ending to the 2006 playoff bout between these two teams. The fumbled snap haunted Romo through much of the off-season heading into the next year of play, and he will look to defeat the Seahawks decisively.

It will be interesting to see if Dallas is up to taking down the defending NFC West champions at home in Cowboys Stadium when the time comes in November.

Thanksgiving Versus the Miami Dolphins

It might not be the most hyped match up of that week in the NFL, but it's still one of the three Thanksgiving Day football games and that's one of the main reasons this match-up finds itself on this list.

The Cowboys and Lions franchises have become apart of the American tradition of Thanksgiving and it will be interesting to see if Dallas can defeat a team built by former head coach Bill Parcells and former assistant coach Tony Sparano.

With two other games against the Jets and Patriots to deal with, it will be important for the Cowboys to defeat their two less formidable opponents in the AFC East, namely Miami and the Buffalo Bills.

December 17th at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Similar to the game with Detroit earlier in the year, Dallas finds themselves up against a well hyped and young, talented team down in Tampa, FL.

The Buccaneers have been in a stage of rebuilding in recent years, with head coach Raheem Morris looking for this year to continue on last season's upward trend.

The Bucco's won as many games as the Cowboys lost last year, with youngsters Josh Freeman, Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount providing a much needed spark to the offense.

Tampa Bay will look to battle through the tough competition in the NFC South and make their way into post-season. If the Cowboys have similar hopes regarding their season and division, they'll need to take down this young team that is already receiving some high praise and expectations for 2011.

Christmas Eve Versus the Philadelphia Eagles

If both of these talented rivals find themselves biding for a post-season bid, then fans of both teams will be needing a stress ball nearby when these two face off on Christmas Eve.

Philadelphia and Dallas could very well be still battling for the NFC East crown at this point in the season, with Big D having just one more opportunity after this week to improve their divisional record.

Depending on how well the New York Giants prove to be this season, this late afternoon game could prove to be the biggest game of 2011 for each team.

No team wants to go into Christmas on the losing end of their last game, but one of these two squads will have to do just that after the dust settles on the night where Santa makes his runs. Look for tempers to flare and for the game to potentially decide who becomes this season's "best of the east."

January 1st at the New York Giants

For Dallas, the 2011 regular season begins and ends in the Meadowlands.

On the first day of 2012, the Cowboys will square off in their final scheduled game against their longtime division rival New York Giants.

The Giants and Dallas split the season series last year, with the Cowboys defeating New York 33-20 in the final meeting between the two in 2010.

The NFC East crown is no easy feat to achieve recently, and anyone could make a case that Dallas, Philadelphia or New York could win this coveted division championship.

Regardless of whether or not both teams will be fighting for a playoff spot though, it's still the last game of the season.

Even if Dallas, the Giants or both teams have nothing on the line but pride when this game takes place, it will still be one to watch considering it could be the last time fans get a chance to cheer for their favorite team until next season rolls along.