Hey guys, short discussion post for you guys this evening. What do you think is the toughest challenge on our schedule outside of the division this season? We all know that divisional games will be tough, but what about games outside of the division? I'll highlight a few of them and then make my pick.
Denver: Tough defense, tougher quarterback. We get Peyton in week 2, which could mean he won't be completely back to form yet. Nevertheless, this will be a tall task, but we get to take them on in the Dome, which is always an advantage.
San Diego: This game is interesting because we have to fly all the way out to the west coast to take on the semi-enigmatic Chargers. Philip Rivers is a pretty stout quarterback, and one that can sling the ball as well as anyone. He lost his favorite weapon Vincent Jackson in the offseason.
Philly: We travel to Philly in Week 8 after our bye week. The Eagles have always had our number, and playing them in Philly is no easy task. The Eagles probably don't feel too happy about last year's game against us, but Asante will likely let us know anything we'd need to know about their team.
Dallas: We get Dallas immediately after Philly. Don't let the haters fool you. Tony Romo is a dang good quarterback, masked only by his failure in the playoffs. Gee, that should sound familiar. Dallas has some talented defensive players, but we get them in the Terror Dome.
Detroit: Week 16, we get the Lions in their house. This won't be like recent Lions games, where they were awful and we were less awful. This will likely be a battle of offenses, unless Nolan turns our D into the Black Plague (is that a cool name for our D? I don't know. I mean, Purple People Eaters is pretty ridiculous.)
Yes, I'm not putting the Giants. I don't think the Giants will be our toughest game. I've never felt like they were a team that was far and away better than any other team, but I tell you, that team knows how to win games. That's all that needs to be said.
Anyway, I think our toughest out-of-division challenge will be Detroit. Stafford threw for 5,000 yards last year and I doubt he'll be regressing much from that. Their running game isn't much of a threat (to this point) but their air attack will be a strong test for our secondary, which hopefully will still be intact at Week 16.
What's your toughest out-of-division challenge.