The Dallas Cowboys did what they needed to do against lesser competition.

Dallas picked up three straight wins against the Giants, Panthers and Commanders, outscoring its opponents 127-37 during that stretch.

Now, the Cowboys (8-3) enter the tougher part of their schedule with six games remaining in the season. They open that stretch against the Seattle Seahawks (6-5) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday night.

Here’s how The Dallas Morning News’ columnists and beat writers see the game playing out:

Tim Cowlishaw

The Cowboys’ stretch of opponents with winning records begins Thursday night. But does the stretch of good opponents wait another week? Seattle has looked beyond shaky at times and quarterback Geno Smith has not been able to match his Pro Bowl success of 2022. This is the closest Dallas has been to a competitive game for a while, but a team averaging 41 points at home won’t have much trouble against a team that ranks outside the top 20 in total offense and defense.

Cowboys 34, Seahawks 14

Michael Gehlken

The Cowboys are the third playoff-caliber team to meet the Seahawks in November. Seattle lost to the first two, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, by a combined 68-16 margin. The Seahawks are 0-3 this year when Geno Smith is sacked more than twice. Make it 0-4 against a Dallas team that is simply more complete.

Cowboys 34, Seahawks 17

Damon Marx

The cupcake portion of the Cowboys’ schedule has passed, with the Seahawks in prime time providing a nice appetizer for the Dec. 10 main course against the Eagles. While the Seahawks are a notch up in competition, they won’t be a match for these Cowboys. Under Mike McCarthy, this team just wins at home. Expect the Dallas defense to have another big game and for the home team to extend its winning streak at AT&T Stadium to 14 games.

Cowboys 31, Seahawks 20

David Moore

No Dolly for this game. No gnawing on turkey legs on the sidelines. No DaRon Bland pick-six to extend his NFL record. Or will there be? It’s hard to imagine a more entertaining game than the one that took place at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving. But — now don’t say this too loud around Jerry Jones — it’s not about entertainment at this stage of the season. It’s about getting another win before a brutal December stretch.

Cowboys 30, Seahawks 20

Kevin Sherrington

The Cowboys take a step up in competition after a string of patsies, though their 13-game winning streak at JerryWorld shouldn’t be at risk against Seattle. Geno Smith was sacked six times by the 49ers, and he shouldn’t expect much of a let-up against the Cowboys, especially now that Micah Parsons has been cleared. The Cowboys won’t blow out the Seahawks, but it won’t be close, either.

Cowboys 27, Seahawks 17

Calvin Watkins

Now the season starts, or at least the varsity portion of the NFL schedule for the Cowboys. Seattle is hurting, a two-game losing streak and all, but the Seahawks have a winning record and the Cowboys need to beat a team with one. DK Metcalf is a lot to handle, but so is CeeDee Lamb. I wonder if this game will be a shootout. It would be fun for a change, right? We think this is going to the wire, just because we want to see a close game.

Cowboys 35, Seahawks 30

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