It all looked so easy for the Cowboys months ago. Go to London, do a little publicity, see the sights, then pick up an easy win against Jacksonville.
Instead, thanks to a two-game losing streak, there's a greater sense of urgency heading into Sunday's game against the 1-8 Jaguars.
And with the upcoming schedule slanted against the Cowboys, the journey to London has become a business trip. In fact, the Cowboys have to be all-business when finishing out the season.
A 6-1 start has turned into a 6-3 struggle after blowing what should have been a sure win against a struggling Washington team, followed by a sub-par showing against Arizona.
If the Cowboys beat Jacksonville, which they should if Tony Romo returns to the lineup as expected, they get a bye week to recover from the London trip. But then the real road trip begins.
The Cowboys have just two home games remaining this season. That's a tough slate for a team looking to win the NFC East and possible clinch home field advantage.
The home field advantage given the Cowboys in their first nine games was squandered. All three of their losses have come at AT&T Stadium.
A three-game homestand that should have given the Cowboys some cushion was blown up by the loss to Washington. They went 1-2 on the homestand after losing to the Cardinals with Romo sidelined by an aching back.
Arizona is good enough to beat Dallas even with Romo. But with backup Brandon Weeden misfiring passes all game, it was still a 14-10 game midway through the fourth quarter.
So the Cowboys didn't take advantage of six home games in their first nine games. But just because a team doesn't have a strong home field advantage doesn't mean they play better on the road.
That theory will get tested right away as the Cowboys' first game is at the New York Giants. The G-men are just 3-5 this season, but division games are never easy.
Next comes the first of two games against the division-leading Eagles in a three-week span. Philadelphia didn't miss a beat last week when quarterback Nick Foles went down with a broken collarbone. The Cowboys have been beaten by a third-string quarterback, Colt McCoy, so Mark Sanchez shouldn't be taken lightly.
The first Eagles game is on Thanksgiving, but this year the Cowboys don't get the full "mini-bye week" benefit of playing at home on Turkey Day. The game after Thanksgiving is another Thursday game, a night game at Chicago.
After playing at Solider Field, the Cowboys do get nine games between their next game, at Philadelphia. That's another night game in December in a cold-weather city. And as we mentioned, the Eagles are good.
The home finale is Dec. 21 against Indianapolis and Andrew Luck. The Colts are 6-3 and leading the NFC South.
The season finale is Dec. 28 at Washington. Who knows what shape either team will be in by then, but D.C. always gets pumped for the Cowboys.
That makes four of the last six games on the road for the Cowboys, including trips to all three NFC East foes plus Chicago.
With a schedule like that, the trip to London will seem like a day trip in comparison.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
