SEATTLE -- In a perfect world, the Dallas Cowboys' preseason game Thursday would be at AT&T Stadium.

But a Coldplay concert has sent the Cowboys on the road instead to take on the Seattle Seahawks.

The Cowboys prefer to play their first two preseason games on the road, on the West Coast, in order to maximize their time in Oxnard, California. Because of the concert, however, the Cowboys had to change up their plans.

But it might not be such a bad thing when thinking about the big picture.

The Seahawks have been one of the best teams in the NFC for the last five seasons. CenturyLink Field is among the most difficult places to play in the NFL.

If the Cowboys can perform well against the Seahawks in a tough venue in a preseason game that is considered the closest to a regular-season game, then that would do their confidence well entering the season.

“They’re a really good football team,” coach Jason Garrett said. “They’ve got a lot of good players. They’re very well-coached and so it’s always a good test when you go against teams like that. But it’s a test every week. It’ll be a fun challenge for us to go up there against such a good team in that environment. It’s a preseason game but they love their football up there. They’re very passionate about it, will be a heck of an environment to go play in.”

The Cowboys will play their starters more than at any point of the preseason. They will have Ezekiel Elliott making his debut. Left tackle Tyron Smith could make his preseason debut as well after missing the first two games with a stinger. The defense will also see Sean Lee play more and Benson Mayowa make his debut.

"This is the last kinda dress rehearsal before the season begins," safety Barry Church said. "I feel like we should get a full half in with the ones and the starters and see what happens there. Hopefully it’s a good first half and we won’t have to go into the second half with it."

In 2014, the Cowboys’ win at Seattle was perhaps the key moment on their way to a surprising 12-4 finish. They came to CenturyLink Field with a 4-1 record but they were still something of a question with those wins coming against Tennessee, St. Louis, New Orleans and Houston (in overtime).

They left Seattle with a 30-23 win in a game they dominated but kept close because of special-teams mistakes. They left Seattle knowing they could dominate on the ground, with DeMarco Murray picking up 115 yards on 28 carries. The defense controlled Russell Wilson (126 passing yards) and Marshawn Lynch (61 yards). The Cowboys held the ball for 37 minutes, 39 seconds and Seattle had just nine first downs.

The script the Cowboys used that day -- and for most of the 2014 season -- is the script they want to follow in 2016.

“This will be a big test for us, going on the road against a team that has been really good the last five, six years in Seattle,” tight end Jason Witten said. “It’s a tough environment to play. We’ll probably see more

playing time. I think our message all along since April is let’s build a team and then go show it. I think that mentality has carried over [against Miami last week]. For us, we’ve got to continue to build. We can’t settle. I think this will be a big test for us.”