The Dallas Cowboys play host to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon from AT&T Stadium. The Broncos are fresh off a win against the Washington Football Team last Sunday. Meanwhile the Cowboys pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the weekend, going to Minnesota with a backup quarterback Cooper Rush and taking down the Vikings. The Cowboys look like they could be a legit contender in the NFC this season while the Broncos have feasted on one of the weakest schedules in the NFL thus far. Having to go on the road to Dallas will be Denver’s toughest task yet this season and can be used as a measuring stick going forward for the rest of their season.
The Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos haven’t met since 2017, a 42-17 win for the Broncos, and have a limited history together of late. They have only faced each other three times since 2009 with Denver getting the better of the Cowboys every time. The Cowboys most heartbreaking loss to the Broncos in recent memory came in 2013. In that game Peyton Manning and the Broncos edged out Tony Romo and the Cowboys by a final score of 51-.48 in what was a memorable shoot out between two phenomenal quarterbacks. History is unlikely to repeat itself here as the Cowboys are likely to rely on the run game in this one.
The Broncos find themselves sitting at 4-4 on the season but in all likelihood, that won’t nearly cut it in the AFC West. The Las Vegas Raiders currently lead the division at 5-2, the Los Angeles Chargers are in second place at 4-3, and the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs are even with Denver at 4-4. While the Broncos have had some success so far this season, their schedule has helped in a huge way. A 3-0 start for Denver was followed up with a four-game losing streak. Denver was able to bounce back nicely against Washington last week. The Broncos traded away star pass rusher Von Miller, the longtime leader of the defense, and will have to find a way to adapt to life without him going forward. This will be a difficult start to the post Miller era for the Broncos against a red hot Cowboys team playing with confidence.
The Cowboys are quickly looking like a potential Super Bowl contender. Despite that, and despite having one of the best records in the league, the Cowboys seem to continually have to prove doubters wrong. Last week’s win against the Vikings was one of the most impressive of the season by any team. The Cowboys had to deal with Dak Prescott being out and Tyron Smith exiting early. After losing their season opener, the Cowboys have won six in a row and show no signs of slowing down. The Cowboys have back to back home games against the Denver Broncos and then the Atlanta Falcons next week. Neither team is expected to give the Cowboys too much trouble but there are no guarantees in the NFL. That said, Dallas does seem well in control of the NFC East but the wins need to keep coming if they want to compete for the number one seed in the NFC and earn a crucial first round bye in the post season.
The one hiccup in what has been a successful Dallas Cowboys season thus far has been their lengthy injury report week after week. To date, it hasn’t seemed to hurt them significantly but there has to be a breaking point. Heading into the weekend, the Cowboys have 24 players listed on their current injury report, with 15 of those already listed as out or doubtful including star left tackle Tyron Smith. Prescott (calf) is the key player to keep an eye on as the leader of the offense but given his probable status, Cowboys fans have to feel good about his chances of playing.
Despite playing without Prescott last week and struggling offensively in the first half, the Cowboys still rank third in the NFL in points per game and second in first-quarter scoring. Against a Denver team that has found itself starting slow this season, Dallas could put this one out of reach early. The Dallas Cowboys offense finds itself first overall in total yards per game, second in rushing yards per game, and third in passing yards per game. The Cowboys balance on offense has made them a more complete team than in years past and Denver will certainly have issues slowing them down. Dallas heads back home riding a wave of momentum and confidence. Welcoming back their star quarterback Dak Prescott should provide an added boost as well. Dallas’ offense has been elite from day one and Denver’s defense now find themselves in a period of transition with the trade of Miller. This could be a long day for the Broncos “D” as they try to slow down the Cowboys. Denver’s offense has lacked consistency all season long and this is a game where they will likely need to be at their sharpest to keep pace with Dallas. The Broncos may have a hard time finding the endzone against an improving Dallas Cowboys defense who had their best performance of the season last week despite not creating any turnovers for the first time this season. I don’t see the Broncos competing with the Cowboys in this one.
Final Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 38 Denver Broncos 14
