Game Recap: Cowboys in Denver, 44-24- Kurt Daniels, DallasCowboys.com
Re-live the beatdown.
Second Quarter
Thankfully, the Dallas offense found a little rhythm in the second frame. Rookie running back Jaydon Blue got things started with a 14-yard run, although it was a 14-yard pass from Prescott to tight end Luke Schoonmaker later in the series that set the Cowboys up with a first-and-goal at the Denver 1. Williams then got the scoring honors, bulldozing up the middle to close the gap to 14-10.
However, the Broncos responded with 13 more points before the end of the half to essentially put the game away. The big blow on their next possession came via a 32-yard pass interference penalty on rookie safety Alijah Clark, which was followed by an 11-yard catch and run by tight end Evan Engram. Now with a first-and-goal, Harvey took a direct snap back up the middle for the touchdown.
With an unnecessary roughness penalty on Dallas defensive end Sam Williams after the play, the Broncos decided to go for the two-point conversion, but the Cowboys managed to foil the attempt.
Desperately needing to get some more points on the board, Prescott and company instead went a quick three-and-out, which gave Denver plenty of time to increase its lead. With Nix completing all six of his passes, the Broncos marched 72 yards in seven plays and only 1:35 off the clock to score again. The touchdown came when Nix connected with wideout Pat Bryant in the back left corner of the end zone, giving Denver a 27-10 advantage at the break.
Prescott presses as Denver dominates defense, Broncos embarrass Cowboys, 44-24- K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
The up-and-down 2025 Dallas Cowboys season continues.
They bounced back in Week 7, destroying the rival Washington Commanders, 44-22. And then they returned to Denver to take on the Broncos, a team they hadn’t defeated since 1995. Low and behold, there was nothing there. After an early interception led to a disappointing three points, the Cowboy were ran over, ran through and thrown past all afternoon long. The Broncos took the Cowboys to the woodshed in a 44-24 win.
The loss dropped Dallas back under .500 with a 3-4-1 record. They’ll return home to take on the well-rested Arizona Cardinals coming off their bye week. QB Kyler Murray has owned AT&T Stadium since his high school days, a narrative challenge eerily reminiscent to the Broncos’ three-decade talk that flavored the last week.
As for this game, fans finally saw quarterback Dak Prescott wilt under the pressure of having to carry his team’s lackluster defense. Prescott threw two ill-advised interceptions, and failed to throw for a touchdown for the first time all season. Prescott wasn’t helped by his team’s incessant addiction to pre-snap penalties, and a defense that started without their top three safeties loss a fourth, Alijah Clark, midway through the game.
Broncos Beat Up the Cowboys in 44-24 Week 8 Denver Dud- Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
It was a bad experience all around for Cowboys fans.
It’s hard to fault the Dallas offense entirely when the defense gives up 44 points, and the Broncos unit is one of the best in football, but they were just not good enough.
To start the game, Dak Prescott & Co. got the ball off an opening turnover, and they failed to punch in a crucial seven points in favor of a chip-shot field goal. They need a touchdown there.
They followed that drive with two consecutive punts that put them in a 14-3 hole.
That drought was ended with a six-minute touchdown drive to former Bronco Javonte Williams, but that became the final meaningful score for Dallas.
Two interceptions and two punts followed that drive, while a third-quarter score and garbage-time Joe Milton III bomb to Jalen Tolbert added points to the inevitable final score.
Give the Broncos defense credit, but don’t excuse blame from Prescott, the offensive line, the play-calling, etc.
Jerry Jones just confirmed Cowboys fans’ worst trade fears after blowout loss- Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Dallas still considers themselves buyers in the trade market.
“A loss is discouraging, but as far as my temperament, if I saw a proposition for us to help this team, no matter what this score was today, then I would look at it on the merits of helping this team,” Jones said. “If you’re talking about trading for a player or trading a player, I would completely look at it on the merits of this team, both for next week or the week after, or the long term.”
That is absolute nightmare fuel.
Even with the impending return of DeMarvion Overshown, this team would be lucky to make the playoffs. With the loss, the Cowboys are now 10th in the NFC with a 3-4-1 record. They are 2.5 games behind the 49ers, who own the third Wild Card spot with a 5-3 record. They are also looking up at the 4-3 Bears and 4-4 Panthers, both of whom own the tiebreaker over Dallas.
With upcoming games against the Cardinals and Raiders, the Cowboys have a real chance to be 5-4-1 entering the hardest part of their schedule. The season didn’t end on Sunday, but it was the latest proof that they can get picked off by any team.
What’s it going to take to get Dallas Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus fired?- Tyler Reed, Sports Illustrated
At this point in the season, it’s a fair question.
The Cowboys gave up 426 total yards of offense in their Week 8 loss. Coming into the game, the unit was allowing just a little over 400 yards per game to their opponents.
It seemed like everything was starting to click last week, but now it is back to the drawing board. The Cowboys’ defense was slashed in many ways, including giving up 179 yards on the ground. However, getting off the field on third down may have been the biggest key.
The Broncos converted 62% of their third-down attempts on Sunday. That’s not ideal for a defense facing so many injuries.
Prior to Week 8, the Cowboys coaching staff had been supportive of Eberflus, with a lot of the pressure cooling off after last week. However, it isn’t surprising to see fans pulling the pitchforks back out after today’s performance.
Eberflus’ days might be numbered on the sidelines with the Cowboys.
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