Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys can earn a winning record for the first time in 2025 under head coach Brian Schottenheimer with a win on Sunday at the Denver Broncos. They will go to Denver looking for a road win against the Broncos for the first time in over two decades, but also enter this game with a path to win on both sides of the ball thanks to their 44-22 win versus the Commanders in week seven. The Cowboys passed the Commanders for second place in the NFC East with that win against Dan Quinn’s team, but now get a Sean Payton Broncos team leading the AFC West at 5-2 ahead of the Chargers and Chiefs. Payton will be looking for his third head-coaching win against the Cowboys in four tries since leaving Dallas’ staff in 2005, the previous two being with the New Orleans Saints.
Payton beat the Cowboys at home with the Saints in his first season 42-17, and won in Arlington 30-27 on Thanksgiving in 2010. Even when the Cowboys beat the Saints to end their undefeated season in the Superdome on a Thursday night in 2009, Payton got the last laugh by winning the Super Bowl with that year’s team. The Cowboys getting this win under Schottenheimer would be big in putting previous road losses at the Bears and Panthers behind them and start a similar run to the playoffs the Broncos are intended on – having gone to the playoffs for the first time under Payton last year.
The Broncos got there by getting better quarterback play out of rookie Bo Nix than many previous Denver QBs before him. So far in 2025 though, Nix and the Broncos offense has not always been consistent, and facing the current Cowboys defense is perhaps not the same “get right” opportunity it was for Matt Eberflus’ defense at the start of the season.
The Cowboys will still want to lean more on their offense and own high-level QB play to put pressure on Nix and the Broncos as opposed to exposing their defense too much on the road, but having momentum on both sides of the ball helps them going to a tough road environment. Will a healthy quadruplet (new term?) of Prescott, George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, and the former Bronco Javonte Williams be enough to get a win in week eight though? Let’s take a look at our weekly keys to the game to find out.
The Cowboys will be without CB Trevon Diggs again this Sunday, after he missed the win against the Commanders with a concussion. In Diggs’ absence, the Cowboys played much more of the man coverage that would actually play to his strengths if/when he’s able to return to the field. They got by instead with DaRon Bland returning an interception for a touchdown, Kaiir Elam and rookie Trikweze Bridges also holding up in...
