Dallas (3-3-1) at Denver (5-2)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS.
Against the spread: Dallas 4-3, Broncos 2-4-1.
Series record: Broncos lead 9-5.
Last meeting: Broncos beat Cowboys 30-16 on Nov. 7, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Last week: Cowboys beat Washington Commanders 44-22; Broncos beat New York Giants 33-32.
Cowboys offense: overall (1), rush (13), pass (2), scoring (2).
Cowboys defense: overall (32), rush (30), pass (32), scoring (32).
Broncos offense: overall (11), rush (6), pass (T-15), scoring (17).
Broncos defense: overall (3), rush (9), pass (6), scoring (4).
Turnover differential: Cowboys even, Broncos minus-2.
RB Javonte Williams faces the team that drafted him early in the second round four years ago and moved on from him two years after a knee injury that derailed a promising start. He is enjoying a resurgence under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is calling the offensive plays. Williams is second in the NFL with 592 yards rushing and tied for third with six rushing touchdowns entering Week 8.
QB Bo Nix has been plagued by slow starts all season but he's been money in the fourth quarter and never more so than last weekend when he became the first QB in NFL history with multiple touchdown throws and TD runs in a fourth quarter. His two TD throws and two TD runs helped Denver beat the Giants 33-32 after entering the fourth quarter down 19-0 and trailing 26-8 with just over five minutes remaining.
Williams vs. Denver's run defense, which is one of the league's best.
Cowboys: Center Cooper Beebe will miss at least one more game with a foot injury. He's been out since Week 2 and eligible to return for two weeks. ... CB Trevon Diggs will miss a second game and at least three more after that because of a concussion sustained in an accident at home. He was placed on IR. ... S Juanyeh Thomas will miss a second consecutive game as he deals with migraines. ... S Donovan Wilson was ruled out with elbow and shoulder issues. ... DT Kenny Clark should be good to go after injuring an elbow last week.
Broncos: Denver has a relatively healthy roster, although inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who had six tackles in 21 snaps last week in his Broncos debut after recovering from a quadriceps injury, was suspended for this game after berating an official after Sunday's comeback against the Giants. ... Pass rusher Jonah Elliss (shoulder) returned to practice this week and RT Mike McGlinchey was a full participant after injuring an ankle and foot Sunday against the Giants.
The Cowboys have a seven-game losing streak against the Broncos, tied for the second longest in club history. A loss would tie the franchise’s worst skid, an eight-gamer against NFC East rival Philadelphia from 1987-91. The Cowboys haven't beaten the Broncos since 1995. The Cowboys prevailed in the biggest game ever between the teams, beating Denver 27-17 in Super Bowl 12 following the 1977 season.
Dallas has four consecutive games with at least one takeaway and no turnovers, the longest such streak in club history. … The Cowboys are trying to get over .500 for the first time this season. … If Dak Prescott throws at least three touchdown passes without an interception, he will join Russell Wilson (Seattle, 2015) as the only QBs to do that in five consecutive games. … WR George Pickens and TE Jake Ferguson are tied with Rams WR Davante Adams for second in the NFL with six TD catches. Ferguson has a four-game TD streak, while Pickens just had a five-game scoring streak stopped. … Ferguson can join Jason Witten (2010) as the club’s only tight ends with five-game TD streaks. … Lamb has at least 100 yards receiving in all three full games he has played this season. He has had at least five catches in 14 consecutive road games. … K Brandon Aubrey set an NFL record last week with his fifth field goal of at least 60 yards (61). There’s plenty of talk about him and long kicks in his first game in Denver’s high altitude. One of Aubrey’s kicks is a 65-yarder, 1 yard shy of Justin Tucker’s NFL record. … CB DaRon Bland had his sixth career interception return for a touchdown against the Commanders. He’s halfway to Hall of Famer Rod Woodson’s NFL record. Bland’s first five came during the 2023 season, an NFL record. ... The Broncos are coming off a 33-point fourth quarter and a 33-32 win over the New York Giants in one of the most improbable comebacks in league history. ... Nix had two TD runs and two TD passes in the fourth quarter as Denver overcame a 19-0 deficit to start the fourth quarter and a 26-8 deficit with under six minutes remaining. ... Nix joins Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes as the only QBs in the league with 40 TD throws and five TD runs since 2024. ... The Broncos are 5-2 for the first time in nine seasons. ... Denver has the league's longest home winning streak at eight games. ... The Broncos lead the league with 34 sacks. WT Marvin Mims Jr. had a season-high 85 receiving yards last week. ... LB Nik Bonitto leads the AFC with eight sacks. ... ILB Justin Strnad had his first career interception last week.
Javonte Williams returns to a familiar stadium Sunday. With seven total touchdowns, Williams joins Herschel Walker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Hayes as the only players with that many in their first seven games with the Cowboys.
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