The Dallas Cowboys entered their Week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos riding high on confidence, but they lost, 44-24. Now, Broncos head coach Sean Payton is taking shots at his counterpart, Brian Schottenheimer. It’s not something he usually does, but this time, he broke character.

Earlier, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott said they have all the tools to become the league’s best offense in the coming weeks. But he overlooked one crucial factor, their defense, which currently ranks last in the NFL. During the post-game conference, Payton mocked them for being such underperformers on defense. “He said, ‘Our job on offense was to KEEP THEM the worst defense in the NFL… It wasn’t even close, this was a one-sided game,” Payton said.

Sean Payton’s surprising behaviour could stem from Jerry Jones‘ previous attempts to sign him as head coach of the Cowboys. Early in the week, the coach revealed that he was thinking of writing a book again. He hinted he has 2-3 stories about Jones approaching him multiple times. One of those times, he came very close to bringing Payton to Texas. However, in week 8, it was expected to be a contest between the Cowboys’ offense vs Broncos’ defense.

Brian Schottenheimer failed to mount his defense. Cornerback Trikweze Bridges intercepted QB Bo Nix once. Other than that, they were nowhere in the game. Nix completed 19 of 29 passes for 247 passing yards and scored 4 touchdowns.

The Broncos even dominated the America’s Team in the rushing game, too. In just 28 carries for 179 rushing yards, they scored 2 TDs. RB RJ Harvey scored both of them. The Cowboys only got 108 rushing yards in 31 carries, with 2 TDs by RB Javonte Williams. The former Broncos running back arrived in the Cowboys this year as a free agent. But he proved his worth.

The Broncos coach kept his calm, even when they were winning.

Sean Payton reveals his demand from the players

The Broncos’ defense is one of the best in the league right now, so he continued demanding the same level of excellence from his players. “I just didn’t think they could keep up with what we were doing. So, I had said to the defense, periodically – can you guys keep up with us?” he explained.

The Broncos’ defense was highly effective throughout the game. The unit recorded 79 total tackles, two sacks, and 12 pass deflections. LB Alex Singleton led the team with 11 tackles, while CB Kris Abrams-Draine added nine. DE John Franklin-Myers and LB Jonah Elliss each registered one sack, keeping consistent pressure on the Cowboys’ quarterbacks. CBs Riley Moss and Pat Surtain II were active in coverage, combining for several key deflections.

They also forced two interceptions. LB Dondrea Tillman returned one for 36 yards, and CB Jahdae Barron added another interception with no return. The Broncos’ defense maintained tight coverage, disrupted Dallas’ rhythm, and limited their quarterbacks’ overall effectiveness.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 19 of 31 passes for 188 yards without a touchdown and threw two interceptions. Prescott was sacked twice for a total loss of 15 yards. Backup quarterback Joe Milton III replaced Prescott for limited snaps. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 58 yards and one touchdown. He was not sacked. Overall, they faced steady pressure and struggled with turnovers in key moments.

With this win, the Broncos secured top place in the AFC West division, while the Cowboys are now placed second in the NFC East division.