In the game’s opening possession on Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys looked every bit a team ready to take the leap. Riding on the previous week’s momentum, they had marched right down to Denver‘s 6-yard line in the early minutes. But what followed next were a pair of penalties and an incomplete pass, forcing them to settle for the three instead of a seven. Say the tone was set for the day.

Neither did Dak Prescott & co. pull out their dominant offense, nor did the defense put up a competition. Penalties piled up, miscommunication prevailed, and it was a day to forget for the Cowboys and Broncos coach, Sean Payton, is putting a stamp on it. At the post-game press conference, he ensured he wasn’t giving in to his media-trained habits. The HC went all out in calling the Dallas team for what it looked like.

“Our run numbers, our pass numbers, all of it was kind of lopsided… I thought it was a pretty one-sided game,” he announced.

What was supposed to be a dramatic top offense vs top defense was reduced to the Broncos dominating both ends. Prescott recorded just 188 passing yards, no passing touchdowns, and two interceptions, while the team finished with 339 yards and converted on just 4 of 11 third-down attempts. To add to it, HC Brian Schottenheimer made a largely unpopular call.

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In the third quarter, down 30-17, the Cowboys faced a fourth and five from their own 44-yard line. Instead of going into it, the coach decided to go for a punt, giving possession back to Denver and trusting his defense to make a stop. That was not going to work, and it did not.

When the Broncos converted the possession into a touchdown, they went three scores over. The game was lost, and the Cowboys’ defense had the likes of Michael Irvin wondering if it was even NFL worthy.

It did not help that Dallas was down four defenders entering the game: linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerback Trevon Diggs, and safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson. But Payton doesn’t see that as an excuse.

When being asked about the Broncos’ mindset entering the game against the crippled squad that is also the worst-ranked in the league, the coach just cut the reporter short. “We wanted to keep them last. We recognize the injuries. There’s a lot of injuries, on our team, throughout the league. That was unimportant to us,” he declared. Well, that is what they did.

Schottenheimer failed to mount a good defense. Cornerback Trikweze Bridges intercepted quarterback Bo Nix once, and that was all for the rest of the game. Nix completed 19 of 29 passes for 247 passing yards and scored 4 touchdowns, while the team dominated in the rushing game.

In just 28 carries for 179 rushing yards, they scored 2 TDs. Running back RJ Harvey scored both of them and brought in another in receiving. The Cowboys only recorded 108 rushing yards in 31 carries, with 2 TDs by RB Javonte Williams.

Dallas’ defense now sits 30th in the league, in points allowed per game, at 29.4– that’s a total of 2811 yards through Week 8. A PFSN’s Defense Impact metric also grades them D with a 61.8 score, good enough for the last spot. It’s evidently been a tough stretch for Schottenheimer, who says there are some changes to be made.

Payton, on the other hand, is running confidently.

Sean Payton reveals his demand from the players

The Broncos’ defense is one of the best in the league right now, so Sean Payton 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 team recorded 79 total tackles, two sacks, and 12 pass deflections. Linebacker Alex Singleton led the team with 11 tackles, while cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine added nine. Defensive end John Franklin-Myers and linebacker Jonah Elliss each registered a sack, maintaining steady pressure on the Cowboys’ quarterbacks.

Cornerbacks Riley Moss and Pat Surtain II were active in coverage, combining for several key pass deflections.

They also forced two interceptions. One by linebacker Dondrea Tillman, who returned it for 36 yards, and another by cornerback Jahdae Barron, 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 and did not score a touchdown. He was sacked twice for a total loss of 15 yards. Backup quarterback Joe Milton III came in for limited snaps, completing 3 of 4 passes for 58 yards and one touchdown. He was not sacked. Overall, the team faced consistent 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.