The Dallas Cowboys entered Week 8 confident against the Denver Broncos, but things fell apart fast. Their defense broke down at key moments, and the Cowboys suffered a humbling 44-24 loss. It was a frustrating defeat, one that clearly weighed on head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

“I didn’t sleep a wink last night,” he said during the press conference. “I tossed and turned all night. I played the game over in my mind a thousand times, things I could’ve done different, things I could’ve done better.”

“I know a lot of our players did that as well.” And he is right. Quarterback Dak Prescott also opened up about the “surprise” and “frustration” that he felt after the Cowboys failed again to put up two back-to-back wins.

“We want to put a streak together and talk about identity, trying to find identity,” Prescott said. “It’s hard to even give you an identity until we put a couple of games together in a row.”

He went on to add how the team has “many good” players and coaches, and they must not lose like that. “We’ve just got to look in the mirror,” Prescott said.

The QB ended the game with 19 of 31 for 188 yards and two interceptions. With 7 minutes remaining in the game, he was replaced by quarterback Joe Milton, who didn’t make much impact. The Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, was visibly upset.

“We had high hopes, because we thought we could come in here and have a big win for us,” Jones said. “That didn’t happen. They had everything to do with it. Got to get better.”

That was a discouraging loss to the team, which came with high expectations after their win over the Washington Commanders. But their defense had other plans. So, has the loss convinced Jones to make a decision to trade a player before the deadline on November 4?

After all, the owner had made it clear that if any trade were to happen, it would be in defense.

While he seemed reluctant to open up about his decision, he assured that today’s loss won’t have an impact on the franchise’s decision to trade.

“And if you’re talking about trading for a player or trading a player, I would completely look at it on the merits of the team, both for next week or the weeks after or for the longer term,” Jones shared. “Today would not affect a decision on trading for a player.”

However, the Cowboys’ defense’s struggles have been too obvious. They allowed 40 points to the Broncos. What came as another surprise was Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s comment on the unit.

Sean Payton took a shot at the Cowboys’ defense

Jones had reportedly approached the Broncos’ coach multiple times for the job. Payton even came close to signing a deal with the Cowboys. However, fate led him to the Broncos, and the team’s defense soon became elite.

So, it wasn’t surprising to see Payton share his take on the Cowboys 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,” he said. The Cowboys’ defense ranks lowest in yards and the league.

The Broncos dominated the rushing game and excelled in nearly every aspect of their defense. At one point, cornerback Trikweze Bridges intercepted quarterback Bo Nix. Despite that, Broncos QB Nix finished the game completing 19 of 29 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns. However, beyond that single highlight, the defense failed to make a significant impact.

Coach Schottenheimer has also addressed the team’s issues.

But now, they must bury the disappointment and get started to prepare to be “consistent” and face the Arizona Cardinals at the AT&T Stadium in Week 9.