The Sunday slate during Week 8 of the NFL season is a little bit sleepy, but there is one marquee matchup in the afternoon in the Mile High City. The Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys will do battle in one of the most crucial matchups of the week, and everything is shaping up to be a barn-burner in Denver.
On one side of the ball, you get an inconsistent Broncos offense led by a struggling quarterback in Bo Nix against an exploitable Cowboys defense that has had some very leaky games against some questionable offenses this season. The Broncos have been running the ball better recently, so we'll see if they can keep that up against a Dallas defense that finally found some success against the Commanders in Week 7.
While that side of the ball is a bit of a pillow fight, this game turns into a heavyweight bout when the Cowboys get the ball. Dallas has one of the best offenses in the league so far this season after the addition of George Pickens, and it looked unstoppable in Week 7 after CeeDee Lamb returned to the lineup. On the other side, the Broncos backed up their elite defense last season with another top-flight unit this year.
This will be the matchup to watch on Sunday when the Cowboys have the football. Let's dive into who has the advantage.
Broncos should be able to stifle the running game
Prescott gets a lot of attention, but the emergence of Javonte Williams is one of the biggest reasons why the Cowboys offense has been so good this season. Of course, Williams is a former Bronco, so he will be motivated to have a big game in his return to Denver.
Incredibly, Williams ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards this season with 592, trailing only Jonathan Taylor. He looks more explosive than he has at any point since his knee injury early in his career, and that has added an element of home-run ability to this ground game.
Still, this is only a slightly-above average attack by EPA per play, and it is going to struggle to make consistent inroads against one of the best run defenses in football. The Broncos are deep up front and are very hard to run on, as this defense currently ranks fourth in EPA per rush allowed.
On top of that, the Cowboys are dealing with injuries on the offensive line after starting tackle Tyler Guyton showed up on Thursday's injury report as a limited participant in practice due to a glute injury.
Not only will that open up chances for Nik Bonitto and the rest of the Denver defensive line to get pressure on Prescott, but it should make it tougher for the Cowboys to run the ball if Guyton can't go. That could be a big problem, as it's very hard to move the ball on the Broncos if you can't move the ball on the ground on early downs.
Can Prescott's pocket management limit Broncos' pressure?
Prescott isn't quite as athletic as he was earlier in his career and he doesn't use his legs as much, but he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league between the ears. The veteran quarterback is constantly changing plays, tweaking protections and getting his team in a good position before the snap, but his job won't stop there against this elite Denver pass rush.
The Broncos have the best pressure rate in football this season, and it's not even close. Vance Joseph's defense is getting pressure on 47.2% of opposing dropbacks, nearly six percent better than the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are blitzing at the fourth-highest rate in the league, so Prescott will have a lot to manage throughout Sunday's contest.
Prescott is one of the best players in the NFL at avoiding sacks due to his pocket movement and ability to play on-schedule. He is currently taking a sack on just 8.8% of his pressured dropbacks this season, the second-best mark in the league behind only Daniel Jones. He is also being pressured at the 28th-highest rate in the league, so Dallas is doing a good job keeping him clean, while Prescott is able to prevent negative plays even when the pressure heats up.
Prescott will have to keep an eye on Nik Bonitto, who is making an early push for Defensive Player of the Year honors. He has eight sacks on the season and is recording a pressure on nearly a quarter of his pass rush snaps. As a team, the Broncos lead the NFL with 34 sacks, eight more than the Rams in second place.
If Prescott can avoid the negative plays and the sacks that the Broncos thrive off of, he will be able to find chances to make plays down the field.
Can the Broncos contain both of the Cowboys' star receivers?
The Broncos have arguably the best cornerback in football in Patrick Surtain II. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year can take just about any receiver out of a game on his best day, and he will have his hands full on Sunday with either CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens.
Lamb is the top target in Dallas, but his versatility makes it hard for top corners on the other side to shadow him around the field. Lamb spends a lot of time in the slot and Brian Schottenheimer is sending him in motion more often this season, so Surtain may be stuck on Pickens on the outside.
If Surtain can erase Pickens from the game, that would still be a big win for the Broncos. The former Steeler, who came to Dallas in a trade this offseason, ranks fourth in the NFL with 607 receiving yards on the season and is tied for second with six receiving touchdowns. He is a walking explosive play and has become a big part of this Cowboys offense in his first season with the team.
However, whichever wideout that Surtain isn't covering will have a massive advantage. Riley Moss has stepped it up in 2025 after a rocky 2024, but he would still likely be a bit overmatched against either Lamb or Pickens. If Lamb is in the slot, he should feast over the middle against the Denver linebackers, especially with Dre Greenlaw suspended.
With Greenlaw out, tight end Jake Ferguson could be a big factor over the middle of the field for this Cowboys offense coming off of a two-touchdown game against the Commanders. If Prescott is able to spread the ball around to all of his playmakers, this Cowboys offense can gain the upper hand.
Overview
There will be a lot thrown on Prescott's shoulders in this game if the Cowboys can't run the ball, which the numbers suggest they may not be able to. However, he has shown that he can handle that and still put up big numbers and a lot of points even when everything is on him, and he has the weapons to make things happen. It will be difficult against a raucous crowd in Denver, but I think Prescott gets just enough done to get the win on Sunday and get the Cowboys over .500.
