The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a dominant win over the Washington Commanders in Week 7 and arguably their best defensive performance of the season with four sacks and two turnovers, including a pick-six. For a team that has failed to win consecutive games up to this point, a strong road test at the Denver Broncos, who are 3-0 at home, will present more challenges than just on the field.
One element any team faces when it visits the Broncos is the high altitude in Denver. According to Cowboys writer Clarence Hill Jr., head coach Brian Schottenheimer wants his players to hydrate and said they will pay particular attention to a handful of players who have asthma and sickle cell anemia. The additional challenges teams face when they play in Denver are nothing new, but for a Dallas team that already allows the third-most points per game (29.4) and has struggled to consistently put wins together, that does not sound encouraging leading up to the game.
The Dallas Cowboys Have Another Challenge Ahead of Them
Unlike most AFC teams, including those within the AFC West, the Cowboys rarely play the Broncos, so the high altitude is something most of their team is not used to. In fact, this will be the first meeting between the two franchises since 2021 and the first time they have met in Denver since 2017, quarterback Dak Prescott's second NFL season.
Not only are the Broncos players familiar with the elements, they have the fourth-best defense (18.1 PPG) and only give up 93.3 rush yards per game, which is ninth. With the issues on defense, Dallas has played its best when it has a balanced attack on offense, but it was held to a season-low 31 rush yards in its most recent loss to the Carolina Panthers, so the stout Broncos defense should pose a lot of concerns, especially in conditions the Cowboys are not used to.
Judging by defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' recent comments, it sounds like owner/GM Jerry Jones could get in the way of the Cowboys making a key trade deadline acquisition in the coming weeks, so they may continue to have to rely on the offense to keep them in games.
Prescott has played at an MVP level with 16 TDs and the combination of wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb are arguably one of the best WR duos in the league when both are healthy, but the lack of help from the defense has put them in a vulnerable position seven weeks into the season and could be an issue once again on Sunday if the altitude becomes a problem and Dallas' depth gets tested.
To make matters worse, Denver averages a league-high 4.9 sacks per game, which should all add up to a difficult road test for Dallas. The high altitude and health concerns are already a disadvantage for the Cowboys, but combine those with a struggling defense and an offense pitted against one of the best defenses in the league, and it could be a tall task for the Cowboys on Sunday as they make their second trip to the "Mile-High City" in the last decade in search of their first win over the Broncos since 1995.