Dallas' injury-plagued defense got picked apart by Nix, and the Cowboys' offensive line got pummeled by Denver's pass rush

Going into their showdown with the Denver Broncos, the Cowboys were hoping some defensive adjustments would carry over from a Week 7 win over the Washington Commanders. That didn’t happen in Week 8. In fact, Dallas’ defense reverted to a few troubling trends in a 44-24 loss at Empower Field at Mile High.

Broncos beat writer Parker Gabriel digs in with seven observations from Denver’s blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys.

A trio of rookies came up big in the Denver Broncos' 44-24 rout of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory. Running back R.J. Harvey scored three times; wide receiver Pat Bryant caught his first NFL touchdown pass,

Dallas’ high-octane offense struggled to get anything going, while the defense couldn’t find ways to stop Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense. The Cowboys stumbled 44-24 at Empower Field at Mile High, falling to 3-4-1 on the season.

Dallas (3-3-1) faces AFC West-leading Denver (5-2) at Mile High today at 4:25 p.m. ET following the Broncos' dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against the Giants last week.

The Broncos are now 6-2 and they remain in first place in the AFC West. They have now beaten the Cowboys in eight consecutive meetings, and they are 3-0 in their throwback uniform since reintroducing the look to their rotation in 2024.

Dak Prescott struggled in the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8, landing him on an unflattering list.