In the second week of the 2017 NFL season, we saw a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos hosted the Cowboys and defeated them 42-17 to start the season with a 2-0 record. Denver looked like the better team on Sunday, showing that their defense can handle even the best offenses in the league.
Team statistics
Denver's defense was dominant against Dallas, allowing Ezekiel Elliott to rush only for eight yards on nine carries. It was the worst game of Zeke's career and without his excellent running these Dallas Cowboys aren't the same team.
Dak Prescott also played very poorly, throwing for 238 yards while completing 30 of his 50 pass attempts. He threw for two TDs but he also had two interceptions. Jason Witten caught ten passes for 97 yards. For the Broncos, Trevor Siemian threw for 231 yards and four TDs while completing 22 of his 32 pass attempts. He was also sacked twice and intercepted once. CJ Anderson ran for 118 yards on 25 carries, while Demaryius Thomas caught six passes for 71 yards. Von Miller ended his five-game streak without a sack on Sunday, when he sacked Dak Prescott twice.
Game recap
From the beginning of Sunday's game, Denver was playing much better than the Cowboys. Broncos scored a TD on their first drive after a ten yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders from Trevor Siemian.
Dallas' offense couldn't get anything going, they were three and out on their first three drives. Denver missed a field goal and had a fumble before scoring their second TD to take a 14-4 lead. Emmanuel Sanders caught another TD pass from Siemian before the Cowboys made a field goal to end the half with a 21-10 lead for the Broncos.
Denver Broncos scored a touchdown on their first drive in the second half to take a 28-10 lead. In the next Cowboys' drive, Chris Harris Jr. intercepted Dak Prescott before CJ Anderson rushed for a 23-yard TD. In the next drive for the Broncos, Lewis intercepted Siemian before Witten caught a TD pass from Dak to make the score 35-17 for the Broncos.
The game ended with Aqib Talib's 103-yard interception return for a TD with 53 seconds left to play.
Cowboys and Broncos both go on the road in week 3
The Denver Broncos will go to Buffalo to face the Bills in week 3 of 2017 NFL season. Buffalo put up an awful performance in week 2 against the Panthers and currently have a 1-1 record. The Broncos are the huge favorites and anything other than an easy victory for them would be a surprise. Dallas Cowboys will face the Cardinals in week 3. Cardinals currently have a 1-1 record after defeating the Colts in week 2. Cardinals' play has declined in the last two seasons and Cowboys are the favorites to win in this week 3 matchup.
