The Cowboys were going into one of the hardest places to play in the NFL. They traveled to Mile High to face off against the Denver Broncos. Playing at such a high altitude is always a problem for NFL teams, but it seemed like it got the best of this Cowboys team. The Cowboys have been fully shut down on all phases of the game, and their two standout stars Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot were nonfactors in today's game. Broncos QB Trevor Siemian had himself a Big Day, torching Dallas' defensive backs. The Broncos blew out the Cowboys 42-17.
Siemian the shredder
The Broncos QB situation has been cloudy ever since Peyton Manning left the scene. Trevor Siemian has yet to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback, but Sunday he took a huge step in the right direction. He had a field day at the expense of the Cowboys secondary. Siemian threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, two of those going to speedster Emmanuel Sanders. Siemian started off the game strong and didn't look back, as he made a statement in this game against a Dallas defense who only gave up three points in week one. Siemian's four-touchdown performance was the first time since 2013 that the Cowboys have given up four passing touchdowns. The Broncos offense was high-flying this game, but their defense was even better.
Sophomore sucker-punch
Dallas was looking like the same offense they had last year after week one, running the ball well with Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott making the right decisions. On Sunday, they looked like a fresh set of rookies thrown into the fire. The Broncos defense followed the game plan by taking away Elliot and forcing Dak to beat them single-handedly.
The plan worked as Zeke was completely taken away from the game, only allowing him to rush for eight yards. When the Cowboys fell behind, Dak struggled to bring them back, throwing two interceptions and having a QBR of 35.1. The pair of star sophomores struggles against the great Broncos defense and couldn't recover. Von Miller made himself acquainted with Prescott, as he racked up two sacks.
The Cowboys were beaten in all aspects of the game Sunday, and they will definitely need to regroup. This is the first time Dak Prescott seemed flustered by an opposing defense, making key mistakes and not feeling comfortable in the offseason. The Broncos came ready to play on both sides of the ball, knocking Dallas back to reality. Trevor Siemian looks like he is ready to take the helm and lead this Broncos team through the AFC West.