In 2016 the Dallas Cowboys had a 13-3 record, won the NFC East and had the best record in the NFC. They lost to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, but it was still a great year for them. The reason for that is the fact that they drafted both Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott in 2016. Elliott was the fourth pick in the draft, while Dak was picked in the fourth round. They led the Cowboys to the playoffs and earned themselves a Pro Bowl selection. For the Denver Broncos, 2016 was a year of change. Peyton Manning retired and they had to make a change at the QB position.
In most of the games, their starter was Trevor Siemian, who played a good season but failed to lead the team to the playoffs. In the off-season, they made a change at the coaching position and are starting a new chapter.
The Cowboys defeat the Giants in the season opener
Dallas Cowboys defeated their NFC East rivals New York Giants in week 1 of the 2017 NFL season. They didn't play well and managed to score only one TD. Considering it was the first game of the season they still have time to improve and start playing like they did last year. Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott played well against the Giants, but not close to how well they played last year. It will be harder for them to play well this year because teams have a lot more video of them and had time in the offseason to analyze them.
Broncos hold off Chargers' comeback and win their first match of the season
Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in their first game of the season. They managed to block Younghoe Koo's field goal attempt with a second left to play and win the game 24-21. They started their new era under Vance Joseph with an exciting win against the division rivals.
Vance Joseph made a great move calling a timeout to ice the kicker on Chargers' first attempt, making the kicker nervous and giving his team another chance to make a play. Denver started the game strong, limiting Philip Rivers to only 115 yards and having a 24-7 lead after the third quarter, but allowed Rivers to almost lead his team to a comeback in the fourth quarter.
It wasn't a dominant performance by the Super Bowl 50 champs, but it will take time for the team to learn how to play under coach Joseph's system.
Great offense against a dominant defense
In the second Sunday Night Football match of the season, Dallas Cowboys will go on the road to face the Denver Broncos. It will be a match between Dallas' great offense and Denver's Super Bowl-winning defense. Dallas has the best offensive line in the NFL and the best rushing attack in the league. They dominate the time of possession, leaving their defense rested and not giving their opponent's offense time to get rolling. Denver's defense limited the Chargers in week 1 to only 64 rushing yards, so it will be interesting to see if the Broncos can limit Ezekiel Elliott and make Dak Prescott win the game by throwing the ball.This match will probably come down to the matchup between Dallas' defense and Denver's offense.
Dallas' defense played very well in Week 1, limiting the Giants to a single field goal. Denver's offense did enough against the Chargers in order to win the game, but on Sunday they will have to do a lot more. The Cowboys are the slight favorites to win this match, but Denver's defense will have something to say about that.
