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Oct 19, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb (88) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

5 Matchups Broncos' Defense Must Win to Beat Cowboys

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Erick Trickel | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 2:04 PM ET

The Denver Broncos' defense has one of its toughest matchups of the season with the Dallas Cowboys in town. The Cowboys have been among the most consistent offenses in both the run and the pass.

That's part of what makes Dallas' offense so formidable for the Broncos.

What's more, the Cowboys have the best combination of weapons on offense and quarterback play to test the Broncos. After some communication errors and other mistakes against the New York Giants, the Broncos' defense has to be far more consistent, clean, and mistake-free to not open the door for the Cowboys.

The Broncos have a handful of matchups that they have to win vs. the Cowboys.

WRs George Pickens/CeeDee Lamb vs. CBs Riley Moss/Patrick Surtain II

The Broncos' cornerback duo has done well against some tough receivers, but they haven’t had to deal with a high-level quarterback throwing to those great receivers. This is such a pivotal matchup, as both corners have had some bad moments, with some of them not being targeted because of the quarterback play.

With how they have been playing this year, the Cowboys have two No. 1 receivers on the field with Pickens and Lamb, and they can be so hard to cover. They win in different ways, and the type of coverage doesn’t pose a problem for them, as they can do well against man or zone.

If the Broncos' defense wants to have a good day, its corners need to be ready for the game. The Cowboys can do well by getting the ball out quickly to negate the pass rush, or, if the offensive line holds up, they have a mix of intermediate and deep passing concepts that are dangerous.

OLB Nik Bonitto vs. LT Tyler Guyton

For the Broncos' defense to hold up, they need their pass rushers up front to disrupt the passing game. The cleanest path for them to do that is with Bonitto against Guyton. With a quiet game against the Giants, Bonitto will likely be pressing to have a great game against the Cowboys.

Guyton has done well as a run defender, but his pass protection has been hit-or-miss, with many misses. In six games this season, he has allowed 21 pressures, with 20 of them in five games. The lone game with a single pressure was against the Carolina Panthers, who have been the worst team in the NFL at getting after the quarterback.

When watching Guyton, even going back to college, he struggles with speed and explosion around the arch, and that is where Bonitto wins. What’s more is that speed and explosion tend to lead to holding penalties against Guyton.

Denver needs to make sure it is putting the pressure on Guyton, which can force errors. And, he's dealing with an injury.

LBs Alex Singleton/Justin Strnad vs. RB Javonte Williams

The Broncos are familiar with Williams, but his play as a runner is the best it's been since his injury. He is bringing the physicality as a runner, and that level of play has given the Broncos' linebackers issues throughout the season.

Even more than that, there are one or two times a game when Singleton blows his coverage, leading to a big play for a running back catching out of the backfield. That is where Williams earned and kept his starting job for the Broncos last year, and he is still a threat that Denver has to be cautious of.

Denver will need both linebackers on point because of how dangerous the Cowboys have been running the ball and the threat Williams poses as an outlet out of the backfield. With Dre Greenlaw’s suspension, Strnad and Singleton don’t have that player who can rotate in with them for added help.

S Talanoa Hufanga vs. TE Jake Ferguson

With the corners having to answer Pickens and Lamb, the Cowboys also have a threat at tight end with Ferguson. Denver brought in Hufanga to help out with covering tight ends, and this is the first game where they really need him to handle that role.

On the season, Ferguson has 51 catches on 58 targets for 334 yards and six touchdowns. He is a significant part of the Cowboys' offense and a reliable chain mover, with 16 first downs in addition to the six touchdowns.

Denver can't allow Ferguson to be a difference-maker for the Cowboys offense, even with the other weapons they have to worry about.

QB Dak Prescott vs. DC Vance Joseph

Prescott has been playing elite-level football this year and has been outstanding in every aspect he needs to be. This puts pressure on Joseph to figure out some way to pressure Prescott, make him think more, which can lead to holding onto the ball, and hope that could lead to some takeaways for his defense.

Given how the Cowboys' offense has played, it's unreasonable to expect the Broncos' defense to shut them down completely. They’ll move the ball and put points on the board, but how much can Joseph limit it with his play-calling and player usage?

Can Joseph dial up some plays that lead to takeaways and give the Broncos' offense more opportunities?

Joseph has to figure something out because this is the toughest matchup the Broncos have faced so far this season, and it could end up being the toughest. The Cowboys have been doing exceptionally well across all phases of their offense, with few weaknesses to exploit.

This article first appeared on Denver Broncos on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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