Early Thoughts on the Broncos-Cowboys Week Four Matchup

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos (3-0, First Place AFC West) are getting set to take on the Dallas Cowboys (2-1, Second Place NFC East) in what figures to be one of the top matchups in the fourth week of the NFL season.

Dallas is fresh off a dominant 21-7 victory over fellow NFC opponent Carolina, and the Broncos are still soaking in a 23-3 crushing of their bitter rival Oakland Raiders. 

The last time these two teams met was four years ago on a Thanksgiving night game on NFL Network, when Ron Dayne propelled the Broncos to one of their 13 victories with a big run in overtime to set up a Jason Elam field goal.

This early season contest features two of the NFL's top rushing offenses, one of which could be without its centerpiece. Marion Barber, the Cowboys' power back and Pro Bowl performer could be out when Dallas travels to Invesco Field at Mile High next Sunday afternoon, but do not expect the Cowboys to veer away from their running game.

Dallas is currently ranked first in the NFL in rushing, averaging an astounding 193.7 yards per game thanks to its trio of Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. But the offensive power does not end at the running game. Quarterback Tony Romo has led this offense to roughly 430 yards per contest, averaging nearly 29 points in their first three games.

What Dallas does not have so far is a great pass rush, which seems odd considering they boast the league's returning leader in sacks, DeMarcus Ware. In fact, until last night, the Cowboys did not have a sack or a turnover defensively.

The Broncos hope to bring out those apparent flaws in Dallas' defense with their top-tier offensive line, led by All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady, who has yet to surrender a sack in his young NFL career. His tremendous play could force Ware to other positions on the field in order to have any kind of impact.

While the Broncos do not appear to be a pass-heavy offense, quarterback Kyle Orton has been nothing but efficient and mistake-free for his first three games as a Denver Bronco, throwing three touchdown passes and no interceptions so far. Orton has been labeled a "game manager" throughout his career, and my question is "When did that become a bad thing?"

Orton and the Broncos are off to a hot 3-0 start, one that has been aided by the play of Denver's new-look defense. Although it is early, the Bronco defense is on pace to be the best this franchise has ever seen, allowing only 16 points through their first three games, best in the NFL so far. They also have held opponents to an average of 214.7 yards per game, which also ranks first in the league.

The dominance of the Denver defense combined with the league's fourth-ranked rushing attack has really paved the way for the Broncos, who are considered by many to be a surprise and quite frankly are not getting the national decorum they deserve.

Denver is ranked 13th in ESPN's newest edition of "Power Rankings," but even lead AFC West blogger Bill Williamson, who has been fairly skeptical if not critical of Denver throughout this offseason, agrees that the Broncos are a top 10 team.

Personally, I hope the Broncos stay under the radar. Teams can keep underestimating them and, not coincidentally, they will continue losing to them. 

I read an interesting line on Mike Florio's blog at Pro Football Talk, where he said this: 

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