Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos Beat Cowboys in 1st Game Since Von Miller Trade

The Denver Broncos might have been sellers at the trade deadline, but the remaining players have clearly not given up on the season.

Teddy Bridgewater led the Broncos to a 30-16 Week 9 upset over the Dallas Cowboys. The quarterback had both a passing and rushing touchdown Sunday on the road at AT&T Stadium, while Denver totaled 190 rushing yards in the win.

Dak Prescott completed just 48.7 percent of his passes in his return from a calf injury that kept him out of Week 8. The offense also went 0-of-4 on fourth downs as it couldn't get much going in the loss.

Denver took advantage with a 16-0 lead at halftime, continuing the production with an onslaught in the second half to go up 30-0. Prescott threw two touchdown passes in the final five minutes to make the score respectable, but it was overall a dominant showing from the Broncos.

The surprising performance came less than a week after Denver traded veteran linebacker Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos (5-4) showed they still have plenty to offer as they remain in contention in the AFC.

It was the first loss for the Cowboys (6-2) since Week 1 after a stretch of six straight wins.

---

Notable Performances

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, DEN: 19-28, 249 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD

Javonte Williams, RB, DEN: 17 carries, 111 rushing yards

Melvin Gordon III, RB, DEN: 21 carries, 80 rushing yards, 1 TD

Dak Prescott, QB, DAL: 19-39, 232 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 1 INT

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL: 10 carries, 51 rushing yards

Malik Turner, WR, DAL: 5 catches, 33 receiving yards, 2 TDs

---

Javonte Williams Breaks Out for Dominant Broncos

It was an impressive performance for Bridgewater, who spread the ball around to seven different receivers and made great decisions all game.

It was still the rushing attack that fueled the offense with Javonte Williams especially turning heads on the way to his first-career 100-yard game:

Not to be outdone, Melvin Gordon III also ran hard throughout the game:

Fans have wanted more touches for Williams, but this game showed both can be effective in the same game to help the offense.

---

Dak Prescott, Cowboys Offense Struggles in Losing Effort

After missing one game, Prescott returned to the field in Week 9. You might not have noticed from the way the offense ran with him Sunday.

The unit was completely out of sorts in the first half:

The Cowboys got the ball into Broncos territory in each of the first two drives, but they were stopped on fourth down each time.

The rest of the first half featured short possessions and a lot of punting on the way to a 16-0 deficit.

Things didn't improve much in the second half, as even a big Cowboys special teams play didn't end up going the team's way:

The offense also continued to struggle on important plays:

The team finished 5-of-13 on third downs and failed on all four fourth-down attempts as the Cowboys simply couldn't sustain drives offensively.

Dallas finished with just 18 minutes and 48 seconds of possession in the 60-minute game.

An interception effectively sealed the loss for the Cowboys:

Prescott found a little bit of success after already trailing 30-0, padding his stats with two touchdowns to Malik Turner in garbage time. It was still a miserable effort for a team that entered the day ranked third in the NFL in points per game and first in yards per game.   

---

What's Next?

The Broncos will play their third straight game against an NFC East opponent with a home game in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys will host the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.