Broncos vs Cowboys Week 9: History, players to watch, gut prediction

Denver Broncos vs Dallas Cowboys “Under the Radar” Players

Dallas Cowboys: Nahshon Wright and Kelvin Joseph, CBs

Denver Broncos: Cortland Sutton, WR

I mean, we’re going to talk about my predictions at some point, right?! In Week 8 I predicted Amari Cooper to go for 8-134-1 TD and he put up 8-122-1 TD. Week 5 I said Kadarius Toney was a speedster to look out for and predicted the wrong side. Week 3 I called for a Dalton Schultz touchdown and he gave us two scores. Not to mention we haven’t lost on a prediction yet. Let’s stay hot!

Step on up, rooks!

Kelvin Joseph was active for the first time in his career last week, largely as a special teams contributor, while Nahshon Wright saw a handful of defensive snaps. I have an inkling those duties change a bit this Sunday with fellow cornerback, Trevon Diggs, nursing an ankle sprain suffered against the Vikings.

The Broncos passing game is not one to strike fear into the hearts of many. Teddy Bridgewater is 17th in yards, 23rd in yards per completion, and tied for third in sacks taken. The aerial attack of the Broncos is simply not a threat. They play to not turn the ball over as opposed to taking shots.

Sitting, or limiting the rep count, of Diggs opens the door for the tandem of rookies to slide in and show what they’ve got. I think the Cowboys carefully monitor Diggs’ ankle situation and look to utilize their second and third-round draft picks. Wright and Joseph each measure in over 6’0 which could come into play against this Broncos team with their three top wideouts all 6’1 or above.

Anthony Brown stepped up last week and I will even say he has been slightly underrated and unfairly criticized this year. He has really stepped up and is still trending upward. Due to that, I think the Broncos look to target Wright or Joseph if Diggs isn’t in the game. They each should take a page from Diggs and sit on the short game. It may not be an interception, but I think we see one of them get their hands on a pass breakup to get their feet wet and provide this defense with even more depth.

The Broncos have receiver Jerry Jeudy back in the lineup after spending some time on the IR. Being a first-round pick and some serious speed, he is the Broncos’ big-play threat. Tight end Noah Fant has found himself on the COVID-19 list after testing positive and will need to provide two negative tests in a row by kickoff to be in the lineup.

With Fant out and Jeudy likely seeing safety help over the top, I turn my focus to Cortland Sutton. Albeit the Broncos leading receiver, his name is rather quiet in the national media. Sutton has the 13th most yards in the league and 22nd most receptions. He is a very dependable receiver. Great? Maybe not. Capable of hurting you? Absolutely.

Sutton is also 6’4, 216, which puts him well into the category of a “big-bodied receiver” and gives him about a size advantage over the Cowboys’ top three corners. He can be the red zone threat the Broncos rely on.

In a game I see the Cowboys jumping out to an early lead, Sutton should get a considerable number of targets on Sunday if the Cowboys can lock down Jerry Jeudy, which I think they do. Sutton is the leading Broncos leading receiver for a reason. Take him away one-on-one and Bridgewater becomes a sitting duck.