The Denver Broncos will have their toughest test of the year on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, who are one of the NFL’s top offenses despite their record. How are the Broncos approaching this week’s game?

Coming off of an incredible comeback against the Giants, the Broncos (5-2) are hoping to take a 3-0 advantage against the NFC East with a win against the Cowboys (3-3-1) on Sunday.

It will feature the Broncos’ biggest strength (defense) against the Cowboys’ biggest strength (offense) in a matchup that will be important for Denver to start fast.

Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level this season, and the Cowboys’ offense is reminiscent of last year’s Cincinnati Bengals team that could put up points and yards with ease, but their defense has been drastically bad.

#DALvsDEN by the numbers

Key Players for Dallas: QB Dak Prescott, RB Javonte Williams, WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and TE Jake Ferguson.

Broncos defense:

  • Yards Per Game Allowed: 273.1 (3rd)
  • Yards Per Play Allowed: 4.49 (2nd)
  • Points Per Game Allowed: 18.1 (4th)
  • Sacks: 34 (1st)
  • 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 29.2% (1st)
  • Red Zone Conversion Rate: 37.5% (1st)

Cowboys offense:

  • Yards Per Game: 390.6 (1st)
  • Yards Per Play: 6.12 (2nd)
  • Points Per Game: 31.7 (2nd)
  • Sacks Allowed: 8 (T-2nd)
  • 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 44.1% (7th)
  • Red Zone Conversion Rate: 66.7% (T-9th)

Key Matchup to Watch For: CBs Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss vs. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

On Wednesday, Surtain and Moss talked about Denver’s excitement for the challenge they’ll face on Sunday.

“They’re pretty efficient,” Surtain said “They nearly lead the league in all the passing numbers, all the passing charts. So they have a balanced game, too. They’re very good in the run as well. So it’s going to be a pretty good challenge. We know what they bring to the table. We just have to gameplan the right way.”

“It’ll be a great challenge,” Moss said. “It’s good for us to go against the best and be able to prove that we’re the best. That’s our goal every week is to go out there and prove ourselves and it will be a great test.”

Moss has seen a large volume of targets this season, which is understandable considering that he’s playing opposite Surtain every week. Broncos head coach Sean Payton highlighted how good he’s been for Denver’s defense.

“[He’s] playing outstanding,” Payton said. “All the numbers suggest it. Certainly, he’s getting a lot of the targets, but yes. He’s on to the next play and he made a great play the other day. He made a great play on the ball.”

Those numbers don’t lie. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he’s allowed 20 catches on 45 targets (44%) and 286 total yards allowed on 264 coverage snaps.

When he and Surtain face off against Lamb and Pickens, it will be one of Denver’s toughest tests yet. Despite missing a stretch of games due to injury, Lamb and Pickens are Prescott’s top two receivers, with Lamb having 332 receiving yards, Pickens leading the team with 607, and tight end Jake Ferguson being the second leading receiver with 334 yards.

Broncos pass rush will have to find a way to cool down Dak Prescott

Prescott is playing at an MVP level this season despite the Cowboys’ 3-3-1 record. He’s completing 71% of his passes for 1881 yards and 16 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. He’s staying alive in the pocket and has been able to find Pickens, Ferguson, and, when healthy, Lamb.

He has only been sacked eight times this year, which ties him and Bo Nix as the 2nd least sacked QBs in the NFL this season.

Denver’s defense obviously leads the league in sacks this year with 34, and Dallas will gameplan to try and take away Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper from wrecking the game.

“He knows that system like the back of his hand,” Cooper said of Dak. “He’s playing really good football. He looks sure of himself every single time, he’s dialing up the ball to players exactly where they want the ball to be. He’s playing really good football, and we have to take that into consideration.”

“Obviously, up front we’ve got to make it real difficult for him,” Bonitto said. “He’s a guy who can make a lot of things happen in the pocket. He has great receivers to throw it to. We’ve got to make life easy for the DBs this week.”

It will be Denver’s best against the Cowboys’ best in what should be a fun matchup on Sunday, with the Broncos wearing their throwback uniforms.