Dallas Cowboys (2-1) at Denver Broncos (3-0)
Is there a more overrated 3-0 team in the NFL this season than the Denver Broncos? Denver got an incredibly lucky bounce to beat Cincinnati and then has had the fortune of playing two lousy teams in Cleveland and Oakland.
We should find out if Denver is for real on Sunday when the Cowboys visit – Dallas is a 3-point betting favorite on WagerWeb.com.
Let’s get to the key injury for this game first: Cowboys starting running back Marion Barber is expected to play. Barber was held out Monday against Carolina with a left quadriceps injury, but participated fully in Thursday’s practice, and coach Wade Phillips said he doesn’t expect Barber’s playing time to be limited Sunday.
Backup running back Felix Jones, who didn’t practice again Thursday, will miss the game after suffering a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Carolina. Thus Tashard Choice will get some carries as Barber’s backup. The Cowboys have rushed for 200 yards two games in row for first time since 1979.
Meanwhile, Denver’s Josh McDaniels is trying to become the first rookie coach to open 4-0 since Jim Mora Jr. with Atlanta in 2006. The Broncos, who haven’t started 4-0 since 2003, shockingly have the NFL’s top-rated defense – but, again, consider the competition: They have faced the league’s worst two offenses the past two weeks and played against Cincinnati’s 24th-ranked unit in Week 1. The Broncos have allowed a league-low 16 points in 2009 — their fewest through the first three games of any season in franchise history. Dallas’ offense, meanwhile, is ranked No. 3 overall.
Speaking of offense, the Broncos have morphed into a running team. The Correll Buckhalter-Knowshon Moreno tandem has given Denver the NFL’s fourth-best rushing attack. Buckhalter has rushed 31 times for 230 yards and Moreno 46 times for 184 yards. Thus the Broncos excel at time of possession, holding the ball nearly 32 minutes per game. QB Kyle Orton averages 29 passes per game, while the league average is almost 34 passes per game. Orton has thrown 128 consecutive passes without an interception.
The Broncos have won the past three meetings and the overall series is tied at five, including the playoffs. But these teams haven’t met since 2005.
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