The Cowboys generally could not care less about preseason, while the Broncos have a different philosophy and a running back competition, ensuring a good effort.
Saturday’s preseason matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys features a stark contrast in philosophies.
Dallas has never cared much about these games, and the only reason they won their preseason opener is that they ran into one of the few teams that cares about preseason less than they do in the Indianapolis Colts. While many teams want to see improvement the second week, the Cowboys are just 4-10 ATS in Week 2 in their last 14 preseasons, and the fact that they are coming off of a win should diminish their desire for this game even more.
On the flip side, Denver Head Coach Mike Shanahan likes to set a positive tone in the preseason, and the running game looked to be in mid-season form in Monday night’s win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos rushed for 182 yards as a team in that game, as Mike Bell and Travis Henry both looked good as they compete for a starting job. Because of this running back competition, the Denver starting offensive line will most likely stay in this game longer, so as not to give one back an unfair advantage over the other.
We also look for improvement from the passing game, as Jay Cutler figure to see a lot more action than he did last week, giving the underdog Broncos even more value catching this many points in the preseason.
Free Pick: Broncos +4½