Instant, lightning-quick analysis from Cowboys 17-7 preseason loss to Broncos

The flags flew and the offense struggled, but if everyone was on the sideline how much did it matter? Here are 10 takeaways from the loss. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Dak Prescott. Micah Parsons. Zack Martin. CeeDee Lamb. Trevon Diggs. DeMarcus Lawrence. Ezekiel Elliott. Tony Pollard. Anthony Brown. Jourdan Lewis. Dalton Schultz. Jayron Kearse. Malik Hooker. Leighton Vander Esch. Dorance Armstrong. All of these players sat. Barely that happened in the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Saturday night could be considered an indicator for how the regular season will look.

Thank goodness for that, because it was all bad for the club in a stinker of a performance. The Cowboys picked up where they left off in 2021, committing a mountain of penalties that stymied offensive drives and continued opposing ones. The Broncos, playing the same number of backups as Dallas, were able to capitalize on those opportunities and held on to a 17-0 halftime lead to send the Cowboys back to the Pacific Coast 17-7 losers in their opener.

Here’s 10 notes from the game.