Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys get shellacked by Denver Broncos in stunner

Updated Nov. 8, 2021 11:41 a.m. ET

Talk about an uninviting return to action.

Dak Prescott had his worst game of the season — and worst of recent memory — in his return from a calf injury for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos were responsible for the massive upset, knocking off the Cowboys 30-16 in Dallas behind a special performance from the defense and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

However, as much as the Broncos deserve a bunch of credit, Dallas' laying an egg is what generated the most buzz.

Make no mistake, it was a failure from the Cowboys across the board, but let's start with Prescott's day.

Idle since Week 6's 35-29 win in overtime against the New England Patriots — one week spent on a bye, the other spent nursing a calf injury — Prescott got next to nothing going against Denver's defense until the game was out of reach.

He finished 19-for-39 for 232 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a passer rating of 73.9. His 48.7% completion tied the second-worst mark of his career, set in Week 8 of 2016.

Greg Jennings: 'Cowboys were bad in all aspects, but don't read too much into the loss vs Broncos' I FIRST THINGS FIRST

Greg Jennings believes Dak Prescott's team was bad in all aspects of Sunday's game, but sees it as a blip in an otherwise strong season for the Cowboys.

Prescott's numbers become even more glaring if you remove the two consolation touchdown drives late in the game.

Prior to those, Prescott was 8-for-22 (36.4%) for 102 yards for Dallas, which had been shut out 30-0 following Denver's field goal with 6:36 remaining.

The Cowboys' QB didn't get much help from his star-studded stable of offensive weapons, either. Dallas' 290 total yards of offense in the loss marked the team's lowest yardage total this season by a wide margin, as it was their first time being held under 380 total yards.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was in and out over the course of the game with a knee contusion, managed just 51 yards on 10 carries. Meanwhile, the wideout tandem of Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb hauled in a combined four catches for 60 yards — but each had at least one drop in the game.

The opening drive from the Cowboys, which ended in a failed fourth-down conversion, summed up their flailing offense. In all, the Cowboys went 0-for-4 on fourth down and 5-for-13 on third down.

The defense didn't fare much better, allowing Denver to score on three straight drives (touchdown, touchdown, field goal) on the Broncos' second, third and fourth possessions of the game, giving them a 16-0 advantage.

Standout cornerback Trevon Diggs had a forgettable day, too, getting cooked by Broncos wideout Tim Patrick on several occasions and picking up penalties that extended Denver's drives.

Even when the Cowboys did make plays, things somehow wound up blowing up in their faces.

Dallas blocked a Denver punt in the third quarter, but a Cowboys player touched the ball beyond the line of scrimmage, and the Broncos recovered, giving them a fresh set of downs on the muff.

All in all, it was a forgettable day for the Cowboys, who fell to 6-2 on the season and saw their six-game winning streak snapped.

The good news? They still have a comfortable lead in the NFC East, regardless of the outcome of the Philadelphia Eagles' clash with the Los Angeles Chargers in the late window.

Here is how social media reacted to Dallas' downfall: