For nearly three decades, the Dallas Cowboys have been haunted by a matchup that defies logic. They’ve beaten Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes, but not the Denver Broncos.
The last time Dallas celebrated a victory over Denver, Emmitt Smith was rushing through defenders, Blockbuster stores were everywhere, and the internet was still dial-up. That win came on September 10, 1995. Since then, the Cowboys have lost seven straight to the Broncos.
Now, heading into Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys have a chance to finally end one of football’s strangest losing streaks.
The irony of it all isn’t lost on fans. The Cowboys have remained one of the league’s most profitable and talked-about franchises since that 1995 season, a year when they also won their most recent Super Bowl, yet the Broncos have owned them ever since.
Denver’s seven-game win streak over Dallas includes everything from gritty defensive duels to shootouts like their 51-48 thriller in 2013, when Peyton Manning shocked everyone by running in a naked bootleg touchdown.
Prescott, who was only two years old the last time the Cowboys beat Denver, insists this version of the team has the mentality to change that narrative.
“We can play, we’re going to be tough,” Prescott said this week. “You better be ready to come in and fight on all phases, we’re going to give you everything that we’ve got.
“Resilient group. More importantly, a group that trusts each other, that has each other’s back, and we’re going to do whatever it takes.”
A 30-year drought that tells two very different stories
While the Cowboys have endured postseason heartbreaks and coaching changes, the Broncos‘ dominance over Dallas has been a strange subplot in both franchises’ histories.
Since 1995, Denver has gone on to win three Super Bowls, including back-to-back titles in the late 1990s and another under Peyton Manning in 2015. The Cowboys, on the other hand, haven’t even reached an NFC Championship Game since their 1995 triumph.
But it’s not as if the two teams see each other often, their meetings have come roughly every four years, making the seven-game losing streak stretch across three decades. Still, it’s a mark of frustration for a franchise desperate to prove its championship credentials again.
The Broncos come into the game riding an eight-game home winning streak, currently the longest in the NFL. They’ve also built a reputation this season for late-game comebacks, winning twice after trailing by 14 points or more in the fourth quarter.
According to NBC Sports, the rest of the league is a combined 2-49 in such situations. That means if the Cowboys get a lead, they can’t afford to relax, something Prescott remembers all too well from their last trip to Denver.
“That was one of the uglier games of my career for sure,” Prescott admitted when asked about the 2017 matchup. “I remember the lightning delay, Von Miller, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris – they had some guys. Definitely remember that one.”
Prescott’s evolution and Dallas’ growing confidence
The 2025 season has seen Prescott play some of his best football in years. His leadership has been central to the Cowboys‘ turnaround after a sluggish start, with Dallas now sitting at 3-3-1 and coming off a dominant 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders.
“Year 2 was tough, and that’s probably why it was a down year for me,” Prescott reflected. “I’m a guy that wants to push, wants to get better, wants to be coached hard.
“I didn’t have a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2, which is also on myself… every part of my game has evolved and changed and gotten better since then.”
The Cowboys will need every bit of that growth to overcome Denver’s defense and the thin Colorado air. Their offense has found balance, with Tony Pollard rediscovering form on the ground and CeeDee Lamb continuing to build chemistry with Prescott.
But the defense remains the question mark, ranking in the bottom half of the league for sacks and pass rush win rate since trading Micah Parsons earlier this season.
That inconsistency has made Prescott‘s leadership even more vital. His poise under pressure and ability to keep his offense focused could be the difference between another painful defeat and a long-awaited breakthrough.
For head coach Mike McCarthy, Sunday’s game isn’t just about revenge, it’s about proving the Cowboys can win gritty road contests against playoff-caliber opposition.
“This team’s not backing down,” McCarthy said earlier this week. “We’ve been through tough stretches, but that’s what makes you stronger. We’re focused on finishing.”
It’s been 30 years since Dallas last beat Denver, and the football world has changed beyond recognition since then – from VHS tapes to streaming, from Troy Aikman to Dak Prescott. But one thing remains the same: the Cowboys‘ desire to prove they belong among the NFL elite.
And if Prescott and his teammates can finally end this three-decade curse in Denver, it might just be the win that announces Dallas as true contenders once again.
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