Locked On Cowboys: Cowboys "Orange Crushed" by Broncos in Mile High Meltdown

Cowboy Squad Show – October 27, 2025

Hosts: Jeff Biggs (Cowboy Squad Show Host), Glenn “Stretch” Smith (Former Cowboys Coach)
Special Notes: Regular co-host Aisha Morrison was out sick (Happy Birthday shoutout from the team).

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a blunt, in-depth breakdown of the Dallas Cowboys’ brutal 44–24 defeat to the Denver Broncos in Denver. Jeff Biggs and former coach Glenn Stretch Smith analyze where things went wrong on both sides of the ball, discuss the ongoing crisis in the Cowboys’ secondary, question Dak Prescott’s and the offense’s struggles, and look ahead with a sobering take on the state of the season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Reactions and Game Summation

• Theme: One step forward, two steps back for the Cowboys.
• Jeff Biggs: “Looked like very early on there was a little opening there and a couple of mistakes, penalties, and then the floodgates were opened and it was a literal stampede today by the Broncos who ran all over the Cowboys.” [02:00]
• Glenn Smith: “You saw a team that was in a secondary that is completely depleted… Denver did whatever they wanted to do offensively, and when you couldn’t keep up with them offensively as a Cowboys fan, that’s when the game became out of control and you really had no chance.” [03:09]

2. Defensive Struggles & Secondary Crisis

• Glenn Smith:
  • Emphasized the lack of depth: “You’re dealing with depth at a position where they don’t have any…you would sound like an owl, you’d go ‘who?’” [03:09]
  • On replacements Bridges & Stewart: “Bridges and Stewart—if I told you those names at the beginning of the season, you’d have no idea.” [03:09]
  • “Denver did whatever they wanted to offensively. I don’t see any way right now that the Cowboys have any chance of matching up with any of those teams—Kansas City, Detroit, etc. You have to be realistic about where you’re at with this football team defensively, and they are not very good.” [06:25]
• Impact of Injuries: Debilitating absences (Diggs, Wilson, Thomas) were clearly felt, but the hosts refuse to let that excuse the collapse.

3. Offensive Disappointment

• Jeff Biggs:
  • “Aside from the bad defense, was the offense…they needed the offense to help them out…disappointed in the play-calling…the lack of adjustments…Dak obviously had his worst game of the season.” [07:00]
• Glenn Smith:
  • “Dak did not play well…You played a really good Denver defense. Vance Joseph should be considered to be a head coach…They sent a lot of different pressures.” [08:34]
  • “Your frontline guy scored 17 in a game that they needed to score 35 and they couldn’t get it done.” [10:19]
  • Critiques situational play-calling and missed red zone opportunities: “I didn’t like the play call when they had it in the red zone. Run the ball, hammer the football in.” [10:58]
  • “I think this is what we’ve got to look forward to…going to have to score 40 points to win.” [11:36]

4. Execution and Costly Penalties

• Critical Early Sequence:
  • Cowboys get an interception, can only manage a field goal.
  • Defensive stop nullified by James Houston’s neutral zone infraction; Broncos capitalize with back-to-back touchdowns, shifting all momentum.
  • “Lined up offside…when you’re on a defense absolutely struggling…cannot have mental breakdowns and mental mistakes. Inexcusable…That changed the entire complexion of the football game.” [20:49]
• Pre-Snap Penalties: Five throughout the game; labeled “inexcusable” as they handcuffed a team needing near-perfection to compete. [42:05]

5. Play Calling and Offensive Philosophy

• Jeff Biggs: Questions if offense needs to be more methodical, take what’s there instead of “the perfect long 1-in-10 throw.” [40:27]
• Glenn Smith:
  • “You have to take what the defense gives you…when you play really good defenses, they’ll take one or two aspects of your game away from you. You’ve got to be able to take what they give you.” [40:46]
  • Critiques failed attempts to adjust—to Denver’s aggressive run defense, Cowboys needed a stronger passing answer.

6. Broncos’ Game Plan & Dominance

• Broncos were aggressive from the start:
  • Received the kickoff—“they were not sweating facing this secondary.” [18:35]
  • First drive shows no respect/fear, attacking secondary; after initial hiccup, dominated.
  • “Denver did what they wanted to offensively the entire game other than those first two series.” [31:47]

7. Individual Player/Unit Assessments

• Secondary “Band-Aids” Failing:
  • “You had Stewart out of position…Bridges, trying to get accustomed…just unfair matching him up.” [21:18]
  • Elam “shouldn’t even be on the field…He’s just a guy. He really is depth, you know? … They ran the toss out there, and he’s back on his heels—instead of really filling it hard in that gap, the next thing you know, the guy’s out the gate.” [37:31]
• Jake Ferguson: Zero catches on National Tight Ends Day. [12:12]

8. Trayvon Diggs Situation

• Concussion turned IR, lingering issues.
  • “Really bizarre,” casts a “cloud,” but inside the locker room, “the guys have enough to worry about.”
  • Glenn Smith: “You need his leadership…He’s made himself a problem.” [34:41]

9. Coaching and What’s Next

• Is the season salvageable?
  • Smith: “You’re asking some guys to play that just are not very good players, and that’s hard to say.” [38:34]
  • On making trades: “So many pieces needed to become competitive…I don’t feel good even about saying, let’s go out and make a trade.” [21:18]
  • “Just one day at a time” for the coaching staff; focus on getting guys back healthy, but no magic solution. [38:34]

10. Positives, Young Players, and Looking Ahead

• Jaden Blue: Had some good runs, but costly fumble; “right now you need Blue to continue to grow and continue to be a player…can’t put the ball on the ground at this level.” [45:56]
• Joe Milton: Nice to get him in late, shows some depth/development.
• Defensive Line: Smith praises Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa for solid play up front. [48:41]
• Playoff Picture: “Still in contention for the wild card,” but Eagles are “starting to run away.” [47:02]
• Next Up: Arizona (Monday Night), Raiders, then a brutal stretch (Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, Chargers, Commanders, Giants).
  • “They’ve got to try to play with their backs against the wall here because that kind of has to be the mentality right now.” [47:49]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Defensive Depth:
  • Glenn Smith, [03:09] – “If I told you, Bridges and Stewart at the beginning of this football season...I mean, you would sound like an owl. You'd go, 'Who?'”
• On the Tone of the Game:
  • Glenn Smith, [20:51] – “Lined up offsides…when you're on a defense that is absolutely struggling and you know you're hamstrung, cannot have mental breakdowns and mental mistakes. It's inexcusable.”
• On the State of the Team:
  • Jeff Biggs, [25:31] – “After falling behind 14–3, they just shot themselves in the foot, both defensively and offensively...it just, he [Dak] never really looked right after that, the entire game, for the most part.”
• On Trayvon Diggs:
  • Glenn Smith, [34:41] – “He's a problem. He's made himself a problem. You know what I'm saying?”
• On Moving Forward:
  • Glenn Smith, [38:34] – “You're asking some guys to play that just not very good players, and that's hard to—it really is hard to say.”
• On the Reality Check:
  • Glenn Smith, [21:18] – “You kind of what your record says you are, and that's at the end of the day, that's really what you are.”
• On Making Adjustments:
  • Glenn Smith, [40:46] – “You have to take what the defense gives you…they were not going to let Williams run the football…you gotta throw the football and make them pay or they’ll just stay right where they’re at.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:00: Opening reaction, game summary
• 03:09–07:00: Defensive summary, secondary injuries, no easy fix
• 07:00–12:12: Offensive failures, Dak’s tough day, coaching and play-calling critiques
• 18:09–21:17: Walkthrough of opening sequence and key momentum shifts
• 25:31–27:56: Second quarter collapses, lack of offensive rhythm
• 31:47: Broncos’ dominance on third down, Cowboys’ draft misses
• 34:41: Trayvon Diggs discussion
• 38:34: Coaching realities, week-to-week survival
• 45:56: Jaden Blue assessment, running back depth
• 47:49: Looking ahead to remainder of season, necessary mentality
• 48:41: Defensive line positives and secondary must improve

Summary Conclusion

This episode provides a hard-hitting, realistic assessment of the Cowboys’ alarming loss in Denver, with both host and analyst refusing to sugarcoat the issues plaguing the defense and the disappointing performance from the offense. The depleted secondary was thoroughly exposed, mistakes and penalties killed any early momentum, and the offensive unit failed to rise to the occasion. With a tough schedule ahead and little help in sight, the hosts underscore that the Cowboys must find motivation fast to stay afloat in the playoff race – and that means playing almost flawless football every week.

Stay tuned for daily analysis on the Locked On Cowboys podcast and upcoming live Monday Night postgame coverage by the Cowboy Squad Show crew.