Saturday night in Denver was the first chance for the Dallas Cowboys to prove they’ve changed as a team, for better or worse, since their playoff loss to the 49ers. While the final score showed another loss, the preseason opener was all but an extension of the joint practice the Cowboys held against the Broncos earlier in the week. The better reminder of how last season ended were 17 penalties called on the Cowboys, a supposed point of emphasis this offseason after being the most penalized team in the NFL in 2021.
Many of the penalties were committed by players still fighting for their roster spots, and the majority of this game was played by Cowboys that weren’t on the field for last year’s loss to the Broncos.