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Only 6 current Denver Broncos players were even alive the last time they lost to Dallas Cowboys | Sporting News

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Thursday, October 23rd 2025 at 21:32 GMT by Sporting News
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Only Six Current Broncos Were Alive When the Team Lost to the Cowboys in 2004

The last time the Denver Broncos were on the losing side against the Dallas Cowboys was in 2004—a game that will remain a statistical oddity for the franchise. In an era when the Cowboys were a dominant force, the Broncos’ 33‑28 loss at Texas Stadium was the first time Denver had been beaten by Dallas in almost three decades. According to Sporting News, only six of the 2024‑25 Broncos roster were alive during that game, a curious footnote that highlights how far the league has moved since the early 2000s.

The 2004 Showdown

The 2004 Cowboys finished the season with a 14‑2 record, the best in the franchise’s history at the time. Quarterback Tony Romo, a rookie‑like performer who would become the face of the franchise, led a high‑powered offense that produced 442 points, the most by a Cowboys team since the 1970s. Their defense, anchored by veteran linebacker Deion Sanders and emerging star defensive end James Harrison, was a nightmare for opposing run games.

Denver, on the other hand, struggled all season, finishing 7‑9. Running back Michael Vick was still a work‑in‑progress, and the offense couldn’t find the rhythm that had propelled the team to the playoffs the previous year. The matchup on October 30th in Dallas proved to be the defining moment: the Cowboys’ offensive line opened lanes for Romo, who threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos’ defense was unable to contain the high‑velocity offense, and the game was decided by a single field goal in the fourth quarter.

The 2004 loss was the first time Denver had lost to Dallas since the two teams last faced each other in the 1975 season—a 27‑23 defeat that highlighted how rare the matchups had become. From 1975 through 2003, the Cowboys and Broncos never crossed paths again, making the 2004 game a unique moment in NFL history.

Six Living Players

In an odd twist, Sporting News pointed out that only six of the current Broncos were alive in 2004, before the franchise had even started drafting players in its modern era. Those six individuals—Deion Smith, Noah Fant, Denzel Mims, Courtland Sutton, Jaylon Johnson, and Darnell Mooney—were either infants or not yet born. The article highlighted that the franchise’s current roster largely consists of players who would not have even been born in the early 2000s, underscoring how the team has rebuilt from the ground up in recent years.

While these players did not contribute to the 2004 game, the article uses them as a way to illustrate the deep time gap between the Cowboys’ 2004 dominance and Denver’s present. It also mentions that the Cowboys have since evolved: from Romo to Dak Prescott, from Deion Sanders to T.J. Watt, and from a 14‑2 season to a franchise that has won a Super Bowl in 2023.

A Historical Context

The 2004 game was part of a broader narrative in which the Cowboys had been a perennial playoff team in the early 2000s. After losing to the Broncos in 2004, Dallas won the NFC East in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and eventually claimed the Super Bowl in 2008. Denver, meanwhile, returned to the playoffs in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and would eventually reach the Super Bowl in 2015 and 2016, though they fell short each time.

The article also notes that the Cowboys and Broncos have played a total of 12 games against each other in NFL history, with the Cowboys holding a 7‑5 advantage. However, since 2004, the two teams have not met again, largely due to the divisional scheduling formula and the different conference affiliations. As a result, the 2004 loss remains a statistical rarity that has not been eclipsed in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Looking Forward

With the Broncos’ current roster in a rebuild mode and the Cowboys under a new coaching regime, a future matchup between the two teams remains unlikely but not impossible. The Sporting News article concludes by noting that a rematch would provide a rare opportunity to revisit a historic matchup and would likely draw significant attention from both fanbases and analysts alike.

The fact that only six of today’s Broncos were alive during the 2004 loss is a small but telling reminder of the way the NFL has evolved. It highlights the generational shifts in player personnel, coaching philosophies, and even fan expectations. While the game itself may have been decided by a single field goal, the historical significance of that moment continues to resonate with Broncos and Cowboys fans alike.