For the first seven weeks of the season, the Denver Broncos posted a 5-2 overall record but had yet to put four quarters of quality play together in all aspects of the game. Even in a 28-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, the Broncos’ offense sputtered after the first half.
But against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Broncos finally put a quality game together through all four quarters. While not a perfect performance by any means, the Broncos did a lot of things right, and they found ways to overcome mistakes.
The Broncos had one of their best outings on offense this season, with Bo Nix playing his best game of the season. True, it came against a bad defense, but you expect to see a good quarterback take advantage of a bad defense, and Nix did just that.
Nix had one errant throw in the first quarter for his first interception in four games, but bounced back to throw for 247 yards on 19-of-29 passing with four touchdowns, the most scores he’s had since Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, when he threw three.
The Broncos’ younger players got in on the action when it came to scoring. Second-round rookie RJ Harvey had a game to remember, scoring three touchdowns — two on the ground and one in the passing game. That included scoring on a big play for 40 yards in the first quarter and a direct snap in the second quarter on 2nd-&-Goal at the 1-yard line.
Second-year wideout Troy Franklin overcame a dropped pass to put together his best game as a pro, catching six passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Pat Bryant scored his first NFL touchdown on a 24-yard pass play.
The Broncos got another 100-yard rushing performance from J.K. Dobbins, as he tallied 114 yards on 15 carries. And the Broncos did their job in pass protection as Nix wasn’t sacked, the third time the Broncos’ quarterback hasn’t taken a sack in a game this season.
Of course, plenty of fans may have expected the Broncos to have a good day on offense when facing a bad defense. But the Cowboys have one of the top offenses in the NFL — and the Broncos’ defense rose to the occasion.
Dak Prescott entered Sunday’s game with 1,881 yards passing with 16 touchdowns. He had not thrown an interception in the past four games. But against the Broncos, he had just 188 passing yards, tying his lowest passing yardage of the season (he had the same number of passing yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1).
On top of that, Prescott was held without a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 1 against the Eagles and threw two interceptions. Broncos rookie first-rounder Jahdae Barron had great coverage in securing one interception, while second-year rush linebacker Dondrea Tillman came up big with his pick, which stopped a potential scoring drive early in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos did give up 17 points when Prescott took the field, but they did a lot to contain him — and that was without the suspended linebacker Dre Greenlaw for the entire game and sans Patrick Surtain II in the second half, due to a shoulder injury.
Cowboys running back Javonte Williams did score two touchdowns, but he was held to 41 yards on 13 carries. The former Bronco wasn’t much of a factor Sunday, as Denver held him to 3.1 yards per carry, his second-lowest average in a game this season.
That the Broncos were able to contain a great Cowboys offense is a testament to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who found ways to keep Prescott from finding a rhythm. The Cowboys did score in garbage time when Joe Milton III took the field in relief of Prescott, but overall, Joseph showed he can take the players he has and keep a quality offense in check.
To prove the Broncos have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, they need to show the ability to put four quality quarters of football together, particularly against a good team. Sunday’s outing against the Cowboys was just that.
The Broncos have three more games before the Week 12 bye, and as we’ve previously discussed, the schedule doesn’t get any easier. But if the Broncos put four good quarters of football together the next three games, fans can have greater optimism about what this team can accomplish the rest of the season.
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