Another road game, another loss for the Cowboys. This time, the loss ended up being a runaway for the Broncos, who hammered Dallas early and never let up. In truth, this game was over by halftime, and these five plays were a big reason why.
False start kills early offensive drive
It’s easy to forget, but the Cowboys actually started off strong. Trikweze Bridges picked off Bo Nix on the third play of the game, and a deep shot to CeeDee Lamb had the Cowboys in scoring position in no time. Javonte Williams got stopped just short of the endzone, and Patrick Surtain II made a huge play to break up a surefire George Pickens touchdown.
That set up third and goal from the one, but it didn’t last long. Flags flew and a false start was called. Brock Hoffman was the one penalized for it, but the replay appeared to show Tyler Guyton as the offending party. Either way, it backed the Cowboys up five yards and ultimately forced them to settle for a field goal, squandering a golden opportunity early.
Offsides erases third-down stop
Following the field goal, the Dallas defense actually continued to play well. They stuffed JK Dobbins on first down for one yard. Then Marvin Mims was stopped after just two yards on a catch, bringing up a big third and long. Nix fired incomplete to Courtland Sutton, with DaRon Bland in close proximity.
However, a flag was down. James Houston had lined up in the neutral zone, thus giving Denver a much more manageable third down, which they converted. That seemed to open the floodgates, as the Broncos scored two plays later. If not for Houston’s penalty, the Cowboys would have gotten the ball back with a chance to go up two scores.
Holding penalty leads to punt
A touchdown on the Broncos’ next drive put them up 14-3, and the Cowboys desperately needed a response from their offense to stop the bleeding. For a moment, it looked like they were doing just that, getting just on the other side of midfield. A scramble from Dak Prescott on third down fell a few yards short, but put the Cowboys in position for either a field goal or a manageable fourth-down attempt.
Yet, there was another flag. This time, Terence Steele was called for holding, and it backed them up 10 yards to retry third down. Not only did the retry fall incomplete, but it took away any chance for points, even with the bionic leg of Brandon Aubrey.
Pass interference flips field for Broncos
It’s telling that four of these plays are all penalties, but it was that kind of game for the Cowboys. Dallas finally scored a touchdown, cutting the score to 14-10, and they needed a defensive stop. The Broncos had just crossed into Dallas territory when Nix took a deep shot Mims that fell incomplete.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: flag. Alijah Clark was called for pass interference, though it appeared to meet the definition of incidental contact, as his feet got tangled with Mims’ while tracking the ball. Even so, the flag was thrown and Denver picked up 32 free yards, flipping the field and setting up another touchdown just five plays later.
Dak Prescott picked off for first time
Denver managed one more touchdown, upping it to 27-10 as the first half ticked down under a minute remaining. The Cowboys would get the ball to start the third quarter, so their only shot at a comeback was to score before halftime and set up the double dip. A scramble and shot to Pickens had the offense moving, but Prescott decided to force the issue.
He launched a shot down the middle of the field to Jake Ferguson – what proved to be the only target for Ferguson on the day – that was picked off. That killed the drive and eliminated the Cowboys’ chances for the double dip, thereby eliminating any hopes of a comeback in the second half.
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