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DENVER — The Denver Broncos extended their win streak over the Dallas Cowboys to eight games on Sunday.
The Broncos haven’t lost to the Cowboys in over 30 years. With the win, Denver extended their own win streak to five games. Their 6-2 record is the best start they’ve had to a season since they were reigning Super Bowl Champions in 2016.
Here’s what stood out throughout the game.
Bo’s bounce back
Going up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, Bo Nix didn’t get off to the start he had envisioned.
On his second play, Nix threw an interception right to Cowboys’ defensive back Trikweze Bridges.
Nix and Pat Bryant must have not been on the same page. Or else it was just an incredibly inaccurate pass by Bo.
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But after that, Nix hit his stride and took off.
Denver’s next two drives ended in the end zone, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin.
The Oregon connection continued throughout the day with Franklin coming up with many first-down catches and another touchdown.
After his interception on the first drive, Nix was lights out. Bo ended the day with four touchdowns.
Just what the doctor ordered
The Broncos were desperate for a hot start on offense. Even Sean Payton admitted it leading up to Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
“Let’s be honest, I think we want to start better,” Sean Payton said on Friday. “So whether time’s coming off the clock or it’s not, we have to work on our first half.”
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After Nix’s first-quarter interception, the Broncos took off and gave Payton exactly what he ordered.
The Broncos’ 14 first-quarter points was the most they’ve scored in the opening quarter this year. In fact, it tied the most they’ve scored in a first quarter since 2018.
A big part of that was the offense was explosive. RJ Harvey had a 40-yard touchdown run. J.K. Dobbins added a 21-yard run, which nearly went for a touchdown. Troy Franklin added a 26-yard completion and a 25-yard touchdown catch. All of that was in the first quarter.
In the first quarter, the Broncos had 159 yards of offense, compared to the Cowboys’ 72 yards.
In the second quarter, Denver’s offense picked up right where they left off. With 39 seconds left in the first half, Nix hit Pat Bryant in the back left corner of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown.
It was a perfect throw from Nix and a perfect catch by Bryant for his first NFL touchdown.
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Payton wanted a better first-half offense. He got exactly that with Denver putting up 27 in the first half.
In the entire game, the Broncos scored 44 points, which is the most points in the Sean Payton era in Denver.
The Orange Crush Defense
Wearing their throwback uniforms, Denver’s defense did their best Orange Crush impression on Sunday.
Going up against arguably the best offense in the NFL, Vance Joseph‘s unit stepped up in a big way.
Entering Sunday, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys averaged 32 points per game, which was the second-best mark in the NFL. They had the most yards per game in the NFL too.
But Denver’s defense showed just how elite they are.
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Not only did they hold the Cowboys to 24 points, they also had two takeaways against a Cowboys’ offense that rarely turned the ball over entering Sunday.
Javonte’s attempted revenge
In his final season with the Broncos in 2024, Javonte Williams had two total touchdowns in Denver. With 7:29 left in the second quarter, Williams got in the end zone for his first time in Denver as a member of the Cowboys.
In the third quarter, Javonte punched it in for a second time.
But besides the two touchdowns, Javonte was held in check, only rushing for 41 yards on the day.
RJ Harvey’s breakout
While the storyline was Javonte’s return, it was the rookie running back that replaced him in Denver that came up with a huge play.
On the Broncos’ second drive, RJ Harvey exploded for a 40-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game. The second-round pick did a masterful job following his blocker and using them to manipulate the Cowboys’ defense, before exploding down the left sideline for the touchdown.
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While Harvey did an exceptional job on the touchdown run, so did his blockers. Watch Quinn Meinerz (77) take down two Cowboys’ defenders and stop a third from chasing down Harvey on his way to the end zone.
In the second quarter, Harvey got in the end zone for a second time on the day. Lining up in wildcat formation, Harvey caught the snap and powered his way into the end zone.
It it Harvey’s first multi-touchdown game of his career.
But he wasn’t done.
In the fourth quarter, Harvey caught a touchdown pass. The second-round pick ended the day with three total touchdowns.
Pat Surtain II
Pat Surtain II didn’t get up following his touchdown-saving pass breakup on the Cowboys’ first offensive drive.
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After falling hard on his right leg after breaking up a pass in the end zone, Surtain was helped up by trainers. The Defensive Player of the Year did walk off the field, but had trainers on each side of him the entire walk to the medical tent.
The Broncos called it a lower leg injury. Surtain only missed one play as he returned on the Broncos’ following series.
However, after halftime, Surtain did not play. This time he was dealing with a shoulder injury. The Defensive Player of the Year didn’t play in the entire second half.
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