Broncos Remain Perfect as Cowboys Slip to Defeat

Tony Romo failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second consecutive week and the Denver Broncos’ defense held tight as the Dallas Cowboys fell 17-10 at Invesco Field at Mile high on Sunday.

Having led for most of the game, the Cowboys found themselves behind in the fourth quarter as the Broncos rallied from behind to maintain their perfect start to the season.

Despite carrying a 10-7 lead into the final period, Romo had been largely ineffective against a stubborn and defensive Denver outfit, which held the Dallas quarterback to 255 yards on 25-of-42 passing.

Dallas’ rushing game was also kept in check throughout, with Marion Barber racking up 41 yards on 11 carries and Tashard Choice picking up another 33 on 14 attempts.

Romo was sacked five times and picked off once and he also fumbled the ball twice, one of which was recovered by D.J. Williams on the Dallas 17-yard line and led to Denver’s opening score.

The Cowboys took the lead midway through the first quarter on a Nick Folk 49-yard field goal, and they extended their advantage to 10-0 when Barber burst through the middle from the Broncos’ one-yard line to cap an eight-play, 61-yard drive.

Denver—hindered by penalties for most of the half—was given a lifeline two minutes into the second quarter when Romo was sacked on 3rd-and-14 at the Dallas 17-yard line by Broncos safety Renaldo Hill.

Hill went in virtually unopposed to strip the ball from Romo, with Williams on hand to recover the fumble and carry it up to the Dallas eight-yard line.

Kyle Orton hit 22-year-old running back Knowshon Moreno on the very next play, firing a pass off to his right under pressure that really should have been picked off.

Dallas threw away the chance to regain their 10-point lead on the opening drive of the third quarter, but Romo’s 3rd-and-11 pass intended for Austin was picked off on the Denver three-yard line by a diving Champ Bailey after Miles Austin failed to cut back to the outside.

The turnover proved pivotal as Matt Prater chipped home a 28-yard field goal with about six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to knot the game at 10, and the Broncos would take the lead for good on their next offensive possession.

Romo failed to connect with Austin on 3rd-and-long from their own 40, forcing the Cowboys to punt the ball away with less than three minutes on the clock.

Orton hit Brandon Marshall for eight yards, and Moreno ran through the middle for a gain of 14, moving the chains to midfield.

This set the stage for what would be the game’s decisive play, as Orton found Marshall for a 51-yard touchdown completion—Marshall’s fourth catch of the afternoon.

The Dallas offense had 1:46 left to move the ball downfield, trailing 17-10.

Romo kept hopes of a comeback alive when he completed a fourth-down pass to Sam Hurd for 53 yards, and a trio of consecutive completions to Choice, Hurd, and Patrick Crayton advanced the ball to the two-yard line.

Romo threw toward Hurd again on both third and fourth down, but Champ Bailey was on hand to knock the potential game-tying pass away both times as the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs with just one second remaining.

The defeat moved the Cowboys to 2-2, while the Broncos improved to 4-0.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

BroncosZone Latest

• The Denver Broncos Must Face Their New Reality
• Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?
• Hey Denver, Where’s the Love for Josh McDaniels?
• Josh McDaniels Is the Poster Boy for “Too Much, Too Soon”
• Denver Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall: “I Love Being a Bronco”