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Broncos-Cowboys: Underrated Denver Defense Stifles Overrated Dallas 17-10
Published: October 5, 2009
Come in here, Dear boy, have a cigar.
You’re gonna go far,
You’re gonna fly high,
You’re never gonna die,
You’re gonna make it, if you try;
They’re gonna love you.
Well I’ve always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most sincere.
The band is just fantastic,
that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?
“Have A Cigar” – Pink Floyd
The Pink Prelude
So to say at the very least, the NFL did a phenomenal job of promoting what should now traditionally be called Pink Sunday in the NFL. The fact is cancer deserves no press. The victims and survivors of this horrible disease do.
What the NFL did league-wide is very commendable. The league had coaches and players alike decked out in pink ribbons, special team gear laced with pink, as well as pink wrist bands, receiver gloves, cleats, and shoelaces.
No doubt these in-game treasures will go a long way to raising more funds for the fight against breast cancer.
The NFL deserves a clear salute for doing the job right on and off the field on this one. It shows the depths to which the most testosterone-filled sports league was willing to go to support this very important cause.
The Pre-Game
For an entire off-season and through three weeks of the 2009 NFL season, the Denver Broncos were underrated and the victims of a poor preseason and media critics who doubted them. Overlooked by many was the reality of how good the Broncos defense really was to this point in the season.
The message received by the Broncos was that they were a three-point dog at home.
The message sent by the Broncos was a statement that read, “Really?!?!??!”
Brian Dawkins emphasized as much in his pre-game rally cry to his teammates. “Again! How can you be 3-0 and be underdogs at your house? That’s disrespect! Let’s take it! Let’s take it! Let’s take it!”
Dogfight of a Game
Let there be little doubt about it, the game was destined to be a physical matchup from the start, and this game delivered big. The Dallas Cowboys are among the NFL’s largest teams, and the Broncos have proven to be a very physical football team thus far on the 2009 season.
From the get-go the Denver defense set the early tone, forcing Dallas to an early three and out. From there, the battle remained physical in the trenches and throughout the remainder of the game.
In what was vaunted as one of the league’s biggest teams and most physical running attacks, the Dallas Cowboys made an early impression that had the Broncos on their heels.
The Cowboys worked their way out of a 1st-and-20 situation that eventually resulted in a 49-yard field goal.
The following drive for the Cowboys saw a physical run game from the Denver one-yard line convert on a Marion Barber touchdown. He was aided by his line with no call on the play as the Cowboys muscled their way into the end zone.
The Cowboys led 10-0 and looked like they could be on their way to a victory with a sizable margin on their side.
Shortly after the Dallas TD, Dawkins had a very emotional discussion with his teammates about getting back up after their last two drives and keeping the Broncos in the game.
The break the Denver Broncos were waiting for came on a 3rd-and-14. A blitzing Renaldo Hill put a hit on Tony Romo to force a fumble. The Broncos recovered and advanced to the Dallas nine yard line.
On first and goal, Kyle Orton forced the ball and his will in to Knowshon Moreno for a touchdown pass, as Dallas defender Anthony Spencer just missed an interception that may have resulted in a TD the other way.
Maybe the Cowboys thought the Broncos were too old or they weren’t for real.
Champ Bailey was thrown at constantly throughout the game, only to rise up when it mattered most. He made a diving interception near the Cowboy sideline when they had a drive going deep in Broncos territory. Little did everyone else know he was about to save his best for last.
In this defensive battle, the teams moved the ball primarily between the 30s, making it difficult for putting up points.
Give Dallas credit, they were a team on a mission. They knew they were going to have to bring a full effort against Denver, and they did.
Denver was fortunate to tie the game on a short Matt Prater field goal with 5:58 remaining in the game.
Denver kept the Cowboys 120 yards below their team rushing average for the game while producing five sacks of Romo on the day.
Dallas held the Broncos to just 116 total yards on the ground and 221 yards through the air and three sacks of Orton.
Moreno took the game to the two-minute warning with a 14-yard burst up the middle to set up the magic that was about to happen.
On first down Orton found Brandon Marshall 20 yards downfield with a jump ball. Marshall hauled in the pass over the top of Dallas DB Terence Newman. He then raced to the center of the field, made a juke move to make the Dallas defense miss him, and raced back towards the right end zone flag for the touchdown standing up.
Dallas regained control of the ball with 1:46 remaining.
Romo showed he had some magic of his own in store as he connected on 4th-and-3 with Miles Austin, who ran down to the Broncos 25. On the play, Romo twisted out of the pocket avoiding the sack, and threw a floater that resulted in the 53-yard gain.
Dallas called timeout with 59 seconds remaining—and that is when they must have decided to pick on Champ Bailey a little more.
Previously in the game, D.J. Williams flattened receiver Roy Williams, which kept him out of the game on the most important drive of the day for the Cowboys.
Dallas wound up with a 1st-and-goal from the eight. Patrick Crayton got six yards with the clock winding down, and then Romo spiked the ball with nine seconds left.
On third down, Romo threw at Sam Hurd and Bailey broke up the pass. On 4th-and-goal from the two with five seconds left, Romo threw again at Hurd, and again Bailey denied the Dallas Cowboys.
This time it meant the game was over, as the Denver defense held off a late Dallas rally.
The win put the Broncos at an impressive 4-0 start to the young 2009 season.
Final Thoughts On Pink Sunday
Consider the amazing fact that the Broncos really didn’t hook up much with Brandon Marshall all day until he had the play of the day with his 51-yard touchdown.
Ironically enough, Dallas threw at Champ Bailey, and even at his worst he was very good and proved it in the end.
So on a day that proved to be pink, it is appropriate to have some lyrics from Pink Floyd as a prelude and as a way of exit. Little did we all know that those old rock lyrics could parallel an amazing athlete’s life in the NFL spotlight and his off-season contract dispute with the likes of Marshall.
Moreover, it certainly is parallel to the early season plight and disrespect the Broncos team feels through their early season successes.
It’s an oddity in parallel. After the touchdown Marshall was seen hugging his head coach Josh McDaniels, proving that winning solves a number of company ills. In a later press conference, Coach McD told Marshall, who was in close proximity, to not tell the press what he told him.
That only leads to the speculation that the deal for Brandon Marshall is on the way.
And did we tell you the name of the game?
We call it Riding the Gravy Train.
For Marshall, Coach McDaniels, and the Denver Broncos, being 4-0 was always a possibility in their minds. Only now they will start to gain the respect of their peers and the accolades of the press.
Next week the Broncos face the New England Patriots coming to Denver with a myriad of story lines to boot.
There will be one impressionistic stat to remember about Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots prior to next week’s game. They are a reported 73-1 when leading after three quarters.
Contact Chaz at sportsmanagement@gmail.com
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