Initial thoughts from the Broncos’ 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 at Empower Field:
1. Full coverage: Empower Field held its breath when Pat Surtain II left the field on Dallas’ first drive of the game. Third down. Ball on the 6. And quarterback Dak Prescott armed with two of the best wideouts in the game (CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens). After Riley Moss had just gotten beaten deep by Lamb three snaps earlier, Prescott’s choice was obvious. So what does Moss do? Lock down Lamb, swat a crossing route to the turf and force a field goal. Even after PSII left the game for good to start the second half, the secondary held up (when it mattered). Outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman even delivered a 38-yard interception return.
Broncos report card: Sean Payton, Bo Nix throw kitchen sink at Cowboys in blowout win
2. All blocked up: It would be hard to draw up better blocking than what Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey received on his first touch — a toss left that saw left tackle Garret Bolles and left guard Alex Palczewski open up a turnpike off the left edge as right guard Quinn Meinerz trucked two Cowboys 10 yards downfield. That Harvey waltzed in for a 40-yard touchdown was elementary. The blocking hero of Denver’s next TD? None other than J.K. Dobbins, who shifted to his left to take on blitzing safety Markquese Bell, then stood his ground for a beat to give quarterback Bo Nix enough time to find Troy Franklin in the end zone. Total. Team Effort.
3. Orange crush: Does anyone do branding better than the Broncos? The Orange Crush regalia was everywhere on a crisp fall afternoon inside Empower Field. Well, almost everywhere (more on that later). The field wrap. The scoreboards. The end zones. The cheerleaders. The press materials. And, of course, that classic, never-should-have-gone-away helmet-and-uniform combination. We all know about those helmets … and those classic orange tops. But the true pièce de résistance? Gotta be those striped socks.
4. Halfway home: Take away Pat Surtain II’s injury, and this was just about a perfect day for Sean Payton’s Broncos. If forced to offer a critique, perhaps it would’ve been nice had Payton played along with the Orange Crush theme? Is it really that hard to accept another free hat and hoodie, Coach? Then again, being a grump is Payton’s brand. So is wizard-like offensive play-calling. He brought both to the stadium on Sunday. And now his Broncos are 6-2 with the halfway point of the season just about here. This was an easy hurdle to clear, and they did it with requisite ease … and with their best player on the field for only half the game. Can’t ask for much more than that.
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