Broncos head coach Sean Payton did something slightly unconventional on Sunday: Take the ball first after winning the coin toss against the Cowboys. This, as Payton reflected Monday, was to send a message. And the Broncos proceeded to stomp Dallas into the turf at Empower Field for four quarters Sunday in a 44-24 drubbing, their best end-to-end performance of the year.
Here’s The Denver Post’s stock report from the slaughter. The “stock down” section was hard this week.
Stock up
Alex Singleton: Let’s get this out of the way. There’s no world, even when Dre Greenlaw returns, in which Greenlaw suddenly supplants Singleton as the mike linebacker in Denver’s defense or Justin Strnad starts over him. Singleton’s simply too important as the lead communicator of the Broncos’ defense — wearing the green dot — for coordinator Vance Joseph to yank off the field.
Beyond that, Singleton has been good for two of his last three games. He’s missed just three tackles in his last five games, and flew around for 11 tackles on Sunday. Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson came into Week 8 leading all NFL tight ends in catches, and didn’t finish with a single reception against the Broncos. Singleton played a role in that.
Quinn Meinerz: How about not one or two, but three pancakes? On one play? Meinerz had been good but not amazing start to 2025. On Sunday, though, the 2024 All-Pro version was back. He single-handedly took out three Cowboys defenders on a 40-yard touchdown toss to rookie RB RJ Harvey, and allowed just one pressure on Bo Nix in 35 pass-blocking snaps. Meinerz slipped and fell on a first-quarter run by Dobbins, got up, and sealed off the Cowboys’ Kenneth Murray Jr. to free up Dobbins for a 21-yard gain. It was a masterclass.
Skill dudes blocking: First, a tremendous quote from Broncos rookie Pat Bryant, asked about his affinity for run-blocking:
“I told all the running backs — ‘If y’all ever want to bounce it any way, just make sure y’all find 13,’” Bryant said postgame, “‘and I’ll make sure y’all boys get to the box.’”
#Broncos rookie WR Pat Bryant on his blocking:
“I told all the running backs, if y’all ever want to bounce it any way, just make sure y’all find 13, and I’ll make sure y’all boys get to the box.” pic.twitter.com/vDsMeeLGIG
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) October 27, 2025
Bryant made sure Harvey got there on his 40-yard TD, sealing off Cowboys DE Sam Williams. It was part of an excellent day for Bryant and the Broncos’ skill players in the blocking game, as tight end Adam Trautman and receiver Trent Sherfield came away excited after opening up a 7-yard hole for Dobbins on the Broncos’ first play of the game. Denver’s screen game worked much better, too, and Dobbins picked up Cowboys safety Markquese Bell perfectly on a blitz to give Bo Nix enough time in the first quarter to laser his first TD strike to Troy Franklin. Lots of great tape.
Dondrea Tillman, Denver’s RB4: First off, the play Tillman made in the fourth quarter in coverage was incredible — a 6-foot-4, 247-pound man diving to pick off an underneath route from Dak Prescott to seal the Broncos’ win. But the runback? Oh, baby. Tillman had enough wherewithal to recognize nobody had touched him, get up, and start sprinting his way to the sideline. Then he bounced off Javonte Williams’ attempt at a tackle and kept chugging for 38 yards. Payton dialed up a goal-line play for Garett Bolles a couple of weeks ago; what’s to stop him from throwing Tillman in there at the goal line at some point?
Stock down
Darren Rizzi: With the Broncos up 20 points with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Denver inexplicably had Marvin Mims Jr. in on a kickoff return. He got popped in the back of the head, suffered a concussion, and is now in protocol. Head coach Sean Payton explained Monday that his special teams coordinator was trying to send in Tyler Badie for Mims as the primary returner, but “somehow the communication failed,” and Badie went in for RJ Harvey. This is now the second massive special-teams miscommunication through eight weeks, including Week 2’s leverage incident, and this one might’ve actually led to an injury. Whoever’s fault this was, it’s not a great look for Rizzi.
Broncos County narratives: Nearly every lingering issue the Broncos have got fixed on Sunday, at least for a game. Singleton was excellent in coverage. The Broncos held running backs and tight ends in check in the passing game. Riley Moss had four pass deflections in his hardest matchup of the season, and was integral to Denver’s win, even if Shannon Sharpe feels otherwise. Sean Payton’s screen game was popping. Bo Nix hit on three deep balls. The Broncos’ top three draft picks all had tremendous games. The slate has been wiped clean.
National Tight Ends Day in Denver: Not much love in the Rockies for a foremost holiday. National Tight Ends Day was a disappointment this year. Ferguson had one target. The Broncos’ Evan Engram was pretty solid, though, with four catches. Engram now has 22 receptions in his last five games, a 75-catch pace over a full season.
Uh, Jeremy Crawshaw?: Really running out of options here. Crawshaw only had two punts on Sunday, and neither of them landed inside the 20. It was utterly inconsequential to the game’s overall outcome. This blurb doesn’t even really count.
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