Clayton: It all came together for the Broncos at the right time

It didn't seem possible on paper, but the Broncos went into Dallas and dominated the Cowboys because it all clicked at just the right moment

BY JAMES MERILATT

Nov 8, 2021, 3:31 PM

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Timing is everything. And everything came together for the Broncos at the right time.

Their 30-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday salvaged what was becoming a lost season. It ended a stretch of four losses in five games, with the only win being a ho-hum victory over the Washington Football Team. Coaches talked about all the things that they wanted to fix from the losing stretch.

They wanted a faster start on offense. They wanted more big plays. They wanted a good running game. They wanted to defense to play better. All of those things happened in the Cowboys game.

The Broncos had a 77-yard touchdown drive that started with a little over eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. They followed that up with at 80-yard touchdown drive in the first three minutes of the second quarter. The offense had 12 explosive plays through the game.

They rushed for 190 yards. Javonte Williams had 111 yards. Melvin Gordon had 80. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Things went so well the Broncos had a 30-0 lead over the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. The defense limited Dak Prescott to 19-of-39 for 232 yards. Ezekiel Elliott had only 51 yards rushing on 10 carries. It was a blowout.

The Broncos are now regaining some of the confidence they lost during their four-game losing streak. Back-to-back wins have them feeling good about themselves.

The game came with some cost. Guard Graham Glasgow suffered a fractured ankle and is out for the season. Right tackle Bobby Massie suffered an ankle injury and could miss one or two games. And don’t forget that left tackle Garett Bolles missed the game and could miss some more time with an ankle injury.

Still, this was a big win against a top-level team at the perfect time.