Broncos Outlast Cowboys 51-48 in Thriller to go to 5-0

The Broncos and Cowboys played a classic, wild shootout on Sunday in Dallas, and at the end of the day, the Broncos survived and won the game 51-48 in the 2013 season's signature game. The game saw Denver trail 14-0 early, storm back to take a 21-17 lead, and eventually a 35-20 lead in the third quarter. From that point, the game turned to a Peyton Manning and Tony Romo clinic on passing. After Romo and Manning traded pass for pass and score for score, Denver was able to capitalize on a Danny Trevathan interception of Romo right before the 2:00 minute warning. The Broncos were in field goal range at the time, and they moved the ball to the one before setting up Matt Prater for the game-winning  28 yard field goal as time expired. The game went back and forth so much in the second half that it left my head spinning by the end. It was a great game and a classic game for the Broncos and the rest of the NFL, and now Denver moves to 5-0. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game...

1) Normally, I start with Peyton Manning and the offense, but I have to start with the defense-or lack of defense in this game. The defense started off slow and gave up a first drive touchdown to Dez Bryant and a second drive touchdown to Demarco Murray. The second touchdown was given up after an Eric Decker fumble on Denver's first offensive possession. After being down 14-0, the Broncos defense seemed to step it up a bit. They were able to force a field goal on Dallas' third drive with the aid of a huge Shaun Phillips sack on 3rd down from the eight. On the fourth possession, the Broncos forced a Bryant fumble. They forced a three-and-out on the fifth possession highlighted by a Malik Jackson sack of Romo on 2nd down. From that point on, the Broncos defense was absolutely awful. They gave up a field goal right before the half on a series which Tony Carter once again got a guy behind him down the sideline. The 2nd half was brutally worse. They gave up an 82-yard touchdown pass, another touchdown pass from Romo to Bryant on the next possession, another Romo to Jason Witten touchdown pass on the following possession, and another Romo to Cole Beasley touchdown on the next possession. That run was about as bad as it gets for a defense. It was the worst defensive performance in the John Fox era, and it was the worst defensive game since early in the 2011 season when Denver went to Green Bay and got smoked by the Packers. It was eye-opening at how bad they played. There are a lot of holes in that defense right now. Von Miller and Champ Bailey can't get back soon enough.

2) Granted, the Broncos defense was bad, but there are few things here to consider. First, Tony Romo is a really good QB, and I always said that I would take him on my team any day of the week. Romo was sensational in the game and passed for over 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. You can't take anything away from him. Secondly, the Broncos lost Wesley Woodyard, Robert Ayers, and Chris Harris in the game at various points. Those three guys have been three of their best players on defense this year. Once they all went out of the game, the Broncos defense was shot. When you have guys like Omar Bolden trying to match up in the secondary, then you are in trouble. You could make a case that the Broncos were down their top five defensive players in yesterday's game (including Miller and Bailey) and it showed in the second half.

3) As bad as the defense played, you have to give them credit for making the stop and the play that they needed at the end. Danny Trevathan got the huge pick of Romo, and it set up the game-winner. You need a defense to make big stops in big moments of the game, and the Broncos got it when they desperately needed one.

4) The Broncos offense continues to roll on with amazing performance after amazing performance. Manning was brilliant once again. He finished 33-42 for 414 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Julius Thomas absolutely ate up the Cowboys and he finished with 9 catches for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas, and Wes Welker all finished with 5 catches, but Decker finished with 87 yards and a touchdown, Thomas finished with 57 yards, and Welker added 49 yards and a touchdown. Knowshon Moreno also continued to play well, and he ran for 93 yards on 19 carries and 1 touchdown. Moreno continues to run hard and he is one of key components to their offense by continuing to keep the running game moving.

5) The Broncos trailed 14-0 early, but their offense came storming back. Manning's 4 touchdown passes featured a variety of throws and plays. The first one was a shovel pass to Julius Thomas, and the second one was a sweet fade to Decker for a 2-yard score. The third one was a bullet to Thomas on a slant for 9 yards, and the fourth one was a great play/route to Wes Welker. Welker faked like he was running an arrow route, and they cut inside and Manning hit him perfectly for the 2-yard score. I also loved the play call when Manning ran a naked bootleg for a touchdown right before the half to give Denver a 28-17 lead. It was the a great play and a great call, and it was the only play that no one saw coming.

6) This game was a classic and it was definitely the signature game for this season so far. The game was basically broadcast to entire nation in the late window on CBS. It pitted Peyton Manning vs. the Cowboys. It featured a shootout between two the of league's most recognizable stars, and both teams put up 99 points collectively. It was an instant classic, and the ratings were off the charts. The game's rating matched the rating from last year's SF-GB Divisional playoff game. A crazy and memorable game, and I am just glad that the Broncos were able to come out on top.

7) Denver showed some grit in this game. They were able to come back from an early 14-0, and they were able to fight back and tie the game late. Huge win for the Broncos and now they are 5-0 and heading home to take on the Jaguars on Sunday. The Broncos are an early 28-point favorite at this point. Whatever lies ahead for the Broncos doesn't matter at this point. All they need to do is get ready for Jacksonville and get to 6-0.