Broncos beat Cowboys, go to 4-0
Champ Bailey figured the last play was his to make.
Why not? Tony Romo had been testing him all afternoon, even though he kept acing every exam.
"I welcome it. Please do. That's the only way I get a chance to make plays," said Bailey, who had eight tackles, broke up four passes and made one key interception in Denver's 17-10 win over Dallas on Sunday.
His biggest play came with a second left when he knocked away the potential tying touchdown pass from Romo to Sam Hurd on fourth-and-goal from the 2.
downlevel descriptionThis video requires the Adobe Flash Player. Download a free version of the player.
With the blitz coming, Romo quickly fired toward Hurd cutting across the middle. Bailey reached around and swatted the pass away with his left hand at the last second, giving the Broncos their first 4-0 start since 2003.
"Maybe they thought they could catch Champ sleeping," teammate D.J. Williams surmised. "One of the top corners in the league, my last play, I wouldn't go toward him."
Romo would. Again.
"They're good all over," Romo insisted of Denver's top-ranked defense. "I understand Champ's good. It's questionable. I think you could go either way on that call. It's a bang-bang play and the corner's always driving on the ball. If he gets to the ball early, that's part of the game. ... Those are always going to be contested throws."
The Broncos had taken the lead on Brandon Marshall's 51-yard touchdown catch from Kyle Orton with 1:46 remaining, providing some vindication for the Pro Bowl receiver whose temper tantrum during training camp earned him a nine-day suspension from coach Josh McDaniels.
On the other sideline, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, coach Wade Phillips and cornerback Terence Newman were swearing a flag should have been thrown on Marshall for offensive pass interference.
"I couldn't have played that play any better," Newman said. "I could have sworn it was going to be a penalty. He grabbed my jersey and threw me to the side. If that wasn't a hold, I don't know what is. I tried to grab him back. I figured either way, we were both going to be called for holding. But the refs didn't see it."
Marshall grabbed the ball off the top of Newman's helmet at the 25-yard line, then avoided three more tacklers on his way for the score.
Even then, Marshall was nervous.
"Going back to Pop Warner I've made a bunch of plays like that really didn't mean anything because we end up losing the game," Marshall said. "We knew their 2-minute offense is one of the best in the business."
Sure enough, Romo, ineffective in the second half when the Cowboys' first five drives ended in four punts and an interception by Bailey, found Hurd for a 53-yard gain on fourth-and-3 to the Broncos 20-yard line with a minute left.
The Cowboys reached the 2 with 9 seconds left. Romo spiked the ball on second-and-goal, then Bailey knocked away a high pass intended for Hurd before swatting away the last one that was right on the money.
"That surprised me," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. "Both times that surprised me. To challenge a Hall of Famer, still doing what he does? You saw what he did on that beautiful pick on the sideline. So that surprised me that they continued to go at Champ. I'm glad they did."
-
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Chargers, Giants land star wideouts after QBs go 1-4
2024 NFL Draft odds: Jets now favored to draft Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Jayden Daniels moves up, Bo Nix goes 12th in Colin Cowherd's NFL mock draft
-
2024 NFL Draft Schedule: Date, time, how to watch, TV channel
2024 NFL Schedule Release: Date, when does the season start?
2024 New NFL uniforms: Broncos, Lions latest teams to make jersey changes
-
2024 NFL Draft order: Every pick for all seven rounds
Roman Gabriel, former NC State and pro quarterback who was the AP NFL MVP in 1969, dies at 83
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott says he doesn't fear future, whether in Dallas or elsewhere
-
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Chargers, Giants land star wideouts after QBs go 1-4
2024 NFL Draft odds: Jets now favored to draft Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Jayden Daniels moves up, Bo Nix goes 12th in Colin Cowherd's NFL mock draft
-
2024 NFL Draft Schedule: Date, time, how to watch, TV channel
2024 NFL Schedule Release: Date, when does the season start?
2024 New NFL uniforms: Broncos, Lions latest teams to make jersey changes
-
2024 NFL Draft order: Every pick for all seven rounds
Roman Gabriel, former NC State and pro quarterback who was the AP NFL MVP in 1969, dies at 83
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott says he doesn't fear future, whether in Dallas or elsewhere