DENVER - Poor tackling and untimely penalties plagued the Cowboys defense early Saturday, as the Broncos marched to 14-0 lead on their two opening drives.
The starting unit stayed in the game and stopped the next two drives, but the damage was done. Linebacker Bradie James said the Cowboys played their base defense more than they would in a regular game, and the Broncos' gameplan was counter to what they showed in this week's combined practices.
"I thought we played too vanilla against them," head coach Wade Phillips said. "That's my fault."
After starting the game with a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, the Broncos took a two-score lead with a 90-yard drive their next possession. Counting a couple of offensive penalties to start the drive, though, the romp was closer to 98 yards. James had a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty to aid the second scoring drive.
At one point, Denver quarterback Jay Cutler completed 12 straight passes. He finished the game 16-of-20 for 178 yards and a touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
"It definitely didn't go our way," James said, unhappy with the structure of preseason games. "It just seems like right when you get in a groove, you've got to come out."
Death Penalties
For the second straight week penalties were the biggest obstacle for the Cowboys. Last week the team racked up seven fouls for 96 yards. In Denver, they had nine for 78.
Comparatively, the Broncos had just 36 yards in penalties. A week ago San Diego was penalized only once. The worst part about many of the mistakes was the timing, several putting the team in drive-ending holes on offense, or extending drives for the Broncos.
"It's like a turnover," quarterback Tony Romo said. "When we get a penalty on third-and-long after we've stopped them, it's like we forced a punt and just threw a pick. It's the same thing. We have to stop that. Eventually, penalties catch up with you."
Injuries Pile Up
From the opening kickoff it was obvious this wouldn't be the Cowboys night on the injury front.
Cowboys fullback Deon Anderson appeared to be seeing stars after taking a big blow on the opening kickoff, stumbling several times before finally being helped up and off the field by trainers.
"A guy just got me," Anderson said.
At first it appeared the second-year lead blocking specialist might have had a concussion, but he rejoined the offense midway through its first possession.
Defensive end Chris Canty left after the first snap with a hip injury. While he was deemed okay by trainers, he was held out of the game as a precaution. Miles Austin sprained his right knee while covering a kickoff.
Outside linebacker Justin Rogers left the game in the third quarter with a sprained left shoulder, and backup fullback Ronnie Cruz left the game in the second period with a separated left shoulder.
Six Cowboys were held out of the game with injuries, cornerbacks Terence Newman (groin) and Quincy Butler (hamstring), linebackers Kevin Burnett (knee) and Anthony Spencer (bone bruise), safety Tyler Everett (back) and defensive end Marcus Dixon (back).
Johnson Shows Improvement
Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones both said this week they wanted backup quarterback Brad Johnson to get more reps with the first team, thinking his performance would improve.
They were right. Johnson was 9-of-12 for 113 yards and a touchdown Saturday night, playing most of the second and third quarters. His quarterback rating was 131.9, way up from the dismal 43.5 rating a week ago, where he threw an interception. Johnson was throwing to second-team receivers, but worked with the first-team offensive line throughout the second quarter.
"I had a great week of practice," Johnson said. "A lot of times, as a quarterback, you're a victim of circumstances. You just need guys around you to make some plays. I felt like I made some good throws last week and just had some crazy stuff happen."
A Drury Night in Denver
After nearly two days of non-stop rain, the clouds parted briefly for kickoff in Denver, though the mercury never climbed above 55 degrees - uncommonly cold for an August preseason game. With snow falling high in the Rockies this weekend, the Cowboys had a rude awakening for their first trip to Invesco Field at Mile High.
After all the off-season talk that the mild climes of Oxnard, Calif. would make the team soft when it returns to the oppressive heat of North Texas, it turns out the breezy seaside community wasn't cold enough.
Short Shots
The Cowboys captains were Marion Barber, Jay Ratliff, Roy Williams, Deon Anderson and Andre Gurode . . . Linebacker Bradie James took most of the dime-backer reps, filling in for the injured Kevin Burnett.
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