Second Quarter
Thankfully, the Dallas offense found a little rhythm in the second frame. Rookie running back Jaydon Blue got things started with a 14-yard run, although it was a 14-yard pass from Prescott to tight end Luke Schoonmaker later in the series that set the Cowboys up with a first-and-goal at the Denver 1. Williams then got the scoring honors, bulldozing up the middle to close the gap to 14-10.
However, the Broncos responded with 13 more points before the end of the half to essentially put the game away. The big blow on their next possession came via a 32-yard pass interference penalty on rookie safety Alijah Clark, which was followed by an 11-yard catch and run by tight end Evan Engram. Now with a first-and-goal, Harvey took a direct snap back up the middle for the touchdown.
With an unnecessary roughness penalty on Dallas defensive end Sam Williams after the play, the Broncos decided to go for the two-point conversion, but the Cowboys managed to foil the attempt.
Desperately needing to get some more points on the board, Prescott and company instead went a quick three-and-out, which gave Denver plenty of time to increase its lead. With Nix completing all six of his passes, the Broncos marched 72 yards in seven plays and only 1:35 off the clock to score again. The touchdown came when Nix connected with wideout Pat Bryant in the back left corner of the end zone, giving Denver a 27-10 advantage at the break.