Brandon Marshall's TD Lifts Broncos to a 17-10 Win, Casts Aside His Discontent

DENVER -- Wherever Brandon Marshall had been hiding throughout much of the Denver Broncos' 17-10 victory over the overhyped Dallas Cowboys at Invesco Field on Sunday, quarterback Kyle Orton was able to find him at the most opportune time.

With just under two minutes remaining and the score tied 10-10, Orton connected with Marshall along the right sideline on a stunning 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass with 1:46 remaining, a play that may help doubters understand how the once-overlooked Broncos are now among the NFL's elite teams at 4-0.

"Yes! Yes!" Marshall screamed as kicker Matt Prater's PAT sailed through to give the Broncos a 17-10 advantage that they would preserve when cornerback Champ Bailey smacked away a potential game-tying Tony Romo touchdown pass to Sam Hurd on 4th down at the Denver 2-yard line in the closing seconds.

So it seems the preseason of Marshall's discontent has now given way to an all-for-one attitude with everyone in the Broncos' organization.

The first guy to hug Marshall on the sideline was rookie coach Josh McDaniels -- the same guy Marshall seemed so intent on alienating throughout a preseason in which the tempestuous receiver made numerous trade demands.

"It was probably one of the most emotional plays ever since Little League, and I had a bunch of them," said Marshall, who did not have a catch until the 5:06 mark of the third quarter. "I'm just grateful that we were able to capitalize on that look."

He finished with four catches for 91 yards, but the fourth quarter touchdown will be talked about for a long time in Denver, where fans are rejoicing the Broncos' first 4-0 start since 2003.

Matched up man-to-man against Cowboys left cornerback Terence Newman along the right sideline, Marshall executed a textbook inside release to get open and snare Orton's slightly underthrown pass.

Marshall cut inside, escaped the clutches of Ken Hamlin and Newman at the 15-yard line and outran nose tackle Jay Ratliff into the end zone. Newman complained afterward that Marshall held his jersey on the initial release.

"I could have swore it was going to be a penalty at the start," Newman said.



Instead, it was Marshall carving his way through Dallas' defense and taking advantage of a great block by tight end Daniel Graham to make a play that -- by all appearances -- made all the training camp drama seem like a rumor.

"Again, hats off to coach [McDaniels]," Marshall said. "He does a great job of preparing us for situational football, and that was a situation where we knew what personnel was on the field and what they do with that personnel. Before we even came out of the huddle, me and Kyle were on the same page and we took advantage of it."

Is Marshall a McDaniels believer now?

"You never heard me say anything [bad] about him coaching, or what he brings to the organization," Marshall said.

"I never complained about not being a part of the offense. I think when you take a new coaching staff and new players -- it is almost a new team -- it takes time to get that chemistry. You are not going to get that overnight. We still have a lot of work to do. I didn't expect to come into the season and put up huge numbers. I just need to play my position and do my job, and everything will be all right."

Orton, who was maligned during the preseason for his lack of execution, has yet to turn over the ball in the regular season. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, including a 9-yard scoring pass to rookie Knowshon Moreno in the second quarter.

The Broncos' top-ranked defense did a superb job of surrounding Romo and forcing the Cowboys quarterback to throw from the pocket -- where he is least comfortable -- and dumping him for five sacks. Elvis Dumervil had two of them, giving him eight sacks for the season and tying him for the league lead with Antwan Odom of the Bengals.

The containment plan worked. Romo fumbled twice -- losing one, which the Broncos converted into the Moreno TD catch -- and he threw an interception. The more Denver's linebackers and defensive backs chipped at him, the less accurate Romo became.

Dallas' running game also stalled, with Marion Barber and Tashard Choice combining for just 74 yards on 25 carries, with 18 of those rushes coming in the first half. Barber had only one touch in the final two quarters, and Denver's offense was held to 315 total yards.

On the Cowboys' final drive with just over a minute remaining, Romo kept it interesting by hooking up with Hurd on a 53-yard catch-and-run reception that helped move Dallas to prime scoring position.

But the Cowboys challenged one of the NFL's top cover cornerbacks in Bailey with the game on the line -- and it cost them dearly.

"I welcome it! Please do!" Bailey exclaimed about Romo throwing his way so often. "That's the only way that I get a chance to make plays."

So is all well now in Denver? It seems that way, with a 4-0 record. A Week 5 home game against the 3-1 New England Patriots will be a another test of where the resurgent Broncos are.

But McDaniels said the early Broncos doubters have to realize his team has a special resilience that is tough to beat.

"What other people thought about our team, what other people who are less educated than the ones inside the building thought about our team, doesn't really provide us with any reason to feel anything," McDaniels said. "It doesn't really matter."