Parker Gabriel’s 7 thoughts on Broncos’ blowout of Cowboys, including Troy Franklin giving WR2 vibes with breakout performance

The Denver Broncos ran into the worst defense in the NFL and indicated no mercy in a - rout of the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field on Sunday Here s a look at seven developments after the Broncos moved to - with their fifth straight win Troy Franklin s resurgence is powered by mental toughness and now he s putting together the kind of Year leap he planned on all along The past meager weeks have not been particularly easy for second-year Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin After playing nearly of Denver s offensive snaps in Weeks and and accumulating catches plus a touchdown in the first three weeks of the season Franklin has hovered around playing time since That s a lot of run for a second-year sportsman but production didn t exactly follow Entering Sunday Franklin had nine catches on targets over the previous three weeks but he never looked in sync until the frantic fourth quarter comeback against the New York Giants Franklin fumbled on the Broncos first possession against the New York Jets in London Then he and quarterback Bo Nix failed to find a completion in his first five targets last week Since then though Franklin has put the pieces back together and suddenly looks back on a breakout track He caught three passes for yards and a key touchdown down the stretch last week and hauled in a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter Then in a - blowout win over Dallas on Sunday Franklin led Denver across the board with six catches on eight targets for yards and a pair of touchdowns It was a good feeling Franklin declared Franklin made big plays from the start against Dallas He hauled in a third-and- ball over the middle from Nix for yards on the Broncos opening drive He ripped open zone coverage on an in-breaker for a touchdown later in the first quarter Then in the fourth quarter the Broncos got a look they d been hoping for and took full advantage Franklin was alone to the left of Denver s formation and lined up against former Oregon teammate Trikweze Bridges at the Dallas -yard line Franklin started up the field worked inside and then whipped back to the corner of the end zone leaving Bridges in the dust That was matchup-driven Payton announced noting Denver felt it could attack Bridges Boundary corner We both know it s work Franklin announced of roasting a former teammate for a touchdown After the contest we were still talking and stuff We re still cool and everything When you re between the lines you ve got to get stuff done Franklin shrugged off a slump and is back to getting stuff done indeed For me personally I think just with how I fumbled in London I m authentically pretty good with just flushing and getting to the next play he described The Post earlier in the practice week With those two things the fumble in London and then the punchout against the Giants you just have to remember there s plenty of battle left We get into the challenge down the line and I can make more plays for our group It s one of those things where you really do have to flush it and know that you ll get it back What s happening in the moment matters but the long challenge does too That applies perfectly to Franklin s second season to date It hasn t unfailingly gone exactly the way he s longed but he s also taken a sizable step forward Sunday s production sent the East Palo Alto California native zipping past all of his major numbers from his rookie season In games over Franklin had catches targets for yards and two touchdowns Through eight games this season Franklin now sits at catches targets for yards and four touchdowns He s on pace for yards for the year Courtland Sutton easily leads the association so far this season with but Franklin is comfortably in second The Broncos have only had one player finish second in receiving yards and eclipse since Demaryius Tomas and Emmanuel Sanders each had -plus in That was Sutton with in behind Jerry Jeudy If Franklin plays the way he has the past five quarters he ll have a chance to put that mark in jeopardy Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos locks in before the tournament against the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday Oct Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Zach Allen reported the Broncos defense saw the Dallas offense on tape early in the week and fleetly determined a sense of urgency Broncos head coach Sean Payton had to be convinced to smile in the post-game aftermath of a -point fourth quarter last week This time around The veteran coach had his chest puffed out throughout his postgame news conference He mentioned the Broncos offense knew Dallas entered with the last-ranked defense in the NFL and we required to keep them last I just didn t think they could keep up with what we were doing he stated So I disclosed to our defense periodically Can you guys keep up with us The Broncos defense knew they d need their running shoes regardless of who they were trying to race There was just a heightened sense of urgency at least defensively announced defensive tackle Zach Allen who logged his fourth sack of the season and continued another strong start to the season You watch the tape and it s two stud receivers Tight end The o-line a lot of money and a lot of picks invested in it Quarterback s playing like a top- quarterback in football right now Javtone Williams has been awesome So for us it was like it was almost great to have this matchup after last week Payton presented the squad a stat that teams that come back from down in the fourth quarter are - the following week Then you watch the tape on Wednesday and you re like shoot this is going to be a challenge ' Allen disclosed So guys really handled the preparation the right way and it worked out Now the Broncos go forward uncertain about reigning defensive member of the year Pat Surtain II s status after a shoulder injury but in first place and feeling good about what they ve got going as a group I think we re coming into our own a little bit Allen stated Obviously being able to win ugly is really major in this league But at the same time starting fast is a big thing too When we start fast and we force teams to be kind of one-dimensional it s pretty special Now we ve proved we can win both techniques and we ve got to just keep chugging away RJ Harvey of the Denver Broncos scores a receiving touchdown as Shemar James of the Dallas Cowboys trails during the fourth quarter of the Broncos - win at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday Oct Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Sean Payton dialed up a wrinkle at the perfect time on RJ Harvey s -yard touchdown pass late in the meeting Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer made a curious decision in a battle that was likely already decided Courtland Sutton got called for offensive pass interference on a second-and-goal incompletion from the -yard line Instead of taking the penalty and forcing second-and-goal from the Schottenheimer declined it to get to third down Perhaps he thought that trailing - with just to go that he couldn t afford the extra time off the clock Payton though had a diabolical third-down call in his pocket To appreciate it let s rewind to Harvey s first career touchdown against Cincinnati in Week from a nearly identical situation third-and- from the Bengals -yard line The Broncos from the left hash aligned in an empty formation with Havey initially up as the widest man to the boundary He motioned into the backfield and stayed to Nix s left aligned about even with left tackle Garret Bolles One other piece to the puzzle The Broncos have come to fairly frequently use Harvey as a coverage indicator Defenses know he s a receiving threat so moving him in motion often ends up giving Nix a clue or the full answer as to whether the defense is in man coverage or zone If a defender follows Harvey it s man If the defense stays stationary that s a clue toward zone So Harvey motioned to the backfield against the Bengals and it was man coverage On the snap he raced back to the left flat the Bengals dropped the coverage entirely and Nix hit him for an easy walk-in touchdown Nix finds the rookie RJ Harvey and the Broncos add another TD CINvsDEN on ABCStream on NFLPlus and ESPN App pic twitter com bcA Fwcfey NFL NFL September Fast forward to Sunday The Broncos were again on the left hash They again lined up empty with Harvey out to the left Nix again motioned him to the backfield and again got a man coverage indicator when linebacker Shemar James followed him in Harvey settled behind Bolles again and James looked like he shaded to Harvey s outside Perhaps that s just how the Dallas defense is designed considering James didn t have help to the outside but it could have also been a film inquiry tip James saw and recognized Either way he was wrong This time at the snap Harvey darted all the way across the formation to the right On that side of the field Sutton and Franklin ran double slants to create traffic in the middle of the field James had no chance I knew it was going to be wide open Harvey noted RJ Harvey meets the end zone for the THIRD time in current times DALvsDEN on CBS Paramount https t co HkKw uXVnt pic twitter com SE VsfW NFL NFL October Indeed it was RJ s third-down call we ve had that in the plan for like five weeks Payton revealed afterward A good example of one call building off another and the way Payton and the Broncos try to stay ahead of what defenses learn when they watch Denver s tape Trent Sherfield sounded like a proud big brother talking about rookie Pat Bryant s breakout encounter Broncos veteran journeyman receiver Trent Sherfield has been a mentor to rookie Pat Bryant since shortly after the third-round pick out of Illinois arrived in town Bryant has taken majority of of Sherfield s playing time over the past sparse weeks Still Sherfield was beaming Sunday night in the locker room after Bryant caught his first touchdown on a -yard dime from Bo Nix and also continued his standout work as a run-blocker It makes me so happy Sherfield described The Post I ve mentioned it all along and I ve seen it from the jump He s fearless he s a young guy and he s eager and willing to learn Great hands great route-running ability And Sherfield revealed Bryant s resilient Take the first drive when Nix threw a ball behind him that ended up an interception He should have caught that ball and went for Sherfield commented Bo threw it a little bit behind him But Bryant comes off the field and just his response to adversity man It s just so unique for a young participant Sherfield called back to a preseason battle in which he got upset and was complaining on the sideline He was like Man big bro it s over Let it go You just don t see that a lot from young guys Sherfield announced To see him flourish he s going to be a great performer I was talking with Jaleel McLaughlin about it during our walkthrough the day before He s going to be a great member I ve been waiting for his breakout contest and I m hoping that going forward this is something that s weekly for him Pat Bryant of the Denver Broncos hauls in a touchdown reception over Trikweze Bridges of the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday Oct Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Sherfield is a physical blocker in his own right and predicted that Bryant s crack block on Dallas edge Sam Williams to help spring Harvey s -yard opening touchdown run would get a bigger reaction in the film room than a toe-tap touchdown grab in the back corner of the end zone Because that s not something that a typical receiver does Sherfield announced That s a dying breed of receiver in the NFL I informed Pat when we came in for halftime Man I want you to go get yards but I also want several more good blocks as well too Bryant s reputation has only grown in that department over his rookie season Even the offensive linemen have come to enjoy watching the -foot- receiver work He s an incredible run blocker right guard Quinn Meinerz announced He s putting his helmet and his hands on people all the time When we watch the tape you notice it We take care of the first and second level and Pat along with the other receivers he s got the third level That s when you start seeing those explosive runs That s why we re seeing those explosive runs the O-line and the receivers working together National tight end day did not go well for Jake Ferguson one of the most of productive pass-catchers in the NFL this season Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson entered Sunday with catches and six touchdowns already this season The catch mark was No overall in the NFL through the first seven weeks Not among tight ends Among all pass-catchers He had at least three catches in every tournament and seven-plus in five of the Cowboys seven outings Against the Broncos No catches and just one target That one target Intercepted by rookie nickel Jahdae Barron It s not surprising inside linebacker Alex Singleton deadpanned after the meeting You guys think I cover tight ends every play I don t cover tight ends every play Singleton perhaps should have taken the credit for snuffing out one of the league s best and doing so on National Tight Ends Day no less The veteran s point was well-taken though Coverage in the middle of the field is typically mixed responsibility even with how much man defensive coordinator Vance Joseph plays That s because the Broncos play match they pass receivers off over the middle so on and so forth It was good Singleton mentioned They re a really good offense They use him as a receiver and he s a really good receiver So to just be able to play the way we did at present was huge Quinn Meinerz Luke Wattenberg and Alex Palczewski of the Denver Broncos prepare to block for Bo Nix during the fourth quarter of the Broncos - win over the Dallas Cowboys at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday Oct Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post Two games in Alex Palczewski looks like the kind of answer at left guard that could give the Broncos reason to punt on addressing OL at the deal deadline The third-year undrafted man out of Illinois has settled the position down after Ben Powers and Matt Peart were injured in back-to-back weeks He turned in another solid outing Sunday and the Broncos dominated in the trenches overall Nix was not sacked and the Broncos averaged yards per carry outside of a pair of kneeldowns Palczewski has a big challenge on his hands after not playing any left side in any limit over his career college or pro His approach essentially is fake it til you make it Perhaps brawl until you figure out actual technique doesn t quite roll off the tongue the same way but it s slightly more accurate It s definitely been a challenge but offensive line coach Zach Strief has helped so much just with where my mind should go he declared Thursday Simple points That s the biggest thing is I ve just been trying not to overthink it too much Just go back to OK what are my thoughts presnap solely just to put myself in a good position to just play good football There s still a lot of stuff I m working on The nuances of OK I ve got to find myself I ve got to get to a good brace Everything s just different Palcho spent majority of his pro career to date backing up Mike McGlinchey at right tackle and also serving as the reserve right guard behind Quinn Meinerz Now he s settled down a anticipated sore spot for Denver in a big way and he might be doing enough to make the Broncos think they can not only survive but thrive as presently constructed The organization s hoping Powers will be back late in the regular season If they like Calvin Throckmorton as depth behind Palczewski perhaps there s less need to give up future draft capital to address the spot Not only that but Powers has no guaranteed money left on his deal after this season and a big cap number in Those kinds of decisions can wait until the season ends but the bottom line is Palczewski s played well so far and more time on the left side is only going to lead to more and more comfort If you sit on one side as Palcho has for the last like seven years or so it s really really demanding to switch sides McGlinchey explained Palcho goes from right guard or right tackle to all of a sudden You re one of our best five You ve got to go out there The fight that he had the technique he played with Palcho man he s a throwback a The Broncos offense roared to life against a beleaguered Dallas defense Sunday continuing a high-flying run that started with their -point fourth quarter last weekend Denver scored points in the first half and overall against Dallas The four first-half touchdowns gave the Broncos eight in three quarters dating back to the mark of the fourth quarter against the New York Giants Before that Sean Payton s group had scored nine touchdowns over its past quarters That goes all the way back through the fourth quarter of the Broncos Week loss at Indianapolis When Harvey scampered into the end zone for his third touchdown of the day in the middle of the fourth quarter the Broncos had scored on seven of nine full possessions Sunday and of their previous The total in that span touchdowns two field goals a punt and an interception Related Articles How Broncos felt difference of play-calling from Sean Payton in blowout of Cowboys Renck With this version of Bo Nix the extraordinary seems attainable for Broncos Broncos analysis RJ Harvey rookie class shine in blowout win over Dallas Maybe they read someone s article Keeler Broncos Riley Moss is getting it worse from NFL referees than NFL QBs Broncos put WR Marvin Mims Jr in concussion protocol after fourth-quarter kickoff return b The Broncos extended a pair of winning streaks when they won their fifth straight overall and ran their NFL-best home winning streak to nine games Sean Payton s squad hasn t lost at Empower Field since Week of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers The Broncos now will look to run the overall winning streak to six next week in a tough matchup at Houston but then have two more home games coming over the first half of November against Las Vegas Thursday Night Football Nov and Kansas City Nov Nothing is certain in the NFL but if Denver wins its next two home games to get to straight at Empower Field it would be at worst - on the season and tied atop the AFC West That s the kind of home-field advantage the Broncos have been talking about rebuilding and it shows a pretty clear path toward being squarely in contention to end the Chiefs stranglehold on the division That s easier explained than done of lesson especially against the Chiefs given the way quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company have been playing But everything the Broncos want is right there for the taking and the way they ve handled business at home in the early part of the season is a big reason why c The Broncos also happened to be riding a five-game winning streak last time they went to Houston They lost on a last-second offensive failure deep in the red zone which left Payton fuming over what he called a chaos play that resulted in Russell Wilson throwing a game-sealing interception Denver is in a much stronger position this time They re - instead of - that year but the group s got a bit of a bitter taste in its mouth still Houston obviously the way we lost the last time we were there wasn t great Allen advised The Post We really want to try to get our revenge but it s going to be tough They re a good gang They ve won a lot of games the past couple of years They got the quarterback right Any time you do that you re going to be in a good spot We just have to play kind of like this week We did a really good job of moving on quick and we ve got to do the same this week Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis