DENVER _ No need for a preliminary injunction or emergency stay.
No need to a higher court for a ruling.
The verdict is in on what happens with the Dallas Cowboys when they don't run the ball and can't control the clock.
The summary judgment ruled decisively in favor of the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field Sunday in a game that wasn't as close the final 42-17 score.
The Cowboys trailed 21-10 halftime and 35-10 in the third quarter before showing some signs of life.
It was fitting that the Broncos cornerback Aquib Tabib returned a Dak Prescott interception 103 yards for a touchdown with 53 seconds left in the game, setting a party off in the stands among the few Broncos faithful who stayed to the end.
Blame a lack of carries for running back Ezekiel Elliott?
Can the NFL Players file a motion to count this game as part of his six-game suspension? At the end of the third quarter he had nine carries for 8 yards and that's how his day would finish.
The Cowboys will find out this week if this was Elliott's final game as the 5th Circuit Court of U.S. Appeals will rule on the NFL's motion for an emergency stay of the preliminary injunction blocking the six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
Without Elliott being able to run the ball, Prescott was unable to do anything in the air. He completed 30 of 50 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
The Cowboys were 2 of 10 on third downs through the first three quarters.
Blame can also go to a rash of injuries in the secondary, leaving the Cowboys with two healthy cornerbacks for the final three quarters.
The result was Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian looking like a second coming of Peyton Manning, playing easy pitch and catch to complete 22 of 32 passes for 231 yards and a career-high tying four touchdown passes.
But this lopsided outcome was also a case of the Cowboys not being ready to play and getting dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The best offensive line in football that features three Pro Bowlers in tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and guard Zack Martin got little movement up front and provided little protection on passing downs.
The inability to run and convert first downs resulted in extreme exposure for a maligned defense that is at its best when its snaps are limited. The defense also had to deal with the lack of depth at cornerback.
Even before rookie cornerback Chido Awuzie was lost in the first quarter with a hamstring and Nolan Carroll was lost in the second to a concussion, the Cowboys were plagued by a lack of a pass rush, missed tackles and poor run fits.
Linebacker Sean Lee had arguably the least impactful game of his career and linebacker Jaylon Smith was a non-factor.
DeMarcus Lawrence had two sacks for the second consecutive game, including one that led to a touchdown, a 3-yard pass from Prescott to Dez Bryant.
But he was not a regular force and had little help. Lawrence also cost the Cowboys points. Following a sack to force a field goal, he was flagged for leverage for falling on a Broncos defender.
The Broncos took the points off the board and turned it into a touchdown to make it 14-7 in the second quarter.
It was a boat race from there.
The cornerback issues could no longer be hidden as Siemian and his receivers had little resistance.
The Cowboys opened the game without its best cornerback in Orlando Scancdrick, who is out with a fractured bone in his hand.
The ended it with Lewis and Brown on the outside and rookie safety Xavier Brown playing the nickel.
This was Lewis first game of the season after missing all of training camp and the preseason with a hamstring injury.
He participated in just two full practices.
