Well, here’s something you don’t see very often. With 12:51 left in the third quarter and the ball at the Denver 17-yard line after a third-down Micah Parsons sack of Teddy Bridgewater, the Broncos decided to punt on fourth-and-14 against the Cowboys. Dallas was already down 16-0 to the Broncos, so it was time for something good to happen for America’s team, right?
Well… at first, yes. Punter Sam Martin booted the ball, but it was blocked by receiver Malik Turner, which should have given Dallas the ball in an advantageous situation. But cornerback Nahshon Wright touched the blocked punt ball without recovering it, which made it a live ball for anybody’s recovery. Linebacker Jonas Griffith was the man with the plan, and while the Cowboys celebrated after the play was over, thinking it was their ball regardless, it was not. It was Denver’s ball, first-and-10, from the Broncos’ 19-yard line.
Cowboys block the punt, Broncos recover as it was caught past the line of scrimmage and keep the ball, 1st and 10 Broncos. wild#DALvsDEN pic.twitter.com/zP2DslJoDI
— Ted Buddy 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) November 7, 2021
Worst of all for the Cowboys was the fact that the Broncos were able to capitalize on the error with a drive that ended in a 27-yard field goal by kicker Brandon McManus, making the score 19-0.
As always, the moral of the story is: Don’t touch the ball unless you have a plan.
