Broncos Have a Close Call

The Denver Broncos came to Texas Stadium seeking a spark to ignite a playoff run. Instead, they nearly burned themselves.

Jason Elam kicked four field goals, helping Denver take a 23-point lead into the fourth quarter. Then the Broncos allowed Dallas, which hadn’t scored a touchdown in nine quarters, to score three times before holding on for a 26-24 victory Thursday.

Denver (6-5) nearly blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second consecutive week.

“It’s always nice to find a way to win,” said Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan, who chastised his offense after a 17-10 loss to Washington on Sunday.

“We had a chance to put it away a number of times. We struggled a little bit. We have to execute better offensively so we can put people away. It’s a credit to win that game with as many missed opportunities.”

Dallas fans will remember this game partly for the comeback and mostly for Coach Dave Campo’s decision not to go for a two-point conversion after the second fourth-quarter touchdown.

The Cowboys pulled to 26-16 when Reggie Swinton scored on a 65-yard punt return with 7:29 left. That came only 43 seconds after a one-yard touchdown run by Troy Hambrick.

Campo initially called for two, even sending the play in to quarterback Ryan Leaf. The coach changed his mind during a delay caused by an injured Dallas player on the turf and Jon Hilbert kicked the point after.

Had Dallas made the two-pointer, it would’ve closed within eight, the equivalent of another touchdown and two-pointer. Being down nine meant the Cowboys needed two scores.

Dallas (2-8) wound up scoring only one more time, getting another one-yard touchdown from Hambrick with 1:10 left. Hilbert kicked again, then tried an on-side kick.

Denver’s Detron Smith held on and the Cowboys went away losers for the fourth consecutive game, the last three with Leaf.

“To make two two-pointers, back-to-back, the percentages were not with us,” Campo said. “I thought it was a better chance to take the point and get the on-side kick. No, it wasn’t a bad decision.”

The Broncos, winners for only the third time since starting 3-1, went away with another injury to a key offensive player.

Running back Olandis Gary broke a bone in his left leg on the second drive and likely is out for the rest of the season. However, Terrell Davis could be back next week at Miami.

Mike Anderson, who gained 1,487 yards last season in place of Davis and Gary, ran 33 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Brian Griese was 17 of 29 for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Griese, critical of his supporting cast last week, used six receivers. His favorite target was Rod Smith, who had seven catches for 81 yards despite playing with a sprained ankle. He also went over 1,000 yards for the fifth consecutive season.

The Broncos seemed to have broken the game open in the second quarter when they sandwiched a one-yard touchdown run from Anderson and a four-yard touchdown pass from Griese to Dwayne Carswell around a fumble by Leaf. They led, 17-3, at halftime.

Leaf fumbled three times, but lost only one. After three frustrating quarters, he came to life. Leaf had 109 of his 193 yards and seven of his 16 completions after Elam’s final field goal.

“He showed that when things are clicking he can make some nice throws,” Hambrick said. “I’m happy that he didn’t get down and show the side that everybody wants to see.”

Leaf still fell to 4-17 as an NFL starter and missed a chance to join Clint Longley and Jason Garrett as Thanksgiving Day Cowboy heroes.