Denver.— Veteran Josh Johnson threw a pair of touchdowns in the first half and the Denver Broncos beat the penalty-prone Dallas Cowboys 17-7 on a starless Saturday night that featured steady rain for much of the season. part of the second half.
Johnson, 36, playing for his 14th NFL team, was hired this offseason to compete with Brett Rypien for the backup job to new Broncos starter Russell Wilson.
Wilson sat out, as did Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, leaving the passing duties to backups.
Rypien was 8 of 18 for 113 yards. Cooper Rush started for Dallas and was 12-of-20 for 84 yards and an interception. Ben DiNucci (9-of-16 for 112 yards) finally put the Cowboys on the scoreboard with a 12-yard TD throw to Simi Fehoko with just under five minutes remaining, capping a 16-play, 95-yard drive.
The Cowboys committed a whopping 17 penalties for 129 yards 48 hours after Dallas’ frontline offense was dominated by Denver’s frontline defense in a joint practice that featured half a dozen skirmishes.
After giving up 17 points in the second quarter, the Cowboys fended off Denver with a goal line on the Broncos’ first drive after halftime when cornerback Kyron Brown scrambled Rypien’s pass to Darrius Shepherd on fourth-and-goal. yard 3.
Just a handful of regular starters for each team, including Broncos inside linebacker Jonas Griffith, who injured his left elbow on the second play of the game and didn’t return.
Johnson overcame a slow start to throw for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing. He connected with Seth Williams from 1 yard out and added a 24-yard pass to Kendall Hinton. Williams’ catch followed a 40-yard reception by rookie Brandon Johnson, the son of former Colorado Rockies wide receiver Charles Johnson.
Brandon McManus sent the Broncos into halftime with a 17-0 lead by hitting a 52-yard pass late in the first half.
