Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
DENVER -- Here are some quick observations of the first half.
- The Cowboys have 13 first downs, the Broncos five. The Cowboys have outgained the Broncos, 183-104. They only lead by three points, though, because of the Tony Romo fumble deep inside Cowboys territory.
- Marion Barber looked really strong early in this game. The Cowboys are monitoring him closely and they seemed to back off him late in the first half. Tashard Choice has eight carries for 16 yards but he's caught three passes for 34 yards. Barber has 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown. A pretty heroic effort given Barber's injury situation.
- Knowshon Moreno just did what you absolutely can't do to start a half: He fumbled the ball, giving the Cowboys great field position at the Broncos' 27-yard line. Great job by DeMarcus Ware getting the strip.
- Kyle Orton is 9-of-15 for 87 yards and a touchdown but he's actually played worse than those numbers indicate. He's just not sharp at all.
- It's been really interesting watching Barber lobby to get back in the game every time he's on the sideline. You can tell that running backs coach Skip Peete is really torn about how much time to give him. Now it looks like Choice is banged up, so the Cowboys may have to ride Barber. Looks like Choice is trying to walk it off right now. From here, it looks like Choice is favoring his left ankle.
- Bradie James and Keith Brooking combined to make seven tackles in the first half. They're doing a good job at the point of attack -- especially James.
- Another huge turnover by Romo. Not sure whose fault that was. Looks like Romo's the one who made the poor decision.
- Gerald Sensabaugh is wearing a cast. I think we've seen the last of him today.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Matt Mosley
Mosley, an award-winning writer for The Dallas Morning News for seven years, joined ESPN.com in January 2007. Mosley, a Baylor graduate, writes columns, features and blogs for ESPN.com.