The Denver Broncos dominated the Dallas Cowboys in a 44-24 win on Sunday. After the game, coach Sean Payton gave game balls to team owners Rob Walton and Carrie Walton Penner following their victory over fellow Arkansas transplant Jerry Jones.

“So, it was the first time we had the ‘Battle of Arkansas’ between the Jones family and the Walton family,” Payton said. “So Carrie and Rob got the ‘Battle of Arkansas’ game ball. We’ll have a chance to look at the tape. But ownership’s been great, and it’s a good win. It’s a good win.”

With the help of their rookie class, Denver easily took care of business against Dallas. Broncos running back RJ Harvey had a hat trick of touchdowns, wide receiver Pat Bryant hauled in his first career touchdown and cornerback Jahdae Barron grabbed his first career interception.

“A lot of production from the rookie class,” Payton said, “Maybe they read someone’s article, I don’t know. But interception, touchdowns. I mean, it’s great to see them moving, getting the experience. Sometimes it’s more difficult, but Jahdae had the interception right before the half — that was a big play. Pat, all of it was good.”

With that, here are five more quick takeaways following Sunday’s big win at home.

1. That’s more like it from Bo Nix and the offense: After multiple slow starts this season, Nix and the offense were motivated to start quickly against Dallas. It looked like the offense might be headed for another tough start after Nix threw a bad interception on the game’s opening drive, but he quickly bounced back and scored four touchdowns as the offense had its best game of the season. Granted, it came against a struggling defense (more on that later), but that was the kind of dominant start-to-finish performance the offense needed to get back on track.

2. Denver has a brilliant backfield duo: J.K. Dobbins topped 100 yards for the second time this season, rushing 15 times for 111 yards in the win. Second-round draft pick RJ Harvey also had a big day with three scores and 51 yards from scrimmage. The Broncos have a dynamic one-two punch in the backfield, bringing back memories of Sean Payton’s Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara era with the New Orleans Saints. Ahead of Monday Night Football, Denver ranks fourth in the NFL, averaging 137.8 rushing yards per game this season.

3. Pat Surtain’s health will be crucial: PS2 briefly left the game with a lower leg injury and then returned to action. He later suffered an unrelated shoulder injury before halftime and was ruled out in the third quarter. Payton did not provide any injury updates after the game, and we don’t yet know the severity of Surtain’s injury. Broncos fans will have their fingers crossed that it’s not serious.

4. The Cowboys have the worst defense in the NFL: There is a bit of an asterisk next to Denver’s offensive outburst because it came against a struggling Dallas unit that was missing several players due to injuries. Technically, the Cowboys rank second-worst in points (31.3) and yards (404.6) allowed per game this season, but they’re barely behind the Cincinnati Bengals (31.6; 407.9). You can only play who’s in front of you, and the Broncos took advantage of Sunday’s matchup, but there will be tougher games ahead.

5. The real test for Denver’s offense comes next week: The Broncos are set to face polar opposite defenses in back-to-back games. Up next on Denver’s schedule is a road game against the Houston Texans, who rank No. 1 in the NFL going into MNF with 14.7 points allowed per game. Houston’s 11 takeaways are tied for fifth-most, and they’ve allowed a league-low 266.9 yards per contest to opponents. Nix and Co. have a much harder challenge on deck after taking care of business against a bad Cowboys defense.

The Broncos are currently first in the AFC West with a 6-2 record. Their five-game winning streak is tied for the longest active streak in the NFL, and their nine-game winning streak at home leads the league.

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