Broncos' blowout win over Cowboys marred by Pat Surtain II's strained pec that will sideline him

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos' blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys proved costly with two All-Pros getting hurt, including reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II, who's week to week with a strained left pectoral muscle.

Surtain left the Broncos' 44-24 win over Dallas just before halftime and didn't return for the second half. Also, kick returner Marvin Mims Jr. suffered a concussion on a runback when he was no longer supposed to be in the game.

Surtain’s left arm and shoulder twisted awkwardly on a tackle of George Pickens as he tried to pull the receiver to the ground after a 7-yard reception with 22 seconds left before halftime.

Surtain, who also injured his lower right leg in the first quarter, underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed there wasn't a more serious tear that could have sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Surtain is the fulcrum of Denver's stingy defense. He's missed two games in his career and an absence of any sort could be a big blow to Vance Joseph's unit.

“Obviously, we hope he's healthy,” linebacker Justin Strnad said. “He's a big part of what we do."

Mims, who has also emerged as an offensive playmaker, suffered a head injury at the end of a 26-yard kickoff return in the waning minutes of the game and will have to clear the concussion protocol in order to play at Houston next weekend.

Asked about the wisdom of having Mims still in the game with a 20-point late lead, coach Sean Payton acknowledged it was a mistake.

"We made a substitution. I know ‘Riz’ (special teams coordinator/assistant head coach Darren Rizzi) was trying to send in Tyler (Badie) in for Marvin. Somehow, the communication failed. Tyler went in for RJ (Harvey), but fair question. Right at that stage of the game, you’re trying to be smart,” Payton said.

Denver's offense has produced 77 points over the last five quarters with 10 touchdowns, two field goals, two punts and an interception. That has finally taken some heat off Denver's dominant defense, which kept the league's top offense in check Sunday.

“I’m proud of our defense,” edge rusher Jonathon Cooper said. “I’m proud of how everybody showed up. Definitely a statement win for us.”

As for Denver's emerging offense, “We still haven’t scratched the surface of what we can do, but we kind of saw it today,” running back J.K. Dobbins said after posting his second 100-yard game of the season Sunday.

The Broncos can't shake their penalty problem. They were whistled a dozen times Sunday with seven accepted penalties totaling 42 yards. For the season, they've been flagged an NFL-high 85 times for an average of 10.6 infractions per game.

Bo Nix has found a nice rhythm the last two weeks. He threw for four touchdowns Sunday after becoming the first QB in league history to run and throw for multiple scores in a fourth quarter last week against the Giants.

One of his TD throws Sunday was an over-the-shoulder toss to rookie Pat Bryant for his first career score.

“It was amazing,” Bryant said. “I just wanted to make sure that I got the Mile High Salute in. Especially with the throwbacks, I’ve been hearing it a lot this week.”

Rizzi's special teams units, again. This time, the blunder was a wrong substitution.

In addition to Surtain and Mims, TE Nate Adkins (knee) got hurt Sunday.

Denver’s 44 points were the most by the club since a 45-point outburst at Arizona on Oct. 18, 2018.

Harvey's three TDs Sunday made him the first Broncos rookie since RB Clinton Portis in 2002 to score at least three touchdowns in a game.

The Broncos are the first team in NFL history to eclipse 35 sacks within the first eight games of a season while allowing fewer than 10 sacks in that span.

The Broncos visit the Houston Texans (3-4), who are coming off a 26-15 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

“Coach liked our week of practice,” Nix said. “We all thought the urgency was up. We have to go stack weeks and have a similar vibe this week and make sure that we are practicing hard Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so we can come out here and do that performance over and over.”

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Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey (12) celebrates with teammates and fans after scoring a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos' RJ Harvey (12) catches a touchdown pass in front of Dallas Cowboys' Kaiir Elam (20) in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix throws a pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) jogs off the field after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II sits on the field with an unknown injury as officials call time in the irst half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Galileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)