Denver Broncos Beat Houston Texans in Their 6th Straight Win

The Broncos did it again! After playing lackluster in the first half, Denver was able to pull off yet another comeback. Their defense was outstanding in all four quarters, and the offense woke up in the second half. They are now 7-2 on the season and sit in first place in the AFC West.

Broncos Come Up Clutch Again!

The storyline all season for Denver has been their ability to overcome deficits late in the fourth quarter. They trailed 12-7 heading into the second half, and Bo Nix couldn’t find any rhythm. The defense bailed them out once again, stopping the Texans when it mattered most, and most notably, a red zone stop when the Texans were on the one-yard line in the first quarter. 

Bo Nix did struggle for most of the game, but made the big plays when it mattered most. Nix had two beautiful passes for touchdowns that went to Courtland Sutton and RJ Harvey. He also threaded the needle to Troy Franklin on a two-point conversion to tie the game at 15. On their final drive, Bo used his legs to take advantage of a huge gap in the middle of the field and scrambled for 25 yards. The Broncos would continue to pound the rock, setting themselves up for the game-winning field goal.

Denver’s defensive line had another stellar day, getting after the quarterback and once again dominating the line of scrimmage. Talanoa Hufanga’s performance was one to remember, making a ton of great tackles in open space to stop the run and recording two important pass deflections. 

Texans Couldn’t Capitalize On Opportunities

Despite losing CJ Stroud early in the second quarter, the Texans had a ton of chances to win this game. Houston had the ball on the Broncos’ 2-yard line and ended up losing 21 yards on three plays. They continue to struggle getting it done in the red zone, and one of the main reasons why they lost today’s game. 

Houston’s defense was fantastic today, but couldn’t hold on late in the game. When the Texans’ offense wasn’t able to get anything going but a quick three-and-out, it forced the defense to quickly get back out onto the field. The Broncos’ special teams unit was basically handing the game over, giving the Texans great starting field position on what felt like every single drive.

The Texans will stay home next week to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in a divisional matchup, but will most likely be without CJ Stroud as he remains in concussion protocol. Stroud hit the ground hard after scrambling on third down, landing awkwardly on his head after not fully committing to a slide. Kris Abrams-Draine had a clean shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Stroud, not making any contact with his helmet. 

Final Thoughts

Both defenses should be the biggest takeaways from this matchup. Matt Burke and Vance Joseph did a great job shutting down their opponents, as they both made a case for who is the best defensive unit in all of football.

The Broncos were able to get the job done, but they still have a lot of things to clean up. Darren Rizzi has done a terrible job as the special teams coordinator thus far, as they continue to make mind-boggling mistakes. The most notable one came at the hands of Michael Bandy, who misplayed the punt, missing the ball and letting it hit him, which the Texans were able to turn into a field goal right before halftime. 

I’d like to see Denver play like they do late in games for all four quarters, like they did last week against the Dallas Cowboys. Pulling off comeback after comeback each week is something that isn’t sustainable for the Broncos.