Four downs for the Broncos: Russell Wilson ends with three interceptions Team Takeaway’s winning run of five games
It should come as no surprise that there was a lot of orange in the first shot of Sunday’s match. Broncos Country appears regardless of years of incompetence, a botched ownership transfer plan, and heaps of disappointment. Each and every time.
And now, as a team that supporters can root for in the middle of a postseason competition, they occupy about 25% of the stadium when playing away.
Well, it seems like a lot of Texans supporters were dressed like there were no seats inside NRG Stadium. We can’t help but long for those vintage Houston Oilers helmets. Replug the oil derricks back in.
The issue with the flag is that it cannot be avoided. The Broncos suffered greatly from the officiating in the first half. On the game’s opening drive, Russell Wilson is hit low, but Tom Brady is not called for roughing the passer.
On a botched third down attempt by Houston, Alex Singleton momentarily loses his composure and is assessed a fair personal foul penalty, which obliquely results in a touchdown for the Texans.
And finally, there is a clear defensive pass interference which goes uncalled after Wilson underthrows Marvin Mims Jr.
That’s a minimum of seven points in favor of Houston. Of course, Samaje Perine’s third-quarter “drop” was most likely a fumble, so even Steven?
Going deep: The Broncos’ offensive display came after only two plays. Russell Wilson threw two deep balls and two snaps. They were both facing Courtland Sutton. They were both incomplete, the last being a drop.
It was a dramatic shift from Denver’s five-game winning streak-producing pound-the-rock-and-play-D approach, but perhaps a wise one given the dubious secondary Houston brought to the game on Sunday (ranked 27th in throw yards allowed per game).
Up until Russ and Sutton eventually connected on a stunning 45-yard scoring throw in the third quarter, which almost doubled Wilson’s passing yardage up to that time, it still looked like a loss.
When you include a 41-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, it’s difficult to claim the tactic was ineffective. But not with Derek Stingley Jr., the Houston cornerback, involved.
The Broncos’ five-game winning streak has raised the following question: Throughout the Broncos’ five-game winning streak, one worry has been lingering in the background: What will happen if all of those defensive takeaways stop happening? We might have gotten our answer on Sunday. The Broncos defense induced a fumble twice.
Both times, the team of Texans were successful in recovering the ball, including after C.J. Stroud fumbled in Houston territory and Ja’Quan McMillian forced it out of the Broncos’ hands.
Naturally, on the Broncos’ final offensive play of the game, Russ threw one more pick in the end zone to complete his hat trick. As a final point total, you have Texans 3 and Broncos 0. That’s your area of expertise.
After teammate wideout Tank Dell exited early due to a season-ending broken leg, Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving and a score in the fourth quarter.
With nine seconds remaining, Jimmie Ward picked Russell Wilson in the end zone to seal the Texans’ 22-17 victory over the Broncos on Sunday.
To secure Houston’s fourth win in five games and halt Denver’s five-game winning run, Ward leaped in front of designated receiver Lucas Krull (6-6). Ward acknowledged that the play was made possible by the pass rush.
Ward stated, “When that pressure gets to you, sometimes you make poor choices, and that’s what he did.” With just over 14 minutes remaining, a Russell Wilson interception resulted in another touchdown for Houston and a 12-point deficit.
Wilson was intercepted by the Texans three times in the season, all of which occurred after halftime.
The Texans selected Derek Stingley Jr. with the first two picks. Despite forcing 15 turnovers during their winning run, the Broncos failed to secure a victory on Sunday.
Unbeatable Florida State, who is unbeaten, was excluded from the College Football Playoff by the committee.