Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Live updates
Fourth-quarter updates
Touchdown, Broncos (1:37 p.m.): Bo Nix finds RJ Harvey for a 27-yard touchdown. Two-point conversion is good with the pass from Nix to Troy Franklin. We’re tied up, y’all. 12:28 to go in the fourth quarter. — Nguyen
That 2-point high-point might be Nix’s best pass of the day. Not a deep pool to choose from, but still. — Keeler
And just like that, we got a tie ballgame. The Broncos’ fourth-quarter offense is the Greatest Show on Turf. — Schubert
First down (1:36 p.m.): Troy Franklin ekes out a first down on that 2-yard run. — Nguyen
Fourth-quarter plays (1:36 p.m.): Per broadcast, the Broncos have outscored opponents 75-20 in the fourth quarter over the last five games. So, there’s that. — Renck
What. A. Play. (1:35 p.m.): Bo Nix connects with Pat Bryant, who just fights for that first down. Big play. — Nguyen
Pat Bryant competes. It is simple as that. He is a winning player. — Renck
Pat Bryant, all muscle. — Schubert
Third-quarter thoughts — Texans 15, Broncos 7
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: The Broncos, somehow, are not yet out of this game despite the best efforts of their own special teams units and their offense.
Luca Evans, beat writer: This is Bo Time. Can’t really judge this game until we see Bo Nix and Broncos’ fourth-quarter offense, as we’ve learned. Looked like Nix may have gotten in rhythm on that late-third-quarter out to Troy Franklin. If so, watch out.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: If Payton’s talking at halftime, who’s listening? The Broncos came into the weekend tied for 30th in the NFL when it comes to third-quarter scoring (2.9 points). This is their fourth third-quarter goose egg in the last five games.
Glass half-full: The Broncos take those 15 minutes off every third quarter so orange and blue faithful can a) order food; b) pick up beer; c) engage with their significant others or children. It’s a community club, after all.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: The Broncos have scored three points in the third quarter since Week 3. That came last week vs. Cowboys. They enter fourth trailing 15-7 in Houston. Winnable game, but not without huge improvement from offense and special teams.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: As bad as the Broncos special teams has been, as bad as Bo Nix and the Broncos offense has been … this game is right there for Denver to steal. Two offensive drives. That’s all that is needed in this fourth quarter, and the Broncos are 7-2 going into Thursday Night Football.
Third-quarter updates
Three-and-out (1:27 p.m.): Nik Bonitto nearly sacked Davis Mills, who — give him credit — spun out of it and made a 7-yard completion. Not enough. The punt goes to the Broncos, who start at their own 39. — Nguyen
Broncos defense delivers with a three-and-out of its own. Credit Nik Bonitto with applying pressure on third down. Let’s see if the Broncos offense can continue this train of complementary football. Ball at the Denver 39. — Schubert
Three-and-out (1:25 p.m.): Three straight runs lead to another three-and-out for the Broncos. Dobbins gets stuffed on back to back plays. And, for once, special teams delivers with a boomer from Jeremy Crawshaw. — Schubert
Schemes (1:24 p.m.): Don’t understand why they don’t use Bo Nix on RPO. Put in Dobbins’ belly and scoot around the end. — Renck
Dobbins running (1:22 p.m.): J.K. Dobbins with an 8-yard run. He only has eight carries today. He should probably get the ball more. — Nguyen
Three-and-out (1:19 p.m.): The defense stood strong. Riley Moss is fired up on the bench after deflecting that pass to force fourth down. The Broncos offense needs to get something started. — Nguyen
Big pass breakup from Riley Moss on third down at midfield. The Broncos will get the ball back after Demeco Ryans continues his conservative approach. Denver ball at its 12. — Schubert
White Boy Rick sighting there for the Broncos. Riley Moss has been pretty decent today — and in quiet fashion, for a change. — Evans
Special team woes (1:15 p.m.): Tack on a personal foul penalty on the punt return and Houston gets the ball in great field position yet again.
I’m guessing Sean Payton won’t be as sunny when asked about his special teams this week. — Schubert
Long snapper Mitch Fraboni called for late hit on punt return. So, blocked field goal, muffed punt, 45-yard punt return and now late hit. That is the Gordie Howe hat trick on special teams. Just comically bad by Broncos and Darren Rizzi’s group. — Renck
Three-and-out (1:13 p.m.): Three plays for minus-1 yards for Denver on that drive. It’s on the defense now. — Nguyen
Another three-and-out for the Broncos offense. Things are starting to get dicey in H Town. We can only assume the Texans have another 2-3 field goals in them. — Schubert
Pass happy (1:10 p.m.): The Broncos ran it three times in the first four plays. They’ve run it four times, combined, in the 24 plays since. Payton sees a rush for no gain, he immediately gives up. Payton sees a bad pass, he keeps throwing. — Keeler
Field goal, Texans (1:08 p.m.): Ka’imi Fairbairn nails the 41-yard field goal, his fifth field goal out of six attempts today. Six plays, 24 yards on the drive. Texans 15, Broncos 7 with 9:18 to go in the third quarter. — Nguyen
Broncos defense does its thing, stiffens up on its side of the field. Another Texans field goal. What a day to have Ka’imi Fairbairn on your fantasy roster. 15-7, Texans. — Schubert
Fairbairn is 5/6 on FGs today and we’ve still got more than 24 minutes of regulation remaining. — Gabriel
Special teams (1:02 p.m.): If this is an “outstanding” special teams job by Rizzi, Lord help an average one. — Keeler
This is really turning into a nightmare day for the Broncos’ special teams. — Schubert
Is Darren Rizzi going to be allowed back on the team plane after this? — Nguyen
Injury update (12:58 p.m.): Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been ruled out of the game. — Nguyen
Stroud, Howard and Harris for the Texans — all OUT. Mercy. — Keeler
Texans officially rule C.J. Stroud out with a concussion.
Tytus Howard is also out with a concussion.
Christian Harris out with a shin injury. — Gabriel
With Stroud out for the rest of the game, this becomes a must-win for Denver. You cannot let an opportunity like this slip past. — Schubert
Halftime thoughts — Texans 12, Broncos 7
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: J.K. Dobbins touched the ball four times for 24 yards rushing in the first quarter. He had it on a carry for zero yards on the last play of the opening stanza. He hasn’t touched the ball since. Make it make sense to me, people. Make it make sense. The Broncos are lucky it’s 12-7. Damn lucky.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: Broncos have 105 yards and held the ball for 7:21. They should be getting smashed. Instead their defense has kept them game by holding Texans to 3-for-10 on third down and stiffening in red zone. The reason Broncos are losing is their wretched special teams. They have had a field goal blocked and muffed a punt. It cost them six points. Should be leading 13-10. Instead they trail 12-7.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: The score says 12-7, Texans, but if the Broncos can just avoid the big mistake, this game is there for the taking. That’s assuming, of course, that Davis Mills is Houston’s quarterback the rest of the way. Credit the Broncos defense, which has made play after play on its side of the field. This halftime score could’ve looked a lot worse.
Second-quarter updates
Sacked (12:41 p.m.): Dondrea Tillman with the Broncos’ fourth sack today. — Nguyen
The Broncos just keep throwing pass rushers at the Texans. This time, it’s Dondrea Tillman. Sack No. 4 today. — Schubert
Injury (12:39 p.m.): Zach Allen face down and legs twitching. Really, really, really not good. — Keeler
Looks lille Allen got chipped pretty hard on that play. — Schubert
Special teams woes (12:35 p.m.): No Marvin Mims Jr. Big problem. Michael Bandy muffs the punt return. Houston recovers the ball. Awful play. — Nguyen
Michael Bandy needs a pair of Sean Payton’s new glasses. Terrible. — Keeler
SPECIAL TEAMS BLUNDER. AGAIN. — Schubert
Really? Once you misjudge it, get out of there, Michael Bandy. Hard to imagine Broncos special teams could be much worse this season. Already cost them game at Indy. Trying to do same today. Rizzi has to be held accountable for this mess at some point. — Renck
Fox’ Kevin Kugler just said on broadcast “Bandy with the latest Broncos special-teams miscue.” That’s never a good sentence. — Evans
Punt (12:32 p.m.): Not Crawshaw’s best punt. The Texans will get the ball at their 34-yard line with 1:02 to go and two timeouts. — Schubert
Clock management (12:32 p.m.): Time of possession so far:
Texans: 21:37
Broncos: 7:21
Houston’s got the ball with 1:02 left in the first half. — Gabriel
Screen (12:29 p.m.): Can we take the Badie screen game out of the playbook. Bury it under the fieldhouse and never speak of it again. — Renck
Starting point (12:28 p.m.): WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?!
Not sure how that ball ended up getting placed at the 20 to begin the drive, but Nix and the Broncos are driving anyway. — Schubert
Field goal, Texans (12:24 p.m.): Texans settle for a 38-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn. A nine-play, 53-yard drive. Texans 9, Broncos 7 with 1:52 to go in the first half. — Nguyen
The answer: No. Demeco Ryans wanted nothing to do with Davis Mills taking a snap on fourth-and-short against this Broncos defense. 9-7 Texans after another field goal.
Bo Nix and the offense will get plenty of time to work with. There’s 1:52 on the clock going into the kickoff. — Schubert
Fourth down (12:23 p.m.): Fourth-and-1 at the 20. Do the Texans go for it? — Schubert
Payday coming (12:20 p.m.): John Franklin-Myers is going to be making a lot of money somewhere next season. — Gabriel
This defensive front needs to get fitted for bibs on their uniform. They are frothing and slobbering. And the physicality has been impressive as the stats this season. — Renck
Nearly picked (12:20 p.m.): Talanoa Hufanga inches away from an interception. The Broncos’ four-man rush causing problems up front. — Schubert
Texans driving (12:18 p.m.): Texans now to the Broncos’ 29. First-and-10 with Davis Mills moving the ball methodically down the field. As we all know, this is where things typically end for opposing offenses. — Schubert
Penalty (12:16 p.m.): Hitting guys hard on crossing routes just is not allowed anymore. Broncos getting flagged again, but this one doesn’t get picked up. Texas are across midfield. — Schubert
NRG Stadium love (12:13 p.m.): BTW, Michael Bandy freakin’ loves NRG. That 16-yarder wasn’t his NFL career long for a catch — but he DID have that career best here, a 25-yard grab with the Chargers at Houston in October 2022. — Keeler
Defense (12:12 p.m.): With this defense and Davis Mills still taking snaps on the other side, all the Broncos need is roughly 1.5 more drives like that and this is probably a wrap. — Schubert
Middle 8 is going to be important as always. Broncos will start the second half with the ball, so a stop from the defense here with 4:52 to go in the first half can flip control of this game pretty quickly. Especially with Davis Mills still in there for Houston’s offense. — Gabriel
Touchdown, Broncos (12:09 p.m.): Bo Nix finds Courtland Sutton for a 30-yard touchdown. Seven plays, 70 yards on the drive. Broncos 7, Texans 6 with 4:52 to go in the half. — Nguyen
All it takes is one drive. And the Broncos are leading. Beautiful ball from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton for a touchdown at the front left pylon. 7-6, Denver. — Schubert
Trautman, Bandy, and a rainbow that’s dandy. Broncos 7, Texans 6. — Keeler
So of course after one of his worst overthrows of season to Engram, Nix makes a much harder, beautiful rainbow TD toss to Courtland Sutton. A 30-yarder. Nix is Mr. Jekyll and Hyde. But in a snap of a wrist, Broncos lead 7-6 with 4:52 remaining in half. — Renck
Another catch (12:07 p.m.): Bo Nix finds Michael Bandy for a 16-yard gain. Denver is driving. — Nguyen
Just like predicted. Passing game predicated on the play of Adam Trautman and Michael Bandy. Is this a preseason game? — Renck
Big gain (12:05 p.m.): Bo Nix finds a wide open Adam Trautman, who goes 21 yards for Denver. — Nguyen
Broncos’ biggest play of the game so far comes to Adam Trautman with FB Adam Prentice split wide to one side and Michael Bandy to the other. Just as everyone would expect. — Gabriel
A sentence I’ve never typed before, pretty sure no one has: Adam Trautman just septupled Bo Nix’s passing yardage on the day. — Keeler
Field goal, Texans (12:01 p.m.): Houston settles for a 41-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn. Texans 6, Broncos 0 with 7:11 to go in the first half. — Nguyen
Sack No. 7 for Jonathon Cooper. Once again, the Broncos defense is doing everything it can to keep a lethargic offense in this game. After another Texans field goal, it’s 6-0 despite two Houston trips inside the Denver 5-yard line and three inside the Denver 25. — Schubert
Houston’s run five of its last eight offensive plays inside the Broncos’ 8. The Texans got six points out of those plays. If they can get ANYTHING going offensively and flip this script, they’ll have Vance Joseph’s red-zone stops to thank. — Keeler
Texans have 135 yards to the Broncos’ 29. TOP is 18:37 to 4:12.
But it’s just 6-0 Houston with 7:11 to go in the first half thanks to a missed FG and a pair of red zone stands for Vance Joseph’s group. — Gabriel
Sacked (Noon): Jonathon Cooper just runs down Davis Mills for a 12-yard loss. Third sack on the day for Denver. — Nguyen
Injury (11:58 a.m.): Texans running back Woody Marks is now on the turf. That would another significant blow to their offense. — Schubert
Monster (11:58 a.m.): Texans left side tried to cross block Zach Allen … it did not work. No. 99 off to a monster start today. — Gabriel
Inside the 5 (11:56 a.m.): Broncos defense inside the 5 has been spectacular today. — Schubert
Cannot overstate how good Broncos have been in the red zone, inside the 5-yard line. Feels like Broncos are getting dominated, and they trail 3-0. — Renck
CB rotation (11:52 a.m.): Interesting: It’s Jahdae Barron outside in nickel to start this drive.
Had mostly been Abrams-Draine in nickel and Barron in base. — Gabriel
Mills in (11:50 a.m.): Davis Mills in at QB. And his first throw was … not great. — Schubert
Interception (11:48 a.m.): Bo Nix picked off by Calen Bullock. Texans ball with Davis Mills in at QB.
Nix is having a rough start. He’s just 1 of 7 for 3 yards and a pick. — Nguyen
DREADFUL throw from Bo Nix is picked off at midfield. That’s what we call an arm punt, folks. — Schubert
Bo Nix off to a horrible start. He has completed same amount passes to Broncos as Texans. He is 1-for-7 for 3 yards. Texans get first turnover of game. He looks completely out of sync. — Renck
Nix passer rating, Dean Wormer Edition: 00.00. (1-7, 3 pass yards, 0 TD, 1 pick.) — Keeler
Injury update (11:47 a.m.): Texans: Stroud being evaluated for concussion; return questionable. — Keeler
No foul (11:43 a.m.): And no foul — chest and shoulder hit. Crowd incensed. But correct call. Fourth down. — Keeler
So after all that it goes down as a scary moment for C.J. Stroud — we’ll see if he gets clearance to return — but a clean hit from Kris Abrams-Draine. — Gabriel
Nasty hit (11:40 a.m.): Helmets are off and knees are down. Cripes.
Stroud’s walking on his own. Didn’t look like clear shot to the head — more like the chest. — Keeler
C.J. Stroud just got blasted by KAD on a very awkward slide.
Davis Mills warming up for the Texans. Not to state the obvious, but that would be a very big downgrade for Houston. — Schubert
Gotta get going (11:38 a.m.): I would advise Nix and the offense NOT to go all “Giants” in this one. A two-score deficit here, with this defense, is the kind of elevation you do not want. — Keeler
Strong coverage (11:37 a.m.): Terrific play by Lassiter to get a hand on the ball on that deep ball for Franklin. Might have had a better chance if Nix puts that ball up over Franklin’s outside shoulder. He had to adjust inside slightly. — Gabriel
Excellent coverage on a deep ball to Troy Franklin. Still, if Bo Nix puts that out in front just a little bit more, that’s a big completion. After a screen falls incomplete, it’s three-and-out. — Schubert
If that was Riley Moss in coverage, that would have been called PI. Defender hit Franklin before ball arrived. Throw needed to be better as well. Bo Nix off to an awful start. Still no completions. — Renck
First-quarter thoughts — Texans 3, Broncos 0
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: A low-scoring opening quarter, you say? A slugfest today was an easier call than the Broncos’ special teams doing something bad.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Darren Rizzi is the Pat Shurmur of Broncos coordinators. Next question.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: This is going to be a throw-down-sawdust game. Can’t lose in the margins on special teams. Broncos essentially had one possession in first quarter, holding the ball for 3:01. Showed promise in run game. But Bo Nix goes 0-for-3. Need a semblance of balance vs. this gnarly Texans defense.
First-quarter updates
Standing tall (11:33 a.m.): Dre Greenlaw’s been elite against the run so far since returning from injury the past game-plus he’s played. Coverage is still a work in progress. But coming forward No. 57 is a force. — Gabriel
Broncos defense, the best in red zone this season, with terrific goal line stand. On fourth-and-inches, Texans’ false start leads Houston to take the chip shot FG. Texans lead 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. … Should probably be Houston 6-3 after one. But defense can be proud of how it played in that quarter, save for the 47-yard reception. — Renck
Special teams (11:31 a.m.): Sean Payton on Darren Rizzi just Friday when asked about the #Broncos’ ST debacle last week — a Marvin Mims concussion when he wasn’t supposed to be in the game with a 20-point lead late.
“We’re good. We’re good. Darren has been outstanding. Next question. Next good question.” — Gabriel
Field goal, Texans (11:29 a.m.): After a false start by Houston on fourth-and-goal inside the 1, the Texans settle for a 23-yard field goal. Texans 3, Broncos 0 with four seconds to go in the first quarter. — Nguyen
False start, Houston. The Broncos red zone defense shows up yet again. Bend but don’t break, friends.
Texans get three points after first-and-goal at the 1. Incredible showing in the trenches on three straight runs up the gut. — Schubert
Dre Greenlaw was surging pretty good against that scrum with a bad quad. Like, really, really good. — Keeler
Stand (11:29 a.m.): Broncos showing a TON of guts on the goal line. We’ve got fourth-and-goal inside the 1 now. — Schubert
Huge play (11:24 a.m.): C.J. Stroud finds Dalton Schultz for a 46-yard gain. — Nguyen
Familiar theme: Tight ends gashing the Broncos. — Schubert
Dalton Schultz vs. Alex Singleton in a foot race is not a fair foot race. Woof. — Keeler
Bad block (11:23 a.m.): Does Quinn Meinerz get the F on that block? — Schubert
Ben Kotwica was fired, it seemed, for one blocked field goal vs. Chiefs. Under Rizzi, we have seen multiple long kickoff returns, multiple muffed punts, a blocked kick, a clanked kick, and a stupid leverage penalty. And oh yeah, Marvin Mims is in concussion protocol because of an incorrect substitution vs Cowboys late in the game. … Looked like Meinerz missed block on Autry block. — Renck
No good, Broncos (11:20 a.m.): Tyler Badie drops the short pass to make it fourth down. Broncos attempt a 51-yard field goal that was blocked by Denico Autry. Score is 0-all with 4:27 to go in the first. — Nguyen
One missed field goal deserves another … except this one was blocked. If I’m not mistaken, that was the same side the Chiefs blocked a Wil Lutz kick last season. — Schubert
Bad: That FG. block. Hilarious: Jerry Jones is talking on the jumbotron about Janice McNair and is being booed. Lustily. — Keeler
Another strike against Rizzi. — Evans
Wil Lutz, coming off AFC special team player of the month honors, has his 51-yard FG blocked by Denico Autry. That is Autry’s 14th career block in his career, per broadcast, including six field goals. Huge missed opportunity for Broncos. Darren Rizzi’s spectacular special teams work continues. Hard to believe they fired Ben Kotwica for this. — Renck
Another big run (11:18 a.m.): Marcedes Lewis, 41, makes his first appearance in the game. Dobbins goes for 12 yards on the run. — Nguyen
J.K. Dobbins and Broncos run game off to a solid start. Lots of push up front, including an apperance from 41-year-old Marcedes Lewis. — Schubert
Yes, 24 yards on three carries for Dobbins will work. — Renck
41-year-old TE Marcedes Lewis’ first play as a Bronco is as lead blocker on Will Anderson and he does his job. J.K. Dobbins gets a first.
That’s a vet right there. — Evans
Big run (11:17 a.m.): J.K. Dobbins’ first run goes for 8 yards. He follows it up with a 5-yard run for first down. — Nguyen
Rookie trust (11:16 a.m.): Vance Joseph is putting a ton of trust in Broncos first-round CB Jahdae Barron today without Pat Surtain. Have seen him play in base outside Riley Moss and then rotate to nickel on third downs.
This is the game you draft Barron for. — Evans
No good (11:13 a.m.): The Texans capped their 14-play, 32-yard drive with a field-goal attempt by Ka’imi Fairbairn that went wide right. Broncos ball at their own 41 with 7:24 to go in the first quarter. — Nguyen
That is actually Broncos’ 38th sack. Got a sack earlier on drive on a no-gain run by Sroud. Texans miss FG. Huge win for Broncos D given how it was shaping up 10 plays in. — Renck
Texans miss the field goal and squander a drive that at one point was inside the Broncos’ 25. — Schubert
Sacked (11:12 a.m.): Want to improve coverage? Get pressure. Zach Allen nets Broncos’ 37th sack of season. — Renck
Now we see why the quick stuff. If Stroud is stuck for MORE than 3 seconds in the pocket, against this rush, he’s in trouble. Deep. — Keeler
Zach Allen just bulldogged a guy. — Schubert
Conversions (11:12 a.m.): Texans have converted two third downs and one fourth down on opening drive. Broncos have not allowed an opening drive TD in 12 games, per broadcast. The rubber band getting stretched to elasticity on this possession. Already 13 plays in. — Renck
CB rotation (11:11 a.m.): Broncos rotating their CBs so far — Jahdae Barron in base and Kris Abrams-Draine in nickel playing opposite Riley Moss. — Gabriel
Fourth-down conversion (11:11 a.m.): This is the Stroud the Niners saw: “Thousand-one …” ZIP! It’s out. Dart after dart. Gotta body those wideouts and slow up those quick turns off the line. — Keeler
Another third-down conversion (11:07 a.m.): The Texans convert on another third-and-8. This time it’s Stroud to Christian Kirk. — Nguyen
Stroud coverts as goes after Abrams-Draine. He slipped coming out of break as Kirk gets 13-yard reception. The loss of Pat Surtain II will play a huge role in this game. Can pass rush help the coverage? — Renck
Noticed on tape Kris Abrams-Draine gave a ton of cushion in off coverage vs. Cowboys last week. Thought it was a function of game situation, but just way too much cushion on a third-and-8 to Christian Kirk there. — Evans
First down (11:05 a.m.): The Texans convert on third-and-8 with a 9-yard C.J. Stroud pass to Nico Collins. — Nguyen
Coin toss (11:02 a.m.): Broncos game captains: Talanoa Hufanga, Alex Singleton and Bo Nix.
Denver wins the toss and defers. Defense up first. — Gabriel
Pre-game updates
Bar chatter (10:57 a.m.): Got to chatting with a dude in a Texans jersey last night at a local watering hole while watching Game 7 from Toronto. 1. As a proud Houstonian, he absolutely despises the Dodgers. 2. “If the Texans don’t beat your Broncos tomorrow,” he mused, “it’s going to be time to start thinking about 2026 here.” To that end, Houston RT Tytus Howard just rounded up his Texans teammates and gave a fairly animated speech. Backs against the wall, especially given how strong the Colts have started, is very, very much the local theme. — Keeler
CB2 (10:45 a.m.): Saw both Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine get reps opposite Riley Moss in warmups. Interested to see what the plan is with Pat Surtain II out. Could depend on personnel grouping. — Gabriel
O-line (10:27 a.m.): Alex Palczewski’s in there with the No. 1 OL in warmups. — Gabriel
Replacement (10:03 a.m.): The picture without Marvin Mims today in warmups:
Broncos catching kickoffs pregame: RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie and Trent Sherfield.
Catching punts: Michael Bandy, Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine. — Gabriel
Injury update (9:29 a.m.): Alex Palczewski is active today but we’re watching him warmup and he is very clearly not feeling good. Nobody’s around him, he’s doing a limited amount and just has the look of a guy who’s battling. Not only that but he took a drink out of a water bottle and VP of player health and performance came over and sequestered the bottle so it wouldn’t end up getting used by other players. — Gabriel
Scouting report (7:30 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Texans in Luca Evans’ scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, Broncos writer: Broncos 16, Texans 13
One team in Texas has the best offense in football and the worst defense. The Broncos put 44 points on that team last week. The other team in Texas has perhaps the best defense in the NFL, but hasn’t been able to protect its quarterback. That’s this weekend’s Broncos opponent, Houston. Denver coach Sean Payton likes to say that sometimes games go the way you expect, and occasionally they don’t. A high-scoring affair here, though, would be a surprise. Both defenses are nasty. The pass-rushes are fierce. The secondaries are stout — although Denver will be without Pat Surtain II. Still, a slugfest is on tap. The Broncos have proven they can win ’em.
Luca Evans, Broncos writer: Broncos 17, Texans 14
Last week was the shootout. This week is the brawl. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper vs. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Who can terrorize the opposing quarterback more? What secondary can take away the skies better? This shapes up as a defensive battle through and through, even after Bo Nix and company got rolling last week. The Broncos just have better personnel to win that type of ballgame, with Nix’s demonstrated clutch gene and Dobbins rolling as the best running back on either roster.
Troy Renck, columnist: Broncos 19, Texans 16
The Broncos should lose this game without Pat Surtain II. But Denver’s front will feast on the Texans’ offensive line. Pressure remains the best way to protect cornerbacks. The key is for Sean Payton not to get cute. Keep it simple. Establish the run. Protect the ball. Gash with play-action and rollouts, and let a strip sack of C.J. Stroud set up a winning field goal from reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Month Wil Lutz.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Texans 24, Broncos 23
Houston’s tied with New England for the highest ratio of TDs allowed to opponents in its own red zone (70.59). The real trick? Getting there. And getting to C.J. Stroud. Vance Joseph threw all kinds of off-speed looks at Dak Prescott. Is there enough spin on the curve to mess with Stroud, who shredded the 49ers’ blitz last week? Houston is 3-10 in the C.J. era when its QB1 is sacked four or more times. The Texans are 6-13 when he’s been sacked three times or more — and 8-1 when it’s one sack or fewer.
Broncos-Texans NFL Week 9: Must-reads
How Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper has become one of the fastest rushers in the NFL: ‘Full speed ahead’
In late October, the Broncos outside linebacker sat in his locker in Denver, far beyond the expectation. Far beyond the boy who was born nine weeks early to a mother, Jessica, who hadn’t finished high school. Far beyond the man who had two heart surgeries in high school, fell to the seventh round of the NFL draft five years ago, and had three more heart surgeries before he ever arrived in Denver. That past stays with him forever, Cooper reflected. It drives him.
It drove him so far that he had to leave that motivation behind and find a new one. He is no longer an underdog story. The 27-year-old Cooper is knocking on the door of the NFL’s best, with six sacks through eight games in 2025. He wants to be the best in the league. Read Luca Evans’ story.
Broncos Journal: A guide to Denver’s positional needs ahead of the trade deadline
As teams head into Week 9 of the NFL season, they’re making and fielding calls about the upcoming trade deadline.
The Broncos are squarely in the buying camp at 6-2 and leading the AFC West. They’ve got a well-rounded roster, but one that’s been pecked at by injury in some areas, by underperformance in a couple of others, and, in one instance, both.
So, with that in mind, here’s a look at a handful of positions the Broncos would be justified in making calls about and a measure of their need midway through the season. Read Parker Gabriel’s story.
Ex-Bronco Paxton Lynch signs with Colorado Spartans to ‘write comeback story’ in arena league
Paxton Lynch was calling plays on the sideline when a chance to run them again came out of nowhere.
Lynch was the coaching brains behind the high-powered offense for the Park Hill Pirates youth football team, where his son is a star quarterback. Tony Thompson, owner of the Colorado Spartans arena league team, was helping out as a line coach when his eyes stopped at a familiar face. Was that Lynch, the Broncos’ 2016 first-round quarterback? Read Troy Renck’s story.
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