3 Duds, 2 Studs in Broncos' 22-17 Loss to Texans

The Denver Broncos' winning streak has ended, but were there any worthy performances?

The Denver Broncos dropped a very important game in the race for the postseason on Sunday, falling to the Houston Texans, 22-17. The Broncos traveled to Houston and forgot that they had to play a football game for almost three quarters. 

Denver did fight back and came close to winning, but the hole it dug itself was far too deep to climb out of. In all, it was a very bad game by the Broncos in all three phases. 

As we continue the postmortem, let's break down the biggest duds that contributed to the loss and a couple of studs that did their best to keep the Broncos in it until the end.

Dud: Sean Payton | HC

In a huge game with massive playoff implications, Payton did not have his team ready to play. There were numerous mistakes early on that put the Broncos in too much of a hole. 

Credit to the team for clawing its way back and almost pulling out a victory. However, Payton’s play calling in the red zone at the bottom of the fourth quarter with the game on the line was not very good, to say the least. 

This was a true test on the road with a chance for the Broncos to take control of their playoff destiny and prove they belonged with those contending — and they sunk. The blame rests squarely on Payton’s shoulders.

Stud: Javonte Williams | RB

Williams doesn’t have huge rushing days, but he grinds out the tough yards play-in and play-out. His stats will never wow anyone, though, as he had 13 carries for only 46 yards and zero touchdowns for the day. 

However, Williams picked up the necessary yardage with tough runs against a defense that was ready for those carries. On one key fourth down, he fought his way through tackles to keep Denver's hopes alive on the final drive. 

Those types of plays make Williams so important. He has heart and drive even if he doesn’t have the big numbers.

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Dud: Garett Bolles | LT

It was a rough outing for the Broncos’ offensive line, and Bolles led the charge. He was more matador than stone wall most of the day. 

Bolles was abused by the Texans' pass rushers often as they tallied three sacks and countless QB pressures. Bolles was responsible for letting his rusher pressure Russell Wilson on the final play that resulted in an interception and destroyed any chance the Broncos had for victory. 

It was a very bad day for Bolles.

Stud: P.J. Locke | S

Locke continues to make big plays. He single-handedly set the Broncos up with a chance to win with two massive tackles in a row. 

On back-to-back plays, Locke sacked C.J. Stroud and made a tackle for a loss on two blitzes. Those stops forced the Texans to punt and kept the Broncos in the game. 

Locke totaled eight tackles, six of them solo, a sack, and two tackles for a loss. His return from injury has been a boon to the defense due to his impact plays.

Dud: Broncos’ Secondary

The usually stout Broncos’ secondary was mostly awful against the Texans, leaving the opposing receivers open often and giving up five explosive plays, including a 59-yard reception to Nico Collins. 

Furthermore, on the score that essentially won the game for the Texans, Collins was wide open in the end zone for an easy touchdown catch. He had 191 yards receiving and a touchdown on the day. 

If not for drops, the yardage Denver relinquished would have been even worse. Stroud carved the Broncos up at will for most of the game.

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