On Sunday afternoon in Houston, in a gritty matchup between two of the surprise teams on the rise in the AFC, the Texans were able to jump ahead of the Broncos in the standings with a 22-17 win and improve to 7-5 while dropping Denver to 6-6. The game came down to the Broncos' final possession, but Houston safety Jimmie Ward hauling in the Texans third interception of Wilson sealed the win.
The victory allows Houston to keep pace with the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC's seventh and final playoff spot through 13 weeks. The team with the rookie quarterback -- Houston and No. 2 overall draft pick C.J. Stroud -- had a much more efficient and cleaner day. Stroud threw for 274 yards and a touchdown on 16 of 27 passing. Stroud is now up to 3,540 passing yards on the season, making him the first rookie to lead the NFL in passing yards at the end of any week since at least 1950. The last rookie to lead the league in passing yards for an entire season was Davey O'Brien, the fourth overall pick in the 1939 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Texans second-year cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, intercepted Wilson twice for a career high in interceptions. He has four interceptions in the last three games. Wilson finished with 186 passing yards, one touchdown pass and three interceptions, tied for the second-most in a game in his 12-season career. A stunning performance for Wilson given he entered Week 13 as the NFL's leader in touchdown-to-interception ratio (20-4).
Injuries to both Broncos All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II (left knee issue) and Texans rookie receiver Tank Dell (carted off after an ankle injury) impacted the game, but Houston was able to power past the injury woes much better. Stroud completed two passes of over 50 yards (52 and 59) to Nico Collins as well as a 39-yarder, resulting in Collins having career highs in receiving yards (191) and catches (nine). He also hauled in Stroud's only touchdown pass of the day, a 3-yarder to the left corner of the end zone that made the score 22-10 early in the fourth quarter. Collins will figure to play an even more pronounced role in the Texans going forward since Dell is out for the season with a fractured fibula, according to NFL Media.
Rookie third overall draft pick Will Anderson Jr. also had a breakout performance Sunday, in addition to Collins' and Stingley's big days, with a career-high two sacks. He only had three in his first 11 games this season. The Houston defense prevented the Denver offense from picking up a third-down conversion as the Broncos went 0-for-11 on third downs. Sunday marked the first time the Broncos didn't have a third-down conversion since a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1995. The Texans outgained the Broncos 353-282, despite Houston only running four more offensive plays than Denver, 63-59.
Here's a breakdown of what went down in Houston on Sunday.
Why the Texans won
Their defense prevented the Broncos from having any rhythm throughout the day, holding them without a third-down conversion and intercepting Wilson three times. Any time a team wins the turnover battle 3-0 that typically leads to a victory. Collins had a field day against the Broncos secondary once Surtain II left the game, with 191 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. Houston's offense did just enough while its defense ruled the day.
Why the Broncos lost
Nine of Denver's 13 possessions, 12 excluding the end of the first half, ended in either a punt (six times) or an interception (three times). That simply isn't a winning formula at any level of football, especially the NFL. Wilson had some highlights like his 45-yard touchdown and a 41-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy to set up his 1-yard quarterback sneak on the next play. However, the bright spots were two few and far between.
Turning Point
Stroud's 3-yard touchdown pass to Collins that put the Texans up 22-10. With the way the Broncos offense was struggling, a 12-point cushion felt like an insurmountable lead. That ended up being the case.
Play of the game
While Ward's game-sealing, end zone interception of Wilson was clutch, it wasn't the best pure play on Sunday. That distinction goes to the second of Stingley's two interceptions in which he broke out of his zone coverage to leap in front of Sutton to high-point the football for the takeway.
What's next
The Texans hit the road to face the struggling New York Jets (4-8) in Week 14 while the Broncos will battle the Chargers (5-7) in Los Angeles.