Denver Broncos rally to defeat Texans in Houston, improve to 7-2
Bo Nix threw two touchdown passes and Wil Lutz made a 34-yard field goal as time expired and the Denver Broncos rallied to beat the Houston Texans 18-15 Sunday to extend their winning streak to six games.
They improved to 4-0 this season in games where they trailed entering the fourth quarter.
The Broncos (7-2) had punted three times in a row before a 25-yard scramble by Nix got them to their 39 with less than a minute to go. J.K. Dobbins followed with a 9-yard scamper and a 9-yard run by Nix two plays after that set up the game-winning field goal.
Nix couldn't do much in the first three quarters against Houston's top-ranked defense, but RJ Harvey's 27-yard TD reception and Troy Franklin's 2-point conversion grab tied it at 15-all early in the fourth quarter.
C.J. Stroud sustained a concussion when he was hit at the end of a slide early in the first quarter. Ka'imi Fairbairn tied a career-high with five field goals, but the Texans struggled to move the ball with Davis Mills at quarterback after Stroud's injury.
They punted six consecutive times after a field goal made it 15-7 on their first possession of the second half.
Mills was 17 of 30 for 137 yards as the Texans fell to 3-5.
Nix 18 of 37 for 173 yards with an interception.
The Broncos were down by six when Courtland Sutton's 30-yard touchdown grab gave them a 7-6 lead about five minutes before halftime.
Houston regained the lead with a 38-yard field goal with less than two minutes left in the first half.
Michael Bandy fumbled a punt with about 40 seconds left in the second quarter and it was recovered by Jaylin Smith. Houston cashed in on the error with a 40-yard field goal to push the lead to 12-7 at halftime.
Harvey had five catches for 51 yards and his score made him the first rookie to have a touchdown catch in three straight games in franchise history.
Nico Collins had seven catches for 75 yards for Houston after sitting out last week recovering from a concussion
The Texans had a first down on the 1 on their second drive. But Nick Chubb was stopped on first down and British Brooks was stuffed on the next two plays before a false start penalty on fourth down forced Houston to settle for a field goal to make it 3-0.
Stroud was injured on the next possession. He scrambled for 6 yards and was hit on the shoulder near the end of his slide by Kris Abrams-Draine and the back of his head violently bounced off the turf.
Calen Bullock intercepted Nix on Denver's ensuing possession to give the Texans the ball near midfield. Collins had a 26-yard reception to get that drive going and a 10-yard catch a few plays later gave them a first down at the 2.
But the Texans couldn't do anything after that and a sack of Mills on third down left them to settle for another field goal to push the lead to 6-0.
Fairbairn missed from 51 on Houston's first drive.