It wasn’t pretty, but the Denver Broncos (1-1) defeated the Houston Texans (0-1-1) at home 16-9 in Week 2, earning their first win of the season.
Buy Broncos TicketsIn the first half, the Broncos’ offense struggled again in the red zone, a problem that carried over from their season opener. After Denver went 0-of-4 on red zone drives against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the Broncos started 0-2 in the red zone against the Texans in Week 2.
Denver settled for field goals on both of their drives that went deep into Houston territory in the first half. The Broncos’ offense also struggled early in the third quarter, with quarterback Russell Wilson throwing his first interception of the season on the team’s opening drive of the second half.
Denver’s offense finally came to life in the fourth quarter when Wilson connected with tight end Eric Saubert on a 22-yard touchdown pass to give the Broncos a 13-9 lead. Wilson finished the game 14-of-31 passing for 219 yards with one touchdown and one turnover.
In addition to Wilson’s touchdown pass, Denver kicker Brandon McManus converted on three field goal attempts. McManus is now 6-of-7 on field goal attempts this season.
The win did come at a cost for the Broncos. Denver lost two key players to injuries during the game — wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and cornerback Pat Surtain both suffered shoulder injuries in the first half and did not return.
Up next for the Broncos is a Sunday Night Football showdown with the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at home in Week 3.
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