The Texans very well may have beaten the Broncos if C.J. Stroud had played more than 16 minutes, but he didn’t.
Stroud was diagnosed with a concussion after a slide when a hit by Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine slammed the quarterback’s head into the ground. Officials threw a flag for unnecessary roughness.
Replay reversed the on-field decision, deciding that the slide was late and that Abrams-Draine didn’t make contact with Stroud’s head.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was understandably confused about the decision, saying it absolutely was unnecessary roughness.
“He hit the quarterback when he was sliding and giving himself up,” Ryans said, via DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “If I’m incorrect on the rules, I’ve seen that happen multiple times with our guys, and we get the penalty.”
Stroud left with 13:49 remaining in the second quarter, going 6-of-10 for 79 yards.
Stroud missed two games with a concussion as a rookie in 2023.
The Broncos entered the fourth quarter trailing 15-7. They had the Texans right where they wanted them.
The Broncos moved to 4-0 when trailing in the fourth quarter, beating Houston 18-15 on a last-play field goal. Denver improved to 7-2 with a sixth consecutive win, while Houston slipped to 3-5.
Wil Lutz kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired, allowing the Broncos to escape yet again. His kick was the only snap the Broncos had in the red zone all day.
Bo Nix set up Lutz’s heroics with a 25-yard run to the Houston 36, and later, a 9-yard scramble to the 16.
It was a gut punch for the Texans, who saw quarterback C.J. Stroud leave with a concussion early in the first half.
Houston went 0-for-3 in the red zone, failing to score a touchdown. Its only points came on Ka’imi Fairbairn field goals of 23, 41, 38, 40 and 41 yards. He missed a 51-yarder in the first quarter.
In the second half, with Davis Mills at quarterback, the Texans had only 87 yards, two first downs and went 0-for-7 on third down.
Mills was 17-of-30 for 137 yards.
Nix and the Broncos weren’t much better against the Texans’ No. 1-ranked defense, with 271 yards and two turnovers. Nix was 18-of-37 for 173 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. J.K. Dobbins had 15 carries for 61 yards.
RJ Harvey caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, and Courtland Sutton’s one catch was a 30-yard score. Six other players caught a Nix pass.
The Broncos are 3-0 when entering the fourth quarter trailing. They were down 15-7 entering the fourth quarter Sunday.
They already have tied it with 12:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Bo Nix found RJ Harvey for a 27-yard touchdown, and Troy Franklin’s reception on the 2-point conversion tied it up.
The Texans have outgained the Broncos 220 to 187, but Houston is 0-for-3 in the red zone.
Nix is 12-of-25 for 139 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Harvey has two catches for 32 yards, and Courtland Sutton’s one catch was a 30-yard touchdown.
The Texans have ruled out quarterback C.J. Stroud with a concussion.
Stroud’s head bounced off the ground after Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine hit him at the end of a slide. He remained on the ground with 13:49 left before heading into the training room for a check of his head.
Officials threw a flag on Abrams-Draine’s hit, but replay assist overturned it and took away the flag. They ruled that Stroud’s slide was late, and Abrams-Draine made no contact with Stroud’s head.
Stroud was 6-of-10 for 79 yards.
He missed two games with a concussion his rookie season.
The Texans also ruled out tackle Tytus Howard with a concussion, and linebacker Christian Harris is out with a shin injury.
The Texans have increased their lead to 15-7 on Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 41-yard field goal.
The Texans are 3-4 for a reason. In the first half of Sunday’s game against the Broncos, they went 0-for-3 in the red zone and missed a 51-yard field goal after taking a 9-yard sack.
Yet, Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field goals of 23, 41, 38 and 40 yards have the Texans holding a 12-7 lead on the Broncos at halftime.
The Texans lost quarterback C.J. Stroud with 13:56 remaining in the second quarter. The team has not officially ruled him out, but he was taken into the training room for a concussion check after his head banged hard off the turf.
Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine hit Stroud as he slid, and officials immediately threw a flag. Replay assist overturned it and took away the flag, ruling that Stroud’s slide was late and there was no helmet contact.
They also list guard Ed Ingram (knee) and tackle Tytus Howard (concussion check) as questionable to return.
The Texans outgained the Broncos 181 to 105 in the first half and forced two turnovers. Calen Bullock had an interception of Bo Nix, and Jaylin Smith recovered Michael Bandy’s muffed punt.
Nix was only 6-of-17 for 76 yards, with 30 of his yards coming on a touchdown throw to Courtland Sutton. Sutton beat Derek Stingley, who doesn’t get beat much. J.K. Dobbins has four carries for 24 yards.
Stroud was 6-of-10 for 79 yards before leaving. Davis Mills is 10-of-14 for 84 yards. Nico Collins has seven catches for 75 yards and Dalton Schultz three for 55.
