BESTS
Pile driver: While undrafted rookie Selvin Young is getting the majority of carries, Travis Henry still has a place in the Broncos’ offense. He is a fantastic short-yardage runner, and he showed it in the second quarter by converting a third-and-1.
Catch on a punt: Late in the first quarter, Houston receiver Andre Davis made a running catch of a Texans punt at Denver’s 4.
Touchdown-saving tackle: On a long return on a kickoff by Davis, Broncos linebacker Jamie Winborn caught him from behind at the Denver 41. Had Winborn not gotten to Davis, he would have scored.
WORSTS
Scheme: The Texans confused Denver on the opening drive. The Broncos had to change their defense and play “nickel.”
Defense: The Broncos allowed the Texans to go down the field 69 yards on seven plays for a touchdown on the opening drive.
Crowd: There were thousands of empty seats. Isn’t this a football state?
Missed tackle: In the first quarter, Denver safety Hamza Abdullah badly timed a tackle, enabling the Texans to get a key first down.
Protection: Jay Cutler didn’t have much time to throw throughout the night.
TURNING POINT
Dayne’s TD seals Denver’s defeat
Former Broncos running back Ron Dayne scored a touchdown on a 6-yard run in the third quarter to give Houston a 17-6 lead. Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner, struck the Heisman pose after the touchdown. Dayne was cut by Denver in September 2006 and signed by Houston the next day.
CRAZY PLAY OF THE DAY
Elam pooch kick works perfectly
It was crazy just how well this one worked. Broncos kicker Jason Elam lined up for a field-goal attempt of 53 yards during the first quarter. From the snap by Mike Leach, holder Todd Sauerbrun pitched the ball to Elam, who pooch kicked it. The ball landed at the Texans’ 10-yard line and slowly bounced to the 4, where the Broncos downed it. It was a good call.
HIT OF THE DAY
Walker hears from Williams
Late in the first quarter, with Houston threatening to score on its second consecutive possession, quarterback Sage Rosenfels attempted a pass to running back Darius Walker on third-and-5 from the Texans’ 49. Denver middle linebacker D.J. Williams stuffed the play perfectly, leveling Walker with his shoulder. The ball, which was just getting to Walker, flew out and Walker crumbled to the ground. Williams celebrated with a pose. It was a big-time play.
THE GRADES
OFFENSE
C The offense reverted to a “solid yardage, few points” outfit. After scoring at least 20 points in their past five games, the Broncos managed just 13 points Thursday night. Denver finished with 308 yards and moved the ball well at times. Quarterback Jay Cutler continued to play well, but the running game, with Selvin Young and Travis Henry, wasn’t special. The Broncos had just 72 yards on the ground.
DEFENSE
D The Denver defense has been improving, but it wasn’t very good Thursday night. The Broncos didn’t have any adverse situations created by the offense or special teams, yet they could not stop the Texans when it counted. The Denver defense looked confused much of the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
C It was another so-so performance. Houston has good return units, and it did have some solid returns. Broncos kicker Jason Elam had another good night.
COACHING
D Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said he was outcoached by his protege Gary Kubiak and his staff. Houston just seemed to have more fire and motivation than the Broncos.
OVERALL
F Any faint playoff hopes are close to gone now. The Broncos showed they are still the same inconsistent bunch they’ve been all season. A winning regular season is out of the question, and now all the team can fight for in the last two weeks of the season it is to avoid the second losing campaign in Shanahan’s 13 seasons in Denver.
