National Football League
Denver 16, Houston 9
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, September 18, 2022
Where: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Temperature: 77°
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 76191

Russell Wilson was 14-for-31 passing for 219 yards, one touchdown and an interception, Eric Saubert caught a scoring pass, and the host Denver Broncos beat the Houston Texans 16-9 on Sunday.

Courtland Sutton had seven receptions for 122 yards and Javonte Williams rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries for Denver (1-1).

Davis Mills was 19-for-38 passing for 177 yards and Dameon Pierce ran for 69 yards on 15 carries for Houston (0-1-1).

After a slow start by both teams, the Broncos finally got on the board but missed a chance for more. A pass interference penalty gave Denver the ball at the Texans 2-yard line, but after three failed attempts -- including a reversal of a TD pass to Sutton -- the Broncos settled for Brandon McManus' 20-yard field goal with 5:30 left in the quarter.

Houston answered on the next drive, going 54 yards in 10 plays and tied it on Ka'imi Fairbairn's 40-yard field goal late in the first quarter.

The Texans forced a punt and duplicated their previous drive -- 10 plays, 54 yards -- and a 44-yard field goal from Fairbairn made it 6-3 late in the second quarter.

Wilson orchestrated a drive that put Denver at the goal line, but a delay of game penalty pushed the ball back and the Broncos settled for another short field goal by McManus, this one from 24 yards, to tie the game at halftime.

Denver got the ball to start the third quarter but Christian Kirksey intercepted Wilson near midfield. Houston drove down to the Broncos' 6 before Fairbairn kicked a 24-yard field goal to put the Texans ahead 9-6 with 8:33 left in the third quarter.

The teams traded punts at the end of the third quarter before Denver finally put together a touchdown drive. Three completions and three runs got the Broncos to the Houston 22, and Wilson connected with Saubert on a 22-yard TD pass to put the Broncos ahead 13-9 with 12:37 left.

Denver forced a punt and then drove to the Texans' 32 before McManus kicked his third field goal, a 50-yarder, to put the Broncos ahead by seven with 3:36 left.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Houston   Denver
Dameon Pierce Player Javonte Williams
15 Attempts 15
69 Yards 75
4.6 Avg Yards 5.0
0 Touchdowns 0
12 Long 17
Receiving
Houston   Denver
Nico Collins Player Courtland Sutton
4 Receptions 7
58 Yards 122
14.5 Avg Yards 17.4
0 Touchdowns 0
29 Long 35
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Houston 234 80 154 0 3 1 3.0 0
Denver 350 149 201 1 3 0 3.0 2
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game at home against San Francisco. The Broncos have a W/L % of .000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Texans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.