Broncos' New Path to the Playoffs Forecasted by NFL.com
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All good things must come to an end, and that proved to be true this past Sunday as the Denver Broncos’ five-game winning streak was snapped in a 22-17 loss to the Houston Texans. Although this loss puts a damper on the Broncos’ playoff aspirations, their chances of making the post-season are still attainable, but they’ll need a boatload of Mile High Magic to keep the dream alive.
Denver regressed in a few key areas on offense and defense but managed to keep the game tight until the very end — something we haven’t seen under previous coaching regimes prior to Sean Payton's arrival. A loss typically results in a drop on NFL.com's Power Rankings, but luckily for the Broncos, it was a minor slip as they only moved down one slot.
Here's Eric Edholm’s take on Denvers’ loss to the Texans.
Broncos Rank: 16
Winning Sunday could have done such good for the Broncos’ playoff hopes, as they would have held tiebreakers over three of the teams they’re jockeying with for wild-card spots. But Houston pulled it out late, dealing a blow to Denver’s chances. Late in the third quarter, it looked like the Broncos could eke out a victory after they had trailed 13-0 early. Russell Wilson suddenly was cooking, and the defense was lights out after a rough start, forcing four punts in five possessions. But Wilson threw the first of three picks in the final 16 minutes of play, with the last one coming in the end zone with a chance to win in the last minute. The defense put Denver in a hole early, and the offense couldn’t quite pull it out late. The Broncos might need to go 4-1 down the stretch and get a little help to make the postseason now.
This game was very winnable for the Broncos as they fought hard to stay alive all the way to the end. Despite the loss, there's one big positive from Sunday: Payton has shifted the culture.
In past years, if the Broncos found themselves in a hole early, they seemed content with taking a loss while many players started freelancing on the field. Against the Texans, however, the Broncos rallied and fought to push forward their winning streak despite a trio of turnovers and surrendering big plays.
Wilson took a step back in keeping the ball safe as he threw three interceptions (he had just four all season entering this game), including the game-sealing pick with 16 seconds to go. He made a spectacular effort to avoid the sack but ultimately gave the game away.
Now, this loss isn’t entirely on one player. After shutting down Myles Garrett a week prior, the Broncos' offensive line gave up three sacks to the Texans' defensive front. Wilson was under pressure consistently, leading to more mistakes in the passing game.
Courtland Sutton had a few uncharacteristic dropped passes as well. The Broncos' offense can’t seem to get moving unless it takes an early lead. Against a bottom-10 passing defense, Wilson and the offense couldn’t consistently make plays, only managing 164 yards through the air.
Payton can make Wilson work within his offense, but he isn’t an ideal fit. We’ll see how things progress in the last five weeks.
The Broncos defense didn’t force a single turnover against C.J. Stroud and the Texans. The historic turnover rate would eventually peter out, but not even one takeaway was surprising.
Nico Collins thrived in the secondary, catching nine balls for 191 yards and a score. Linebacker Alex Singleton played like 'Alex Simpleton' when he drew a flag for pushing Stroud multiple times after a play was blown dead, resulting in a Houston first down in the red zone and a touchdown shortly after.
Singleton has made some great plays but is nowhere near the surefire tackling machine he was a season ago. Denver’s defense needs to create more turnovers going forward, and if it can’t do that, it must limit explosive plays. Collins can’t be the guy breaking Denver's back.
The Broncos are on the road again against their AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers. This should be a bounce-back game for Denver, but divisional games are unpredictable.
If the Broncos that went on a five-game run show up at So-Fi on Sunday, they will be on track to continue a playoff push down the stretch.
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