The Denver Broncos are rolling, having won six games in a row after defeating the Houston Texans, 18-15, on Sunday. It was a hard-fought win in which the Broncos needed every second on the clock to get past a feisty Texans team that played well, even with starting quarterback C.J. Stroud being knocked out of the game.
With the win, the Broncos are now 7-2 on the season and still sit in first place in the AFC West.
This was a game that hung in the balance all the way until the final whistle. It could have easily gone the other way but the Broncos were the team that made the plays in the end when they needed them the most. The defense held up, keeping Houston out of scoring range and forcing punts before two huge runs by Bo Nix helped push the Broncos over the top.
Let's take a look at some of the other players who stood out in this one.
Denver Broncos Week 9 winners and losers
Winners
RJ Harvey, RB
RJ Harvey carried the ball just two times in this game, but he made his mark as a receiver. Trailing 15-7 in the fourth quarter, Nix hit Harvey with this 27-yard touchdown pass to finally get the score closer. He finished with five receptions for 51 yards.
Talanoa Hufanga, S
Talanoa Hufanga continues to be a valuable piece of the defense, one who has been worth every penny of the contract he signed as a free agent this offseason. He is all over the field, in on nearly every defensive play. He had nine tackles in this game and two pass deflections. One of those should have been an interception, but it was still a great play on the ball.
John Franklin-Myers, DL
John Franklin-Myers didn't do a lot to get his name in the box score in this game, but he was integral to the success the defense had in this game. Franklin-Myers was consistently winning at the point of attack, which allowed other players on the defense to step up and make plays. Franklin-Myers was one of the most important players in this win.
Zach Allen, DL
Zach Allen is one of the best players at any position on this team. He had a sack, five tackles and two pass deflections in this game, but it's often the plays that don't end with a tick on the stat sheet that have the biggest impact. If there was a statistic for high energy and effort plays, Allen would be among the league leaders.
Kris Abrams-Draine, CB
Kris Abrams-Draine was the player who hit Stroud in this game, ending his day with a concussion. The play was initially ruled a penalty for unnecessary roughness, but the flag was picked up after replay assist. The Broncos needed a defensive back to step up in this game in the absence of Pat Surtain II and Abrams-Draine did that, registering seven tackles (one for loss) and providing solid coverage throughout the game.
Losers
Evan Engram, TE
The disappearing act of Evan Engram in the Denver offense continues, and it's absolutely mystifying. Engram was targeted three times in this game but didn't catch a single pass. On one of those, Nix badly overthrew him inside the 5-yard line, a play that likely would have resulted in a touchdown.
If there has been one abject failure for this team this season, it's been figuring out how to make Engram effective.
Michael Bandy, WR
With Marvin Mims Jr. Out for this game with an injury, the Broncos had to call up Michael Bandy from the practice squad. The loss of Mims would be felt the most on special teams as he is the team's kick and punt returner.
Just before halftime, the Broncos had forced a three-and-out of the Texans but on the ensuing punt, Bandy horribly misjudged the ball and failed to pull it in. It bounced off his helmet after he went to his knees and the Texans recovered at the Broncos' 30-yard line. This led to a Texans field goal and a 12-7 halftime deficit, rather than a 9-7 deficit.
With points at a premium in this game, had the Broncos not pulled out the win, this play would have been one of the biggest reasons why.
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