The Broncos are on a five-game winning streak since starting the season with a 1-5 record. Can they keep the momentum rolling? Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Live updates
Pre-game updates
Scouting report (9 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Texans in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 28, Texans 24
The longer Denver’s winning streak goes, the more it becomes natural to figure it’s got to end at some point. But they’ve had some magic in them so far and this is the kind of game they can win… if they can stay patient enough to play the kind of style that has led them to five in a row.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Texans 24
Sean Payton called the Texans a dangerous team. So are the Broncos. They have won five straight, and the defense is flying around and making plays. Denver’s win streak will continue, but it might take some late-game magic from Russell Wilson to do so.
Mark Kiszla, columnist: Texans 23, Broncos 20
Know what strikes me as odd? Broncos coach Sean Payton calls plays as if Russell Wilson is a rookie quarterback, while the Texans aren’t hesitant to turn loose 22-year-old C.J. Stroud. Can the Denver defense take advantage of Stroud’s pedal-to-the-metal tendencies and force two interceptions from him? If the answer is yes, the Broncos win. If not? Nope.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Broncos 25, Texans 24
Logic says The Takeaway Train is about to burst like the real estate bubble 15 years ago. But when have these Broncos obeyed the laws of logic? Or precedent? Or sanity? Yeah, the Texans don’t turn the ball over. Yeah, Houston’s a tough out at home. So’s Buffalo.
Broncos-Texans NFL Week 13: Must-reads
Broncos prepare for Texans QB C.J. Stroud: “It’s unusual what he’s accomplishing as a rookie”
Russell Wilson understands what it’s like to set the league on fire in his first season. So when he said Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud “is having one of the best rookie years ever,” it might be wise to take the Broncos signal caller’s word for it.
Stroud’s numbers through 11 games have been impressive. He is second in the league in passing yards (3,266), tied for seventh in touchdown passes (19) and has the eighth-best adjusted quarterback rating at 62.7.
He added to his impressive resume when he was named the AFC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Month for November. Stroud is the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to win Player of the Month, joining the Browns’ Deshaun Watson, Ryan McFadden reports. Read the full story.
Broncos’ Quinn Meinerz just bought a telescope, collects “chill synth” vinyl and is on a quest to become the NFL’s most dominant guard
During his second pro season, Meinerz spent $1,000 on the Home record that started it all. Now his vinyl collection numbers in the hundreds. The expansion continues. It won’t ever stop, at least not entirely.
Meinerz has experienced growth in his day job, too.
In his third year as a pro, Meinerz is increasingly recognized as one of the best young interior linemen in football. He’s a long way from the fascinating but green draft prospect out of Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater he was in 2021, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.
Kiszla: While Sean Payton struck it rich with Broncos, did DeMeco Ryans win better job in Houston?
While Sean Payton got big money from the crazy-rich Waltons to coach the Broncos, DeMeco Ryans won the coaching sweepstakes by landing the better job in Houston.
Although the Broncos and Texans bring identical 6-5 records to a game Sunday with huge playoff implications for this season, which of these teams is closer to winning the Super Bowl down the road?
You tell me: Would you rather build a championship contender around two established NFL veterans in quarterback Russell Wilson and Payton, each with a championship on distinguished resumes, or 22-year-old rookie C.J. Stroud and Ryans, in his first-year as a head coach? Advantage, Texans, Mark Kiszla writes. Read the column.
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