DENVER, Colorado – Squandering multiple opportunities against a mistake-prone Denver Broncos team, the Texans ultimately lost because of their own miscues.
Texans quarterback Davis Mills repeatedly misfired in the second half as the Texans were unable to mount a comeback after losing a 9-6 lead.
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For the second consecutive week, the Texans couldn’t finish.
“Before you can win football games, you have to stop losing them,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “Second game in a row, we didn’t finish.’”
The result: a 16-9 road loss to the Broncos on a day during which star quarterback Russell Wilson was shaky until the end of the game when he connected with tight end Eric Saubert for the game-winning touchdown.
The Texans’ final drive went nowhere as Mills went 1 for 3 for minus-1 yards.
His final throw was an incomplete pass to Brandin Cooks.
The Texans lost a 9-6 lead as they settled for a field goal in the third quarter after Wilson was intercepted by middle linebacker Christian Kirksey.
They settled for a short field goal from kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, his third of the game, as Mills threw low to Cooks in the end zone off a play-action pass that should have been completed.
Mills completed 19 of 38 passes for 177 yards and was sacked three times.
“We’re stalling,” Smith said. “We’re not there yet. This week, it seemed like there was a commitment to the run. It’s not just about the running game.’
The primary bright spot: a somewhat revitalized running game with rookie Dameon Pierce rushing for 69 yards on 15 carries before the Texans had to abandon the run to try to muster some quicker-hitting plays in the second half.
Mills fumbled twice with right guard A.J. Cann recovering both of them.
It was a rough game by Wilson, acquired in a blockbuster offseason trade from the Seattle Seahawks. He completed just 14 of 31 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a 66.4 passer rating.
The Broncos kept their offense moving with running back Javonte Williams.
Both teams were extremely prone to penalties.
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com