A 38-24 loss doesn’t quite depict the route the Houston Texans witnessed on Sunday to the Denver Broncos. From the get-go, Denver had Houston’s number, as indicated by a 14-0 first quarter lead and a 31-3 halftime score.
The Texans dropped to 8-5 in the loss, the Broncos got up to 5-8. A week after beating the New England Patriots at home, Houston fell flat in an opportunity to get closer to a potential first-round bye.
Texans safety Justin Reid feels that the Broncos played with a better sense of urgency, despite their lack of need to win to get to the playoffs.
“I think guys were prepped,” Reid told reporters after the game. “We were ready to go. It’s just, they came out with a better sense of urgency than we did.”
Reid called the loss “a little bit deflating.” However, he went on to say that the Texans won’t, or shouldn’t, dwell on it. The 8-5 Tennessee Titans are their new focus.
“But, the best thing we can do is just kind of flip the page on it as fast as we can,” Reid said. “We are going to watch the tape [and] learn from it. We got the Titans next week, basically for the division.”
The Texans will travel to Nashville to face the surging Titans, who have won four games in a row and five of the last six with Ryan Tannehill starting under center. The game, as Reid says, is essentially for the AFC South division. Both teams are currently tied at the top, with the Texans holding the tiebreaker based on division wins.
Houston’s loss to Denver was disappointing and, at times, downright embarrassing. There is no other way to spin it. However, they do have time. With three games left in the season, the Texans can either round out as a playoff team or shrink.