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5 takeaways from Broncos' comeback win over Texans
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- 5 takeaways from Broncos' comeback win over Texans
The Denver Broncos overcame another fourth-quarter deficit on Sunday in their 18-15 comeback win over the Houston Texans on the road. Here are five quick takeaways from the victory.
1. Dre Greenlaw 's making an instant impact: After missing the first six games of the season with a quad injury, Greenlaw returned for one game before promptly being handed a one-game suspension. He was back on the field Sunday, and he totaled eight tackles and a sack. Greenlaw has elevated the play of an already talented defense, a unit that held the Texans out of the end zone on three red zone trips and two goal-to-go situations. Denver's defense has now held opponents to zero touchdowns in four games this season. Vance Joseph's unit is one more zero-touchdown game away from tying a franchise record set in 1978 (five games with no TDs allowed). Greenlaw's return could give them a big lift in the second half of the season.
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2. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are a dynamic duo: Dobbins continues to plug away, rushing 15 times for 61 yards, with a respectable 4.1 yards per carry average against a tough Texans defense that stacked the box. Harvey, meanwhile, remains a weapon in the receiving game. After hauling in a 27-yard touchdown catch, Harvey is now tied with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeke Egbuka for the most touchdown catches (four) by a rookie this season. Harvey's four receiving scores are also the most by a rookie running back in franchise history. He's filling the Alvin Kamara receiving role well while Dobbins handles Mark Ingram duties in Sean Payton's offense.
3. Kris Abrams-Draine 's hit on C.J. Stroud was not dirty: Early in the second quarter, Stroud slid late on a run and Abrams-Draine hit the QB as he went to the ground. KAD was initially penalized for unnecessary roughness, but the flag was picked up after replay assist. The replay showed that Stroud slid late and it would have been very difficult for KAD to pull up. The cornerback also hit Stroud in his chest, not the QB's head. Unfortunately, Stroud's head snapped back and hit the ground, which likely caused the concussion. It was a hard collision, but not a dirty hit.
4. Special teams blunders continue to haunt Broncos : Denver had a field goal attempt blocked in the first quarter, and receiver Michael Bandy muffed a punt just before halftime that led to a Texans field goal. "We'll look at that on film," Payton said when asked about the special teams mistakes. "All of that without watching it on tape. My concern was just the late subs. It was a little bit sloppy. The kicking game, we'll get that cleaned up, or we'll find someone else that can do it." When the Broncos face tougher competition (and teams not missing starting QBs), those kinds of special teams blunders could cost the team wins (as they found out in Week 2 ).
5. Bo Nix remains clutch: It certainly wasn't pretty for most of three quarters, but Nix came through in the clutch once again, leading a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, picking up a two-point conversion, and leading a game-winning drive at the end. Denver now has four fourth-quarter comeback wins this season, tied with the Bucs for the most in the NFL. The Broncos' 96 points scored in the final period are also tied for first with the Green Bay Packers . Fans in Denver would appreciate not having to wait until the final 15 minutes for the offense to show up, but an ugly win is still a win. The Broncos are now 7-2, which represents the team's best record through nine games since 2015. Denver's offense had plenty of ugly wins in 2015, and the defense helped carry them to a championship. It's too early to begin talking Super Bowl, but an AFC West title is within reach.
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The Broncos now have a short week ahead of a Thursday Night Football clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 6. Denver can extend its lead in the AFC West with a win against their division rivals in Week 10.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: 5 takeaways from win vs. Houston Texans
