HOUSTON — The Houston Texans fell behind early at home against Denver and couldn't come back, falling to Denver 38-24. Houston falls to 8-5 on the season, with a showdown against division rival Tennessee next week.
Denver's Drew Lock won his second straight start. He threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Lock won his first start last week when he threw for just 134 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers. Lock is the first Broncos rookie quarterback to win his first two starts since John Elway did it in 1983.
It had been 21 games since the Broncos (5-8) scored more than 24 points in a game.
The Texans (8-5) were coming off a big win over New England but had no answer for Lock or former Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson, who celebrated his Houston homecoming with a touchdown return and an interception.
Below are the key plays from today's game.
Fourth quarter
Deshaun Watson and the Texans started the fourth quarter with a scoring drive when Watson went airborne to get the score. Houston cuts the Broncos lead to 38-17.
Third quarter
It started out with Denver striking quickly.
But Houston struck back with a Watson to Hopkins scoring strike.
Second quarter
Drew Lock continues to pick apart the Texans. This is what made it 21-0 Broncos.
The Texans got on the scoreboard with a Ka'imi Fairbairn 54-yard field goal
Another Drew Lock touchdown pass put Denver up 31-3 on Houston.
First quarter
Denver struck first with rookie quarterback Drew Lock leading the Broncos down the field, capping it with this 14-yard scoring strike.
Then a Texans fumble was taken all the way back for a Denver touchdown, with former Texan Kareem Jackson running it in.