The Houston Texans defeated the Denver Broncos, 31-25, on Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colo. Texans quarterback Matt Schaub threw four touchdown passes in the victory.
Schaub connected with Andre Johnson, Arian Foster and Kevin Walter for touchdowns in the first half, and found Owen Daniels for a second-half score. Schaub completed passes to eight different receivers in the balanced effort.
Schaub's pass to Daniels gave the Texans a 20-point lead, but the Broncos came storming back, picking up two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Peyton Manning hit Brandon Stokley with a 38-yard strike just over five minutes into the quarter. Then, Manning found former Texan Joel Dreessen for a 6-yard score on Denver's next possession.
Houston would bear down and salt the game away on their final possession, as Schaub hooked up with Johnson for a key first down, which allowed the Texans to run the clock down to 33 seconds before having to punt the ball back to Denver.
Peyton Manning threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns and Eric Decker caught eight balls for 136 yards in the losing effort.
Fantasy Stud
Schaub overcame an interception and quite a bit of pressure from the Denver defensive line to throw for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
Fantasy Dud
With Denver playing from behind for the entire second half, Willis McGahee didn't see much action. He carried the ball just 12 times for 36 yards.
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Did They Cover?
The Broncos were favored by a point, and that would have come to fruition had they been able to score on the final drive. But, the Texans win here, as well as in the game.
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Next Week
Houston: Sept. 30 vs. Tennessee Titans; Denver: Sept. 30 vs. Oakland Raiders.
This story was originally published at SBNation.com.
For more on the Texans, be sure to visit Battle Red Blog and SB Nation Houston. And, for additional coverage on the Broncos, head over to Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver.
