Getty Sean Payton's Broncos played a "sloppy" game after halftime.
The Denver Broncos encountered a problem in Houston as their five-game winning streak ended in Week 13. Denver lost 22-17 to the Houston Texans, falling to 6-6 with five games remaining.
Head coach Sean Payton lamented his team’s “sloppy” performance as the Broncos coughed up a win over the Texans.
“Disappointing loss, I thought we were sloppy for most of the game,” Payton told reporters after the December 3 game. “Obviously, third-down we struggled. I don’t think we converted a third down offensively. Converted a fourth, maybe.”
Payton correctly assessed that the Broncos did not play their best football. Denver went 0-for-11 on third-down, yet was surprisingly better on fourth-down as they converted all three opportunities.
The Broncos were unable to follow the winning formula that had been established over the last five weeks.
“All the things we discussed coming in, we’ve been a team that has played well with the takeaways and the giveaways. That script flipped today. We had three of them, we didn’t get any,” Payton said.
Despite the rough outing, the veteran head coach emphasized Denver is still “playing for a lot.”
“With the way the season started and where we’re at right now, the margin for error is slim. And yet, man, we’re playing for a lot. We’re playing for a lot. And I think [the players] know that.”
Losing the Turnover Battle Doomed Broncos in Second Half
The Broncos rebounded from their 1-5 start because they played complementary football and won the turnover battle. As Payton acknowledged, that was not the case in Houston.
Per Romi Bean of CBS News Colorado, Denver forced 16 turnovers during their five-game winning streak. The Texans did not turn over the ball once as rookie sensation C.J. Stroud played a clean game.
Offensively, quarterback Russell Wilson was intercepted three times in the second half. Wilson had not thrown an interception since a Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The star had just four interceptions heading into the Texans game.
Losing the turnover battle significantly hurt Denver in the Space City. There is still time left for the Broncos, but the clock on their season is ticking.
Broncos Have a Chance at Redemption Against Chargers in Week 14
For Denver to keep battling down the stretch, they must take care of business against weaker opponents on their upcoming slate. The Broncos have a favorable matchup in Week 14 opposite a struggling AFC West squad.
Next up on the schedule, Payton’s team heads to SoFi Stadium to play the 5-7 Los Angeles Chargers, who sit one game behind Denver in the division. Los Angeles has been severely underwhelming in 2023 despite having quarterback Justin Herbert leading the offense.
The Chargers squeaked past the New England Patriots 6-0 in the lowest-scoring NFL game since 2018. No touchdowns were scored as Los Angeles was held under 300 yards of offense for the second straight game.
The Broncos are one game out of the AFC playoff picture and were not helped by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13. Indianapolis beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 in overtime to maintain their grasp of the conference’s final playoff spot.
Heavy Sports’ projections powered by Quarter4 have the Chargers as a 2.5-point favorite over the Broncos. The projections give Denver a 43% chance to rebound from their tough loss in Houston.