Bo Nix delivers fourth-quarter magic again as Broncos defeat Texans

Troy Renck, The Denver Post on Nov 2, 2025

Published in Football

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Initial thoughts from the Denver Broncos’ 18-15 win over the Houston Texans in Week 9 at NRG Stadium:

— Fourth-quarter magic: Deadlines spur action. The Broncos are procrastinators, teasing and angering fans with long bouts of ineffectiveness. But bring on the fourth quarter, and Denver goes full throttle. The Broncos improved to 4-0 this season when trailing entering the final period. They have outscored opponents 86-20 in the fourth over the past six games. Bo Nix, who was awful early, found rhythm with his arm and legs down the stretch. He ran for 34 yards on the last drive, including a 25-yard scamper that put the Broncos in position for Wil Lutz to walk the Texans off with a 34-yard field goal. This should come as no surprise. Nix has seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime.

— Nothing special: Darren Rizzi has been terrible. There is no other way to say it. Sean Payton fired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica, in part, because of a blocked field goal at Kansas City last season. This year's special teams unit commits a mistake like that every week. Two more surfaced in the first half. Houston's Denico Autry blocked a 51-yard field goal by Lutz, the 14th of his career. So, it is not like Denver did not know about him when the left side of the line failed. Then, receiver Michael Bandy, elevated from the practice squad, muffed a punt with 46 seconds left in the second quarter. It led to a Houston field goal. The only reason Bandy was back there is because Marvin Mims Jr. suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter against Dallas because of a "communication failure" that led to Mims not only being in the game, but getting hurt. Throw in a 45-yard punt return by the Texans to open the third quarter, and the Brock Olivo vibes were real. Add that to the list of multiple long kickoff returns and a leverage penalty against the Colts that cost the Broncos a win, and it is past time for Payton to hold Rizzi accountable.

— Getting defensive: Frustration boils over when a team fails to play complementary football. This game felt like 2016 all over again for three quarters: The defense plays out of its mind, and everyone lets them down. The Broncos finished with four sacks. They held the Texans to 3 for 17 on third down. And while no one wants to see a player get hurt, the Broncos sidelined quarterback C.J. Stroud with a concussion in the first quarter on what officials ruled a legal hit by Kris Abrams-Draine. A game finished by Davis Mills is a game the Broncos should win. And because they held the Texans to 87 yards in the second half, they did.

— Third quarter misery: It was bad enough that the Broncos showed no offensive balance in the first half, throwing 17 times compared to six rushing attempts. But there was no reason to think anything would change in the third quarter. The Broncos have scored three points since Week 3 in the third. And they stayed to form at Houston, taking a bagel. They continue to make life hard on themselves by remaining one of the worst offenses coming out of the locker room.

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