Tim Tebow is no dummy — by beating the Texans in his second start and giving the Broncos their fourth win, Tebow not only sent his own hype machine into overdrive, but also killed Denver's chances of securing Andrew Luck in the 2011 Draft. He actually graded poorly despite good stats, but Broncos fans aren't going to care about our opinion a bit.
The Texans reversed their trend of being a second-half team, jumping out to a 17-0 lead in the first half before slowly relinquishing the lead over the final two quarters. With the squad having broken double-digit losses after many predicted a playoff berth for the Texans, Gary Kubiak is moving closer towards being a long-shot to keep his job and may very well return to coach the team he just lost to next year.
The Broncos find themselves in a relatively happy place, considering their record. They feel like they have found a franchise QB to work with, will have a high draft-pick, and finally showed signs of improving in their worst areas against the Texans.
Texans: Three performances of note
Though Houston allowed over 300 passing yards to Tebow, much of the blame can be put on the linebackers — not the secondary. The Texans defense showed 4-2-5 looks throughout much of the game, and both linebackers in this defense struggled. Rookie Darryl Sharpton (-2.3) made one big play when he came untouched off the edge and brought Correll Buckhalter down 4 yards behind the line-of-scrimmage, but missed a couple tackles and was slow in reading screens. On Buckhalter's screen TD, Sharpton failed to recognize the screen quick enough, allowing a couple linemen to get out in the flat and set up their blocks before he could make a tackle.
Like Sharpton, Brian Cushing (-4.3) struggled defending the screen pass — indeed, the whole Texans defense did. Again, Cushing made some plays, notably laying a shot on Tebow on a short QB draw. However, he missed a tackle and failed to properly defend a couple screens as well as playing a hand in Buckhalter's touchdown. After the HB cut inside away from Sharpton, Cushing was in position to make the tackle but overran the play and instead watched Buckhalter race into the end zone.
It's not all bad news for the Texans though. Without vital players like Mario Williams, Andre Johnson, or DeMeco Ryans on the field, guys like Jacoby Jones (+2.2) could audition for future playing -time. The Texans have long been hopeful that Jones could emerge as a No. 2 receiver across from Johnson, but he has failed to do more than show flashes. Working as the Texans No. 1 against the Broncos, Jones was thrown at 7 times, catching five passes for 115 yards. On one play, Jones caught a ball crossing over the middle and broke an Andre Goodman tackle before turning on the jets and weaving his way downfield for a 47-yard catch-and-run.
Broncos: Three performances of note
Buckhalter (+3.3) had his most relevant game all year and deserves notice. At times this season, Buckhalter has been forgotten and has seen only a handful of snaps in some games, but he reinvented himself against Denver. Looking bigger, stronger, and faster than he has in years, Buckhalter scored two touchdowns and acquitted himself well in every gradable category. At this point in his career, being a third-down back and having a few screens run through him a game in Tebow's offense could be the best way for Buckhalter to enjoy his dwindling NFL run.
One player that has quietly started and played the majority of every game this season is tight end Daniel Graham (+3.5), who finally gets a mention for posting his best grade of the season a week after posting his worst. Graham — a player with a reputation for being a good blocker, if a poor receiver — actually hasn't been much of an asset this year, mainly in the run game. Against the Texans, Graham pass-protected 23 times and didn't allow any pressure off the edge. He also graded out as the Broncos' best run-blocker.
ILB Wesley Woodyard (-3.3) was given the opportunity to start and see the most significant playing time of his career, and promptly graded as poorly as he ever has. Woodyard was a blend of mistakes — at times being too aggressive in the run game to take himself out of plays, and other times not showing enough effort. Woodyard has always been a high-energy guy, so it was strange to see him haphazardly shove Owen Daniels towards the sideline, allowing the dangerous tight end to gain an additional almost 20 yards after contact.
Rookie report
Kareem Jackson forced a fumble and only allowed one reception into his coverage, but it was a 50-yard catch from Jabar Gaffney on a deep post. Bernard Pollard lost the over-the-top coverage and compounded Jackson's mistake. … Earl Mitchell recorded one tackle and no pressure in 21 snaps. … Dorin Dickerson played five snaps, seeing no balls thrown his way.
Zane Beadles was pretty average across the board. … J.D. Walton wasn't a world-class blocker inside, but did an excellent job kicking out to block on Denver's many screen passes. … Perrish Cox (+1.7) came in for an injured Champ Bailey and played well in relief, allowing only one 2-yard reception in his coverage. … Tebow didn't grade as well as last week, but got the win this time. On one hand, Tebow's interception was terrible and the simplistic screen-game will not work every week, but he did make a few good throws throughout the game including Gaffney's deep ball. … Syd‘Quan Thompson had the game-sealing interception deflect into his waiting hands.
Random notes
Rookie Eric Decker is seeing his playing time increase each week, and is quietly establishing himself as a good run-blocker. Of Decker's 23 snaps, 17 were running plays—an obvious indication as to the Broncos' preference in WR in run formations. … In a disappointing year for Daniels, the tight end had statistically his best game against Denver and finally caught his first touchdown of the season.
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