(Houston) Jimmie Ward intercepted a Russell Wilson pass in the end zone with just nine seconds left and the Houston Texans held off the Denver Broncos by a score of 22-17 on Sunday.
Ward placed himself in front of receiver Lucas Krull to confirm the fourth victory in five games for the Texans (7-5). This interception also sounded the end of a five-game winning streak for the Broncos (6-6).
Ward gave credit to the pressure on the defensive line that allowed him to make the big play.
“Sometimes when that pressure comes to you, you make bad decisions and that’s what happened,” he explained.
Wilson had a season-high three interceptions, all of which came in the second half. Derek Stingley Jr. made the first two steals for the Texans.
The Broncos had forced 15 turnovers during their five-game winning streak, but they didn’t force any on Sunday.
“We win the battle of turnovers and we win this game. That’s what made the difference,” analyzed Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud rushed for 274 yards to cut his streak of games with at least 300 yards to four. Star wide receiver Tank Dell injured his ankle in the first half and had to be carried off the field in a cart.
Dell will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his left fibula in the first quarter, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the Texans have not announced the severity of the injury.
Nico Collins took over with a career-high 191 receiving yards and scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr. also had the best game of his career, as the third overall pick in the last draft made two sacks and four quarterback contacts in addition to deflecting a pass and a punt.
Wilson had 186 air yards and a touchdown pass in the Broncos’ first loss since October 12.
“I’ll give it to our players, we continued to fight,” said Broncos head coach Sean Payton. We just put ourselves in a bit of a big hole today. We weren’t able to make enough plays. »
Wilson was asked about the last play and whether he should have thrown the ball out of bounds instead because it was a third down.
“I saw Krull one on one. I tried to place the ball high enough for him. They made a play, Wilson observed. We obviously have to score a touchdown to win and it didn’t work out in our favor. »