Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler receives a chilly reception upon his return to Denver and responds with an inept performance.
Embattled QB struggles as ex-teammates, fans provide rude welcome
DENVER — The cacophony of loud boos followed Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler from the moment he set foot on the field Monday night during his dramatic return against his former football team.
Extremely unpopular here following his high-profile defection from the Denver Broncos via signing in March a fouryear, $72 million free-agent contract that included $37 million in guaranteed money, Osweiler received the anticipated rough treatment from the reigning Super Bowl champions and their faithful.
Practically under duress ever since his arrival at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Osweiler struggled mightily in a brutally ineffective performance during his first game in Denver since spurning the Broncos’ contract offer that was roughly $7 million less than the Texans’ blockbuster deal.
“I was definitely not surprised by that,” Osweiler said of his reception from the Broncos’ fans during the Texans’ 27-9 loss. “I assumed I would get a lot of boos. In fact, I thought it would be a little bit louder with those boos.”
No match for Denver’s defense
Osweiler had wanted this to be a routine experience, attempting to treat this as a normal week of game preparation.
However, the Broncos’ steady pass rush and precise pass coverage along with all of the external pressure surrounding Osweiler rendered that desire moot during the Texans’ third road loss of the season.
“It starts with me,” Osweiler said. “I need to play better. I need to find a way to play better. There’s nobody who’s going to examine this game tape harder than myself. We will find a way to clean this up. …
“We’re just not getting enough completions. Without a doubt, it’s something that needs to be cleaned up. We need to find a way offensively to move the ball and score touchdowns, and it starts with me.”
It took Osweiler until the fourth quarter to even crack the century mark in passing yards.
Osweiler completed just 22 of 41 passes for 131 yards and no touchdowns for a substandard 60.1 passer rating, a rocky return to the Rocky Mountain region.
Osweiler was late and errant with his throws, a lack of timing that proved costly for the Texans during a matchup with the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL.
“There were a lot of frustrating things,” Osweiler said.
He was sacked only once and hit four times, but Osweiler had a difficult time and was unable to solve the puzzle of the Broncos’ talented cornerback tandem of Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., arguably the top defensive-back duo in the league.
“To go out there and have a performance like we did, it’s extremely disappointing,” Osweiler said. “The Broncos are a great football team. That secondary and defensive line made it very tough for us to move the football. I think you need to tip your hat to them. We need to refocus and examine this tape very hard and learn from it.”
He tried in vain to get Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins heavily involved at the start of the game but connected just one time on five targets to his top downfield option during the first quarter.
Hopkins finished with five catches for 36 yards on a dozen targets.
“I’m not really sure what the deal is,” Osweiler said. “Bottom line: It comes down to execution. Hop and I will continue to work in practice. Practice is where you clean up things. I can promise you nobody is going to work harder than Hop and myself to get this cleaned up and get some receptions and chemistry going on out there.”
Fumble sums up rough night
Osweiler’s worst moment was an inexplicable fumble early in the fourth quarter when the football slipped out of his right hand without him even being harassed by the Broncos. Although Osweiler’s arm appeared to be going forward, it was determined after an instantreplay review that the 6-8, 235-pound quarterback had lost control of the football before uncoiling his throwing motion.
The turnover led to a Broncos touchdown.
“That’s a first time,” Osweiler said. “They say every quarterback is going to experience it at some point where the ball just flies out of your hand. Unfortunately, I got to experience it. The refs make the call that they make. It seemed like the ball went forward, but the refs are out there for a reason. They made the call.”