The Houston Texans and Denver Broncos each entered Sunday's game looking to go from one of 2022’s worst teams to a 2023 playoff squad. In the end it was the Texans who came out on top 22-17 in one of the most thrilling games to date. Denver fell to 6-6 on the year while the Texans improved to 7-5.
After trailing most of the game, Denver had the ball down five at Houston’s 8-yard line with only seconds remaining. Russell Wilson threw two incompletions before getting picked off in the end zone by Houston’s Jimmie Ward. The interception swung the game for those betting both the moneyline and spread, as the Texans were between -3 to -3.5 point favorites depending on the book.
It’s difficult to stress how massive the win was for Houston’s playoff hopes. The Texans entered the game with a 57% chance and increased their odds to around 72%, according to the New York Times' playoff simulator. A loss would have dropped it to approximately 35%.
Sportbooks shifted their odds sharply as well, with FanDuel moving the Texans' odds to make the playoffs from -108 before the win to -290.
Unfortunately for them, the win came at a steep price as they lost Tank Dell for the season. The dynamic rookie was carted off after blocking to assist Dameon Pierce’s first quarter touchdown run. Dell entered the game with 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the loss was devastating for Denver. The Broncos already faced an uphill battle to make the playoffs even with all the momentum of the past few weeks. Afterward, their odds to make the playoffs fell from +146 to +360.
