Plenty of game balls for the defense and a couple on offense

It wasn’t pretty, but the Denver Broncos got the win in Week 2 over the Houston Texans. At the end of the day that is all that matters in the NFL.

Despite all of the game management issues and questionable playcalling, the team rallied around the defense to secure the victory. The defense didn’t give up a touchdown and the offense got hot at the perfect time late to score the game’s only touchdown and the 16-9 win at home.

Here is who we have given our game balls out for the Broncos first win of the 2022 season.

Dre’Mont Jones

With the offense continuing to struggle, the defense needed to put in another performance like they had in the second half of Week 1. And respond they did, but the most disruptive force on that side of the ball was certainly Dre’Mont Jones. He noted the offensive issues and how it was on them to buy the offense time.

“We just knew it was one of those games where we needed to nut up a little bit and shut things down, which happens all of the time in the NFL,” Jones said. “Offense was still trying to get rolling, it’s only Week 2, and they needed us a little bit and we stepped up.”

With six total tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and another quarterback hit, Jones was an absolute force inside. He definitely gets my game ball. - Tim Lynch

Rand Gregory

Randy Gregory gets my game ball. He only played on X defensive snaps, but when he was in, he played well. The Broncos defense finished with six QB hits, he had half of them. They finished with three sacks; he had one of them. They finished with four TFL’s and he had one of them. He also finished with three tackles (two solo). - Joe Mahoney

Damarri Mathis

After Patrick Surtain went out with an injury he stepped in and went up against the Texans number one Brandin Cooks and he was really good, he held Cooks to four catches for 53 yards. Mathis also managed to get one pass break up as well and he had one really massive tackle. Overall, he had a very hard task but did very well. - Tanner Watts

Javonte Williams

Another week, another good game from Williams. The little bowling ball keeps forcing multiple missed tackles and sometimes, just runs right through people. While his stat line vs HOU (15 carries for 75 yards and no touchdowns) might not be appealing on paper, Williams still had himself a solid game. Both Broncos running backs held onto the ball this week and didn’t fumble, which is always a plus. In a rather rough game for the Broncos, the run game was one of the few bright spots on the day. In fact, they might be the only thing keeping the offense somewhat afloat right now. - Rachel Strand

The Crowd

While it points to a larger issue with the Broncos, the fans at Mile High Stadium stepped up big time, and earned a gameball. A glaring issue from both games this season has been getting the plays called and run before the play clock strikes zero. A delay of game penalty cost the Broncos 3 points when after a 3 and 1 option run with FB/TE Andrew Beck came up short and McMcanus was sent onto the field. Recognizing the situation, the fans began counting down the play clock. The loud chanting of, “5... 4... 3... 2... 1... “ seems to be exactly what Russell Wilson and the offense needed. It did not go unnoticed, as Javonte Williams pointed out that the offense started to click after hearing that. While I am sure we all hope this doesn’t become a necessary thing each week, it obviously helped the Broncos get their first win in 2022. - Adam Malnati

Russell Wilson

Not for his play on the field as much as for his PR job in the press room. Asked about taking bad time outs: “that’s on me.” Asked about the coach’s mistakes: “this is a journey and I believe in Coach Hackett. We can all do better; it’s not all on him.” Asked about the crowd having to count down the clock to help: “it’s an amazing crowd, a great football crowd that’s for sure.”This guy could sell anything. And I’m buying because I need to believe his optimism (and euphemisms) are going to get us through this season. And honestly, Wilson’s talent and leadership is apparent and is easy to follow. Thank goodness because it’s getting muted by extremely poor game management. One more game like Sunday’s painful outing, and I’m going to need a lot more liquor to get through the next 16 weeks. - Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann

Courtland Sutton

About all Sutton didn’t do on Sunday was get in the end zone, and he was inches away from making that happen. In other words, Sutton had a remarkable game against the Texans. It’s clear he has a connection with Wilson and the new Broncos QB trusts Sutton when the offense needs a big play. Sutton finished with seven catches for 122 yards. Now if he and Wilson could just find the end zone. - Ian St. Clair

Eric Saubert

He made a terrific catch at a critical point in the game after Albert O was a no show. There’s not many players deserving of a game ball, so why not give one to the guy who scored the only touchdown of the game? For an offense that can’t get six when they’re in the red zone, a touchdown coming from outside the red zone was especially critical. - Chad Workman

Jerry Jeudy

Why give a game ball to a guy who got hurt early and put up only 12 yards (11 receiving, 1 rushing) before getting knocked out of the game? First, as props to a guy who’s likely feeling down in the wake of the game. But especially because it was becoming pretty clear up to that point that the gameplan against the Texans was centered around Jeudy and what he can do. That became even more clear after his absence caused the offense to shift into neutral until well into the 2nd half. That says something about Jeudy’s importance to this team... and should also serve as an important lesson for Hackett & the rest of the offensive staff to always have a clear backup plan ready to go. - Taylor Kothe

Jacob Bobenmoyer

After an offseason that saw the Broncos bring in over 10 longsnappers, Bobenmoyer has quieted the haters and has snapped the ball perfectly to the Broncos offensive MVP in Brandon McManus. He’s the heart and soul of this team and he played well during today’s victory. - Scotty Payne

Brandon McManus

It’s pretty simple. Unlike the majority of the offense, McManus did what he is expected to do, and his 3-3 field goals put us in the position to win when the offensive unit could not. He’s had an unfair amount put on his shoulders in two games, and outside of an absurdly long missed FG attempt in week 1, he’s delivered. - Nick Burch

The Fans (duplicate maybe?)

My game ball is given to any fan who paid to watch that, stayed until the end, counted down the play clock and then spent the rest of the night trying to convince themselves everything was fine. Doing the lord’s work. - Mike DeCicco

Who gets your game ball from the Broncos-Texans game? Let us know in the comments section below.