HOUSTON (Interstat) — In a game defined by offensive struggles and defensive resolve, Wil Lutz’s 34-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Denver Broncos to an 18-15 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

A crowd of 70,471 watched as the Broncos, despite being outgained and largely outplayed for three quarters, mounted a late comeback to improve their record to 7-2. The Texans fell to 3-5 with the gut-wrenching loss, which saw their offense stall repeatedly in the red zone.

The contest was a far cry from the offensive shootout projected by pregame models, with the combined 33 points falling well short of the over/under line of 40.5. Denver, which had been installed as a 2.5-point favorite, overcame its own inefficiencies to snatch the win.

Houston controlled the first half but had little to show for it. The Texans’ opening drive was a marathon 17-play, 66-yard sequence that consumed nearly nine minutes, but it stalled at the Denver 1-yard line. After a false start penalty pushed them back, the Texans settled for a 23-yard Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.

Fairbairn was the primary source of Houston’s offense, connecting from 41, 38, and 40 yards in the second quarter. His final kick of the half, a 40-yarder as time expired, capped a drive set up by a critical Denver turnover. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, under pressure, forced a deep pass intended for Courtland Sutton that was intercepted by Houston safety Calen Bullock.

Despite the Texans’ time of possession advantage and Denver’s offensive sputters, the Broncos found the end zone just before halftime. Nix connected with Sutton on a 30-yard touchdown strike with 4:52 remaining in the second quarter, cutting the Houston lead to 12-7 at the break.

The third quarter offered more of the same defensive struggle. The only scoring came from Fairbairn, who nailed his fifth field goal of the day, a 41-yarder, to extend the Texans’ lead to 15-7.

Denver’s offense finally found a rhythm in the fourth quarter. Nix engineered a 13-play, 73-yard drive, capping it with a 27-yard touchdown pass to RJ Harvey. Trailing by two, the Broncos went for the two-point conversion, and Nix found Troy Franklin to tie the game at 15-15 with 12:28 remaining.

Both defenses held firm on subsequent possessions, leading to a flurry of punts. Denver’s final chance began with just 50 seconds left on the clock. Starting from their own 28-yard line, the Broncos moved efficiently downfield. The key play was a 25-yard scramble by Nix, who ran out of bounds at the Houston 36. A series of runs by J.K. Dobbins and another scramble by Nix set up Lutz for the game-winning kick from 34 yards out as the clock hit zeroes.

Statistically, it was an ugly win for Denver. Nix finished 18 of 37 for 173 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He was also the team’s leading rusher, scrambling for 36 yards on three carries. The Broncos’ defense, led by linebacker Alex Singleton’s 10 tackles and safety Talanoa Hufanga’s nine, kept the team in the game by consistently bending but not breaking in the red zone.

For Houston, the quarterback tandem of Davis Mills and C.J. Stroud combined for 216 passing yards but could not find the end zone. Mills took over for Stroud in the second quarter and played the majority of the game. Nico Collins was a bright spot for the Texans, hauling in seven receptions for 75 yards, while tight end Dalton Schultz added six catches for 77 yards. The Texans’ defense was spearheaded by linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Jalen Pitre, who had nine and seven tackles, respectively.

The victory extends Denver’s winning streak to three games as they prepare for a short week, hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday. The Texans, meanwhile, will look to regroup before hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.