Houston now leads by 13 thanks to a 41-yard field goal by kicker Shayne Graham.

Graham’s kick capped a 7-play, 39-yard drive. The drive was aided before it started on a 15-yard kick-catch interference call. The Texans also got a boost from a pair of 15-yard, roughing-the-passer penalties on back-to-back plays.

A pair of runs set the Texans up with third-and-2 before linebacker Von Miller drew a holding penalty that forced Houston into a third-and-12. Schaub’s pass was defended by Chris Harris to bring on the field goal unit.

With Houston driving and nearly in field goal position, Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard ended the threat when he jumped in front of a pass by Matt Schaub and recorded a one-handed interception, the second pick of his career.

The interception set up the Broncos for a quick field goal drive. Quarterback Peyton Manning found wide receiver Eric Decker for completions of 22 and 6 yards, putting the Broncos in field goal range for kicker Matt Prater with six seconds left in the half. The kicker drilled a 53-yarder to pull Denver to within 10 points at 21-11. That’s the score at halftime.

Broncos linebacker Nate Irving will not return to the game after sustaining a concussion on a special teams tackle.

Running back Willis McGahee’s return is questionable after he suffered a rib injury.

The Broncos responded to the Texans’ touchdown with a 9-play, 75-yard drive featuring consecutive completions to the Broncos’ tight ends. First, quarterback Peyton Manning found Joel Dreessen for a gain of 30. Manning followed that completion with a 6-yarder to tight end Jacob Tamme.

The Broncos moved inside the Texans’ red zone on a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, with Denver picking up extra yards thanks to a roughing-the-passer penalty. But the Broncos were unable to find the end zone, setting up a 23-yard field goal by kicker Matt Prater.

Taking over at their own 43-yard line, the Texans quickly put together a third straight scoring drive that covered 57 yards in just two plays.

After a 5-yard gain on first down by running back Arian Foster, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub found wide receiver Kevin Walter open deep down the middle of the field for a 52-yard touchdown pass on play-action. The score is now 21-5, Houston.

Starting at their own 3-yard line, the Texans marched 97 yards for a touchdown that brings the score to 14-5, Texans.

The Texans started the drive with most of the yardage coming on the ground, including a 22-yard run and an 8-yard run by Arian Foster.

Houston then moved into scoring position with a 19-yard pass on third-and-11 from quarterback Matt Schaub to wide receiver Keshawn Martin that put the ball on the Denver 31-yard line. On the following play, Schaub hooked up with tight end Garrett Graham for a 27-yard gain that set Houston up on the 4-yard line.

On first down, Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil pressured Schaub into an incompletion. But on second down, Schaub finished the drive by finding Foster in the flat for a 3-yard touchdown completion.

The Texans have a 7-5 lead with 6:28 to play in the first quarter on a 60-yard bomb from quarterback Matt Schaub to wide receiver Andre Johnson.

The Broncos led 5-0 after a 32-yard field goal by kicker Matt Prater. That scoring drive started on the Broncos’ 40-yard line after the Texans had to punt following a safety.

The Broncos moved the ball 46 yards in 10 plays for the field goal. The drive was highlighted by a 14-yard pass on third down from quarterback Peyton Manning to tight end Jacob Tamme, which put the ball on the Texans’ 20-yard line. Earlier in the drive, Manning found fullback Chris Gronkowski for an 11-yard gain along the sideline.

The Texans quickly responded on the following drive, with Schaub finding Johnson for the long touchdown on first-and-19. The strike followed back-to-back false start penalties on the Texans.

On the Texans’ first offensive snap of the game, Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil got to Houston quarterback Matt Schaub for a safety.

The sack is Dumervil’s first of the season and gives the Broncos a 2-0 lead and possession of the football. It marks the Broncos’ first safety since Dec. 30, 2007. The big play was set up by a 57-yard punt by punter Britton Colquitt, who pinned the Texans on their 5-yard line.

The Broncos have won the coin toss and elected to receive.

The Broncos’ captains are quarterback Peyton Manning, linebacker Wesley Woodyard, defensive end Elvis Dumervil, running back Willis McGahee and cornerback Champ Bailey. They are joined by tight end Joel Dreessen, today’s game captain.

The starters for this afternoon are listed below.

The Broncos’ offensive starters at the skill positions are Manning at quarterback, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker at wide receiver, McGahee at running back, Jacob Tamme and Dreessen at tight end. The starters along the offensive line are Ryan Clady at left tackle, Zane Beadles at left guard, J.D. Walton at center, Manny Ramirez at right guard and Orlando Franklin at right tackle.

On defense, the Broncos’ starters on the defensive line are Derek Wolfe and Dumervil as the defensive ends, with Justin Bannan and Kevin Vickerson at defensive tackle. The starting linebackers are Von Miller on the strong side, Joe Mays in the middle, and Keith Brooking on the weak side. In the secondary, the starting cornerbacks are Bailey and Tracy Porter, with Mike Adams and Rahim Moore starting at the safety positions.

The inactive players for this afternoon’s Week 3 matchup have been announced. See the official inactive sheet that Head Coach John Fox submitted at the bottom of this blog.

The following players will not suit up for today’s contest between Denver and Houston:

Denver:
Guard Chris Kuper
Center/Guard C.J. Davis
Defensive tackle Sealver Siliga
Linebacker Steven Johnson
Wide receiver Andre Caldwell
Running back Knowshon Moreno
Quarterback Caleb Hanie

With this news, rookie running back Ronnie Hillman could be in line for his first NFL action.

Houston:
Quarterback John Beck
Wide receiver DeVier Posey
Cornerback Roc Carmichael
Cornerback Brandon Harris
Inside linebacker Tim Dobbins
Tackle Andrew Gardner
Guard Brandon Brooks