9:31 P.M. CST: Here we go … the final quarter.

9:33 P.M. CST: Houston now with third-and-3 after Andre Johnson gets five yards on a catch from Sage Rosenfels.

9:34 P.M. CST: Kevin Walter slips behind Denver’s defense and Rosenfels finds him. … Houston now at the Denver 42 after the 25-yard pass.

9:35 P.M. CST: Ron Dayne rambles right for a baker’s dozen of yardage … Houston at the Denver 29.

9:37 P.M. CST: Darius Walker rambles to the 13, and a face-mask penalty moves the Texans into first-and-goal at the Denver 8.

9:37 P.M. CST: Crucial goal-to-go series … Dayne runs to the Denver 5.

9:39 P.M. CST: Second-and-goal … Rosenfels to Walter in the open field … Champ Bailey with the solid, by-the-book, fundamentally-sound tackle. Texans with third-and-goal from about four and a half yards away … Rosenfels to Andre Johnson, left side … Karl Paymah meets Johnson as he makes the catch, but can’t complete the tackle … Four-yard touchdown, and with 10:06 left, the Broncos trail, 24-13.

9:43 P.M. CST: Glenn Martinez’s 28-yard return pushes Denver to its 32-yard-line to begin the drive.

9:46 P.M. CST: Travis Henry gains 5 yards on back-to-back carries to leave the Broncos in third-and-5 … He gets injured on the second carry and is treated on the field before walking off the field under his own power.

9:48 P.M. CST: Third-and-5 … and Cutler is sacked by Mario Williams … Williams’ third sack of the game … Denver will punt with 8:40 to go.

9:50 P.M. CST: Ron Dayne rambles 25 yards on the first play of the ensuing series … One play later, Darius Walker goes nine yards off the left side … Houston starting to pound the Broncos on the ground now … Clock under seven minutes.

9:53 P.M. CST: Rosenfels rolls left and finds Andre Johnson in the open field near the end zone … 28 yards, and the Texans are down to the 1-yard-line.

9:54 P.M. CST: Broncos defense fighting to keep them alive in this goal-to-go situation … Texans now have third-and-goal at the 1-yard-line.

9:55 P.M. CST: Touchdown, Vonta Leach … 3:20 to go, and the Texans lead by three scores, at 31-13.

9:58 P.M. CST: Going to work on the recap now … will be in the blog infrequently, if at all, during these final moments … feel free to discuss the game here, however. Until next time, vaya con Dios.

8:50 P.M. CST: Brandon Marshall’s nine first-half receptions are the most by a Bronco in the first half since Rod Smith snagged nine passes at Buffalo before intermission two years ago … Smith in ’05 and Marshall tonight are the only Broncos to have nine catches in the first half in the last 17 years. Broncos will receive the kickoff to start the half.

8:53 P.M. CST: That’s 10 for Marshall tonight … 14 yards on the first play of the half.

8:54 P.M. CST: Now up to the Denver 45 after a Cutler-to-Scheffler connection … Two plays later, Cutler is drilled but still gets away an 11th completion to Marshall.

8:55 P.M. CST: Broncos will go into third-and-3 after a 5-yard pass to Scheffler … Virtually everything for the Broncos on this series coming through the air.

8:56 P.M. CST: Cutler pressured and sacked by Mario Williams … Williams worked past Matt Lepsis for the sack … fourth-and-7 at the Houston 38 … Denver going for it … and fails, with the pass from Cutler to Young gaining just four yards. Houston takes over at its 34 with 10:38 left in the quarter.

8:59 P.M. CST: Word from the sideline … Ian Gold will not return … and a Ron Dayne sighting; he picks up eight yards.

9 P.M. CST: Dayne gets four more yards for the first down.

9:01 P.M. CST: Texans in third-and-4 at the Denver 48 … Darius Walker checks in and sprints nine yards up the right side for a first down at the Denver 39.

9:05 P.M. CST: A false-start moved Houston back five yards, then Sage Rosenfels found Owen Daniels underneath the zone for 29 yards before Jamie Winborn caught up to him. Houston is now at the Denver 11.

9:06 P.M. CST: Now Houston is at the Denver 6 after the Broncos are flagged for having 12 men on the field … With first-and-5, Rosenfels goes for the bootleg, but Winborn chases him down and forces a throw into the stands.

9:07 P.M. CST: Second-and-5, and Dayne sprints up the middle of Denver’s defense … Touchdown, Texans. Broncos trail, 17-6, with 5:17 left in the quarter.

9:11 P.M. CST: Glenn Martinez nearly broke into the open field … stopped at the Denver 31 … Broncos desperately need points on this drive.

9:13 P.M. CST: Cutler finds Scheffler … 30 yards … Scheffler now has 72 yards on four catches.

9:14 P.M. CST: From the Houston 35 … Cutler rolls right with a hopeful throw to Javon Walker in traffic downfield … incomplete … With second-and-10 from the 35, Henry runs for no gain to the right side.

9:15 P.M. CST: Cutler looks right for Brandon Marshall, but the pass is nearly picked off by Fred Bennett … Broncos forced into fourth-and-10 from the 35 … They go for it … Cutler under heavy pressure … Looks left for Javon Walker but the throw was under duress, with a safety blitz from Will Demps forcing an errant toss that flutters incomplete … With 2:53 left in the quarter, Houston retakes possession.

9:18 P.M. CST: The Texans’ P.R. attendants are roaming through the press box. passing out “Battle Red Day” shirts with a Texans logo and “HALLIBURTON” splashed across them … uh, no thanks, guys. Seriously … team logo/corporate logo t-shirts in the press box, where impartiality is one of the tenets of its occupants? I’m very surprised.

9:19 P.M. CST: Dre’ Bly snares the pass intended for Andre Johnson … the football is returned deep into Houston territory … Bly intercepted it at the Denver 36 … A flag rests at the Houston 39, but it is picked up, since the football was tipped … a holding penalty on Ephraim Salaam is declined … Denver takes over at the Houston 27 after a 37-yard return.

9:22 P.M. CST: Broncos at the Houston 20 after Scheffler’s fifth reception of the day, for seven yards.

9:22 P.M. CST: Jay Cutler runs for the first down, but Charlie Anderson made him endure some pain for it, slamming into him as he ran towards the sideline … Denver now at the Houston 12.

9:23 P.M. CST: Cutler to Scheffler … left flat … Scheffler jumps for the end zone, looking as though he ought to be in a performance of The Nutcracker … quite balletic, actually … then he fumbles as the football crosses the goal line; not so balletic there … as the football is picked up by Will Demps and toted in the other direction, the officials signal for a touchdown.

9:24 P.M. CST: Houston challenges the call.

9:28 P.M. CST: The touchdown is upheld. Were it soccer, it would have been no goal because the ball didn’t go all the way over … but in American football, it only has to cross part of the white line to be a touchdown … Elam hits the extra point, and the Broncos are back within four points, at 17-13 with 36 seconds left.

9:30 P.M. CST: Houston starts the series at its 26 … moves to the 28 after a 2-yard Dayne as the quarter ends.

7:50 P.M. CST: Here comes the second quarter.

7:52 P.M. CST: Forwards, then backwards … Broncos get up to the Texans 39 on a third-down pass to Daniel Graham, then back to the 43 after a Mario Williams sack, a play that saw Cecil Sapp unable to hold off the 2006 No. 1 overall pick.

7:53 P.M. CST: Broncos now in third-and-8 at the Houston 37 .. right in the heart of no man’s land … then Jay Cutler tosses a dart to Brandon Marshall across the middle … Thirteen yards and a first down at the Houston 24.

7:55 P.M. CST: Javon Walker moves the Broncos into the Houston red zone … Gets the catch, turns upfield and has the Broncos in third-and-1 at the Houston 15.

7:56 P.M. CST: Travis Henry and Selvin Young now platooning.

7:57 P.M. CST: Broncos take a delay-of-game penalty, nullifying a Cutler scramble … Denver back at the Houston 18 with second-and-15.

7:58 P.M. CST: Selvin Young had no chance on the swing pass there … He loses five yards after being drowned by a red tide of Texans.

7:58 P.M. CST: Third-and-20 at the 23 … Cutler in the shotgun … to the end zone … looking for Tony Scheffler, but Will Demps nearly intercepted it.

7:59 P.M. CST: Broncos settle for a 41-yard Jason Elam field goal, his 11th straight successful field-goal attempt … Denver trails, 7-3, with 8:49 left in the quarter.

8:02 P.M. CST: After having a splendid game on kickoff coverage last week, the Broncos are off to a shakier start tonight … Andre Davis weaves his way upfield with a 50-yard return of a 63-yard kickoff … Houston will start this series at the precipice of field-goal range … the Denver 43-yard-line.

8:05 P.M. CST: Lickety-split, the Texans are across the precipice and at actual field-goal range, moving to the Denver 23 after a 20-yard Sage Rosenfels-to-Andre Davis connection up the middle.

8:06 P.M. CST: Second-and-10 at the Denver 23, and Rosenfels had Vonta Leach … but the pass is just a bit too far. Hamza Abdullah nearly had a shot at the interception but couldn’t snag it.

8:07 P.M. CST: Kenny Peterson gets the drive-stopping paw on the pass … Kris Brown from 41 yards out … Good … The kickoff return directly yields three points; Denver trails, 10-3, with 7:38 left in the quarter.

8:12 P.M. CST: Broncos set to take over at their 24-yard-line … Field-position discrepancy working against the Broncos tonight, thanks to Houston’s success on kickoff returns.

8:13 P.M. CST: Cutler-to-Marshall gets the Broncos to their 35, gain of 12 … He’s pushed out of bounds by Anthony Weaver … and every time I hear the last name “Weaver,” I think of the “Wheel of Fish” from UHF.

“Are you ready, Weaver?”
“I sure am, Kuni.”
“OK, you get up and spin the Wheel of Fish!”

Click here if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

8:14 P.M. CST: Broncos on the move … A Texans penalty and another Marshall reception have them at the Houston 44.

8:15 P.M. CST: It’s all Marshall on this drive … 43 yards on three receptions so far.

8:17 P.M. CST: Looked like Fred Bennett hit Javon Walker a little early on second-and-12 … no call … Third-and-12 from the 29 sees Cutler look for Marshall in the left side of the end zone but he can’t hang on … Jamar Fletcher was there with a disrupting influence.

8:18 P.M. CST: Jason Elam’s 47-yard field-goal attempt is good … Broncos trail 10-6 with 4:31 left in the quarter.

8:20 P.M. CST: Fifty-nine yards on that kickoff … Andre Davis returns it 25 yards to the Houston 34.

8:21 P.M. CST: Average drive-start position so far:

HOUSTON: HOU 31.4
DENVER: DEN 16.6

8:23 P.M. CST: Houston with third-and-7 at the Denver 48 … Nearly intercepted by Dre’ Bly as Rosenfels looked for Kevin Walter across the middle.

8:24 P.M. CST: Good awareness by Dre’ Bly to run with the football after it bounced into his hands off a Texan who tried to down it … Broncos at their 23 to start this drive following the 10-yard return.

8:26 P.M. CST: Back to Marshall again to start this drive … add a five-yard face-mask call against Will Demps and the Broncos are at their 36.

8:27 P.M. CST: Daniel Graham has a sprained left ankle and is questionable to return.

8:29 P.M. CST: Marshall already has eight catches for 80 yards.

8:30 P.M. CST: Coming out of the two-minute warning, Cutler looked for Marshall but threw it squarely to Demps, who dropped the potential interception.

8:31 P.M. CST: Third-and-9 … Cutler throws as he fades back; he doesn’t get set, and the pass goes behind Chad Mustard on a crossing pattern … Cutler had little time to throw; his pocket collapsed before it formed.

8:32 P.M. CST: Texans take over with 1:43 left at their 25 … A first-down pass to Owen Daniels — I’ve always thought his name sounded like a golfer’s rather than that of a football player — falls incomplete.

8:33 P.M. CST: Darius Walker picks up two yards up the middle … Texans have third-and-8 at their 27 … Clock draining to 1:12, 1:11 … Rosenfels finds Walter two yards short of the first down … Broncos take a timeout with 56 seconds left before halftime.

8:35 P.M. CST: Broncos will start at their 33-yard-line after the punt. They have 47 seconds left with which to trim the lead or take it outright.

8:36 P.M. CST: A short completion, a sack of Cutler, and we’re at halftime.

7:03 P.M. CST: And the first boos sound through Reliant Stadium as the Broncos’ specialists take the field. I must add, though, that there are many Broncos fans here in the stadium tonight … In the rows surrounding the field during warmups, it seemed like Broncos fans outnumbered Texans believers.

7:06 P.M. CST: And here come the Texans … late-arriving crowd; the stadium is one-third full, if that.

7:13 P.M. CST: Longest ………………….. national anthem ………………….. ever. Well, at least since Bleeding Gums Murphy’s 27-minute rendition on The Simpsons. Good God.

7:14 P.M. CST: Denver calls heads and loses the coin toss.

7:16 P.M. CST: And off we go … Texans will start at their 31 after a 29-yard Andre Davis kickoff return.

7:17 P.M. CST: John Lynch not in the defensive starting XI … Hamza Abdullah is, as is Domonique Foxworth and Karl Paymah as the Broncos opened in a nickel package. Lynch checks in two plays later after the Texans pick up a first down, moving to the Houston 42.

7:18 P.M. CST: Houston going to the air to start the game … now at the Denver 40 after a completion to Andre Johnson and a 5-yard Bly face-mask infraction.

7:19 P.M. CST: One play later, working the right side of Denver’s defense again … Sage Rosenfels goes back to Andre Johnson for 21. Red-clad team in the red zone.

7:20 P.M. CST: Darius Walker didn’t have much room on second-and-8 from the Denver 17, but he kept plugging and broke a tackle … 12 yards later, the Texans have first-and-goal at the Denver 5.

7:22 P.M. CST: First-and-goal, and ootleg fooled everyone … Rosenfels had an acreage to which he could run in the left side of the field, and even though he’s not exactly the most nimble of passers, he made it to the end zone. Just 3:56 into the game and the Broncos have given up as many points as they did in 60 minutes four days ago; Texans up, 7-0.

7:26 P.M. CST: Back from commercial … touchback on the kickoff as Glenn Martinez takes a knee. Broncos will open in a two-tight end set, with Tony Scheffler joining Daniel Graham in the starting lineup. At wide receiver, the starters are Brandon Marshall and Glenn Martinez, the latter of whom makes his first career start. Javon Walker not on the field to open the game.

7:27 P.M. CST: Two yards on a pass from Jay Cutler to Selvin Young … Broncos in second-and-8 at their 22 … Nine yards to Brandon Marshall up the right side for a first down … Marshall took a little bit of a lick on the play, landing on his head … He leaves the game for the next play and Javon Walker checks in.

7:29 P.M. CST: Young now fifth all-time among undrafted rookies for single-season yardage … Broncos now at the Houston 31 after a 17-yard Martinez pickup, which followed a 21-yard Young run … Marshall still being examined on the sidelines.

7:30 P.M. CST: Marshall now up and about in the bench area … Second-and-9 from the 30 saw a rather optimistic throw from Cutler, a lob to Cecil Sapp that fell incomplete in traffic … Broncos now moving backwards thanks to a false-start penalty against Chris Kuper.

7:31 P.M. CST: Marshall back in the game … Third-and-14 … Shotgun formation … Texans crowd making quite a bit of noise now … Cutler looked for Marshall up the left sideline with two men around; the pass hit Marshall in the arm and bounced away.

7:32 P.M. CST: Jason Elam from 53 yards … nope … it’s a punt … and nicely executed, as it bounces down to the Houston 4-yard-line.

7:35 P.M. CST: Houston going to the ground on this series to start … first play a one-yard Darius Walker run … second play to the air, three yards to Vonta Leach.

7:36 P.M. CST: Hamza Abdullah had Owen Daniels in his sights about two yards shy of the needed yardage for the first down on third-and-6 and missed … Abdullah looked like he went for the hit with the shoulder instead of the wrap-up-and-tackle … Houston to the 23 with 15 yards on the Rosenfels-to-Daniels connection.

7:37 P.M. CST: Champ Bailey hurt.

7:38 P.M. CST: Bailey tried to arise after falling to the ground in an attempt at a diving interception, but then hit the grass … He is now walking off the field after being examined by team medical personnel.

7:40 P.M. CST: Bailey standing on the sidelines … Meanwhile, Kevin Walter runs for 13 yards on third-and-2 … Texans in first-and-10 at the 44 … and Bailey is back in.

7:41 P.M. CST: Good news for Bailey, but bad news for Ian Gold … he is doubtful to return with a right knee injury. Jamie Winborn will be earning that contract extension tonight; he’s filling in for Gold now.

7:42 P.M. CST: Broncos get the third-down stop as D.J. Williams slams into Darius Walker as a pass zips in … but they will start the next series at their 7-yard-line after a punt is downed there.

7:46 P.M. CST: Travis Henry in to start the series … nice 26-yard pass to Scheffler has the Broncos at their 34.

7:48 P.M. CST: Well, sometimes the persistence works, and sometimes it doesn’t … Brandon Marshall, in his fight for extra yardage, ended up turning a two-yard gain into a one-yard loss … Broncos will have second-and-11 from their 47-yard-line when the second-quarter begins.