The Associated Press
DENVER — For Peyton Manning's detractors, there are no interceptions to analyze this time, no one or two ill-conceived throws to pick apart.
There is, however, another loss to dissect, along with the makings of a pattern the Broncos certainly don't want to prolong: Start slow, finish fast, talk about what might have been.
The latest defeat came Sunday at the hands of Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, who lost a small chunk of his ear after a brutal hit, but still outplayed Manning, throwing for four touchdowns against a confused Broncos defense to stake the Texans to a big lead en route to a 31-25 victory.
"I think you try to learn something from each game," Manning said. "It's hard to look past a loss, but you certainly study yourself during the week."
If he only looks at the final stat sheet — 26 for 52 for 330 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions — it might not feel so bad. But 120 of those yards and both scores came after the Broncos had fallen behind by 20.
It took a furious rally to bring them within six.
If that sounds familiar, it is — the exact same deficit the Broncos (1-2) faced last week against Atlanta and the same margin they lost by to the Falcons. Manning had three interceptions in the first quarter of that one. This time, it was the defense that put him in a hole.
"At the end, we still lose," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "One thing you don't want to see is guys fold and not finish to the end. We had a lot of guys who kept fighting. We just need to find a way not to get ourselves in that hole."
Schaub put them there with a 290-yard day. He took advantage of blown coverages to connect with Andre Johnson for a 60-yard score and Kevin Walter for a 52-yard touchdown on the way to a 21-5 lead in the second quarter.
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