Sean Payton managed to steer the Denver Broncos' season in the right direction amid a horrid start. Their secondary finally got into a groove while Russell Wilson is starting to be serviceable at leading points of attack. They blazed up and got a five-game winning streak. But, CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans did not allow the record to extend to six wins.

Despite the five-point loss, Sean Payton remains optimistic about a postseason berth on the horizon, via Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports.

“The margin for error obviously is slim, and yet we're playing for a lot. We're playing for a lot,” was how the Broncos coach raised the stakes after they got torched by the Texans.

Russell Wilson just could not dance to the beat of the Texan's secondary. He threw three crucial interceptions despite throwing a touchdown. He also notched 186 passing yards but missed 11 passes out of 26 attempts.

CJ Stroud, on the other hand, eventually found his footing in front of the tough Broncos defense. He got 16 completions out of 27 attempts and eclipsed Wilson's passing yards by throwing 274 yards. One of them found its way to Nico Collins which led to a touchdown. They would attempt a two-point conversion but jitters got the best of the young quarterback.

There are still a handful of games left for the Broncos. They can still punch a ticket to the NFL Playoffs but it will take another hot streak for any of their expectations to be met down the line.