It wasn’t a pretty win but a win is still a win. The Houston Texans needed all four quarters to hold off the Denver Broncos 19-17, and thanks to a 51-yard missed field goal off the leg of Brandon McManus, Houston will head into their bye week on a six-game winning streak.

With the return of former Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas to Broncos Stadium at Mile High, emotions were high for both parties. While Thomas still will need to work on some things over the course of the next two weeks, his contributions will be hard to ignore. Having a healthy receiver room will help out plenty as well.

The Texans defense struggled at times against the pass but were able to put pressure on former quarterback Case Keenum and give the Texans offense multiple opportunities to score. While only collecting two sacks, Houston’s playmakers were able to cause turnovers and create havoc in coverage all night long.

Although the Texans will head into their much deserved bye week on a positive note, there’s still plenty of areas for the Texans and coach Bill O’Brien to improve on before their match-up against Washington at FedEx Field. Here are Sunday’s studs and duds following another Texans victory.

Stud: TE Jordan Thomas

The Texans red zone offense has struggled mightily this season. The past two weeks however might show a turnaround following a 6-6 trip with Watson under center. Looking to find a consistent weapon to beat defenders over the top, O’Brien and company might have finally found his go-to player in the form of a 6-5, 277 pound tight end.

Following his two-touchdown performance against Miami last Thursday, Thomas was at it again for Houston in scoring position. On the team’s opening drive, the sixth-round rookie found his way open for a seven-yard touchdown. Thomas would finish the day with just the one catch, but looked better as a blocker against the run. While it would be nice to see other players improve on their red zone efficiency, Thomas is certainly the name teams should keep their eyes out for moving forward.

Dud: C Nick Martin

The Texans offensive line as a whole had an average game at best in the pass protection. Martin however might want to go back to the film room and see where he fell short. The third-year offensive product out of Notre Dame will easily want to erase this game from his memory.

From poor snaps to rough blocking, Martin was all over the place Sunday afternoon. The biggest blunder however came on a crucial third down where he looked lost in protection and ran into Watson, leading to an eventual “sack” for Denver’s defense. Martin must learn from mistakes such as these because time is running out for him to start clicking consistently in Houston.

Stud: S Justin Reid

Rookies are expected to contribute their first year but not be game-changing players. While some end up becoming instant starters, their main job early on is to show improvement and make key plays here and there. Reid has show much more than just growth and should start gaining some traction in the race for Defensive Rookie of the Year following yet another outstanding performance.

Finishing the day with a team high 10 total tackles, Reid was dominant against the run and in coverage. Not only was the former Stanford product showing off his excellent tackling skills, in the second quarter, Reid forced and recovered a fumble on running back Devontae Booker, setting up another Texans touchdown. For a third-round draft selection, Reid has been playing more like a first-round player all season. It’s safe to say no matter how he finishes the season, the Texans found a franchise star and a draft steal in process.

Dud: TE Jordan Akins

While one rookie Jordan tight end impressed, the other Jordan once again disappointed. When the Texans drafted the former UCF pass catcher in the third-round, they expected him to be a solid receiving option for their offense. So far, he’s been far from it.

Targeted three times, Akins was unable to collect a single reception. From poor route running to dropped passes, the 26-year-old tight end was inconsistent for Houston’s offense and became more of a liability than legitimate receiving threat near the end. There’s plenty of time for Akins to turn things around this season but with the return of Ryan Griffin, he could begin to see his snap count diminish moving forward.

Stud: WR DeAndre Hopkins

While fans from both sides wanted to see Demaryius Thomas play well in front of his former home crowd, the real story once again went to Hopkins. The All-Pro wide receiver was dominant for the Texans passing game against the Broncos secondary and proved to be a key reason Houston was able to stay competitive all four quarters.

Hopkins would finish the day with 10 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Against Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby, Hopkins was able to overpower them in man coverage, weaving his way through defenders and average 10.5 yards per catch. With the Texans heading into the bye week, Hopkins should hold his head high, proving to everyone that he currently is one of the most electrifying playmakers in the NFL.

Dud: LT Julién Davenport

Last week, Davenport looked as if he could be a viable option for the Texans a potential long-term left tackle. Sunday however proved that there is still plenty for the second-year tackle to fix before being considered a reliable player. That’s really been the narrative for Davenport all season and likely isn’t going to change.

Allowing one sack to rookie outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, that was the least of Davenport’s concerns Sunday. Flagged for two holding calls, the former Bucknell standout looked to be wrestling with the Broncos pass rush rather than actually blocking them. Houston’s offensive line as whole struggled once again in pass protection but costly penalties such as those did the Texans offense zero favors in the long run. Hopefully Davenport can learn from those mistakes and correct the issue during the team’s bye week.

Stud: QB Deshaun Watson

Houston should have lost this game following the way both sides of the ball struggled. While team pulled out the victory, the Broncos offense was clicking on near all cylinders all four quarters. Thankfully for Houston, Watson once again was the key reason Houston is now on six-game winning streak headed into their off week.

Going 17 of 24 for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Watson kept the Texans offense thriving in situations where they should have been punting. Improvising with his legs and finding small windows to create big gains, the second-year quarterback led the Texans down the field and into the bye week on a high note. While Watson might have struggled at the start of the season to make a significant impact, it’s clear to see who is the team’s biggest star through the midway point of the season.