ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Pat Surtain II is out and Dre Greenlaw in back.

Denver's defense saw some shuffling this week as the Broncos (6-2) prepared to put their five-game winning streak on the line Sunday at Houston, where the Texans (3-4) were installed as slight favorites.

Surtain, the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is expected to miss multiple games with a strained left pectoral muscle he injured while making a tackle last week in Denver's 44-24 rout of the Dallas Cowboys.

He'll be replaced in the starting lineup by second-year pro Kris Abrams-Draine, whom coach Sean Payton said this week has the best hands on the team.

“Not having Pat's going to be huge for us,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday. “But I expect no drop-off. The standard doesn't change.”

It sure helps they'll be getting Greenlaw back from his one-game suspension for berating referee Brad Allen following Denver's historic come-from-behind 33-32 win over the New York Giants two weeks ago.

“I just shouldn’t have put my teammates in that position,” Greenlaw said Thursday in his first public comments since his suspension. “That was just an emotional game, first game back.”

That game marked Greenlaw's Denver debut after he missed the first seven weeks of the season with a quadriceps injury that lingered for six months.

Greenlaw, who missed most of last year after tearing an Achilles tendon in the 2024 Super Bowl between his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Kansas City Chiefs, had six tackles in just 21 snaps against the Giants.

“I thought it went well. We won the game. It felt good for me to go out there after a year and a-half just to play football," Greenlaw said. "I felt like the game went good, but that’s two weeks ago now so I don’t even know how that game went, man.”

After making a splash in his Denver debut, Greenlaw had to miss yet another game, something he called “very difficult.”

“Of course you want to be out there anytime you've got a game, but I mean just whoop the Texans, that's all I can think of," Greenlaw said.

Greenlaw said he's confident he'll slip right back into his role despite a dearth of practice reps since he got injured in the spring, not long after signing a three-year, $31.5 million free agent contract.

“We've got a great defense already. Guys are flying around making plays. And for me, I just want to be a part of that, just want to have fun out there with them and show them what I can do,” he said.

Although he was on a strict pitch count two weeks ago, Greenlaw is angling for much more playing time against the Texans.

The more the Broncos can get out of Greenlaw, the better, especially as they deal with the absence of Surtain, whom Joseph has called the fulcrum of the defense around which he builds his entire scheme.

"Obviously, you're never as good as you could be without your best player," Joseph said. "But I'm confident in our group. It's a hand-picked roster and every year you talk about next man up. So, here's a chance for a young player to come play and make a name for himself.”

Not that Abrams-Draine will have to bear the burden by himself.

That will fall on the rest of the secondary, including starting cornerback Riley Moss, rookie Jahdae Barron and the front-seven, including Greenlaw.

“We have a good plan to kind of pull Pat's weight with multiple guys. It won't just be one guy. It will be all of us, our D-line providing pass rush and our young DBs just playing it right and playing to the system," Joseph said.

Joseph is thrilled to get Greenlaw back on the field to help share that load after such a tantalizing appetizer against the Giants.

“Mentally, he's been awesome. He's been locked in. He's been studying. Even when he wasn't practicing, he was taking every walk-through rep. So, mentally he's fine,” Joseph said. “Physically, obviously, he needs more reps to kind of get his football air. He was a little tired in his first game. But it's good having him back.”

And Greenlaw said he's eager to add to an already elite defense that leads the league in sacks (36), third-down percentage (39.9) and red-zone percentage (40.0) and is top-5 in net yards and points allowed per game.

“For me it’s not about me coming in and trying to be more or do more," Greenlaw said. “It’s just about me going out there, being myself, because that’s why they brought me here.”

Texans' top-rated defense faces challenge in Broncos, who have won 5 straight

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans are allowing the fewest points and yards in the NFL as they prepare for Sunday’s visit from Denver.

But with a team on a five-game winning streak coming to town, they know better than to be satisfied with their work so far and are focused on doing even more.

“We haven’t talked about being the top-ranked defense,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s all about us. I continue to harp on that with the guys. Can we be even more dialed in on the details of our job? Which I think we can still play better as a defense. So, there’s no pats on the back. It’s how can we continue to get better?”

Ryans said his players are very competitive and battle each other to see who can play the best. That kind of energy and encouragement has created an environment where they can thrive.

“The defense is doing a great job of getting off on third down, causing havoc up front,” Ryans said. “When guys are doing a good job, when the coverage is right and guys are where we’re supposed to be, it’s really tough to make a play on us.”

Added defensive end Will Anderson: “We have to be on our discipline and execution and making sure that we’re a really elite defense.”

The Texans (3-4) are allowing just 266.9 yards a game and 14.7 points. Now they’ll face a team that has scored 77 points in the last five quarters after exploding for 33 points in the fourth quarter two weeks ago to rally for a win over the Giants before piling up 44 in a victory over Dallas Sunday.

Denver coach Sean Payton knows the Broncos (6-2) will be challenged by the Texans' defense Sunday and raved about the group.

“The things they do, they do exceptionally well. ... They’re very well coached, they’re very talented,” Payton said. “I think they’ve done a great job of building that defense through the draft, free agency and DeMeco’s put his, you can see his touches all over it.”

Ageless wonder

If he’s elevated to the active roster and plays Sunday, as expected, Marcedes Lewis will be the first 41-year-old tight end to play in an NFL game.

Payton marveled at how fit Lewis is at his age and Lewis said there’s a simple reason for that.

“I live my life like I’m on a one-day contract,” he said. “If I don’t give my absolute best at whatever it is I’m doing that day, I can’t renew my contract. That’s a promise that I’ve made to myself and so that’s how I lead and I transfer that energy into positive things and I rub off on people. That’s one of my super powers.”

Woody’s work

Rookie running back Woody Marks has become an important part of Houston’s offense this season. Nick Chubb has started each game with Joe Mixon out indefinitely with a foot injury. But Marks, a fourth-round pick from USC, has come off the bench to contribute in all seven games.

He ranks second on the team with 214 yards rushing and a score and has added 165 yards receiving with two TD catches.

Last week, he had 62 yards rushing and 49 yards receiving to help Houston to a win over San Francisco. That came after he had 69 yards rushing and a score and 50 yards receiving and another TD on Sept. 28 against Tennessee. Those two performances make him one of four rookies this season with at least two games with 110 or more yards of offense.

“He can run, catch, run his blocks, he plays hard,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “So, he’s just brought that versatility to our team and our offense. He’s done a lot of good things, come out of the backfield, run game and pass rotation, learning the new scheme. I think he’s done great job at it.”

Marks was listed as a limited participant at practice Thursday with a calf issue.

Surtain out

Star cornerback Pat Surtain II will miss just his third NFL game Sunday after he strained his left pectoral muscle making a tackle against the Cowboys. Kris Abrams-Draine is expected to start alongside Riley Moss in Surtain’s place.

“He’s extremely intelligent and I would say he might have the best hands on this team," Payton said of Abrams-Draine. "He’s got elite ball skills. Now, he’s quiet, but really good football instincts and really good ball skills.”

No argument here

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton smiled when told of his coach’s insistence that a cornerback had better hands that any of the receivers.

“I’m not going to argue with coach,” Sutton said. “Coach knows best. It’s like your parents know best. I’ll let coach have that one. K.A.D. does have great hands, though. Watching him catch the ball in practice, you can tell that there’s some pass receiver in there. So, yeah, coach is always right.”

Red zone woes

Though Houston’s offense was much improved against the Niners, the team still struggled in the red zone, converting just one of five opportunities.

The Texans lost a yard on third-and-1 from the 14 on their first drive and settled for a field goal. They couldn’t get in the end zone on their second drive, either, and settled for another short field goal.

“We can do a better job of keeping our foot on the gas and being more productive," Ryan said. "A great job of getting in the red zone ... but we want to finish those drives with seven (points), if possible.”

Colorado Avalanche sign Martin Necas to 8-year, $92M contract extension, AP source says

The Colorado Avalanche have signed Martin Necas to an eight-year contract extension through 2034.

Necas’ deal is worth $92 million, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because terms were not disclosed.

When the contract kicks in starting with the 2026-27 NHL season, Necas will count $11.5 million against the salary cap annually. That is $500,000 a year less than what Mikko Rantanen signed for with rival Dallas.

After being unable to extend Rantanen last winter, Colorado traded the Finnish forward to Carolina, with Necas as part of the return. The Hurricanes after also not signing Rantanen long term traded him to the Stars on deadline day, when he inked a $96 million contract over eight years that is currently underway.

“The fit has been really good,” general manager Chris MacFarland told reporters in Denver. “His speed, his skill, his talent blends in really well here, but it would blend in anywhere, to be honest. He’s a very good hockey player, and we’re lucky to have him.”

With the cap rising record amounts, salaries have started to match those increases. Minnesota last month signed winger Kirill Kaprizov to the richest contract in league history, eight years for $136 million with an annual value of $17 million, and just this week Utah extended budding star center Logan Cooley for $80 million over eight years.

Necas at 26 is a little over two years younger than Rantanen, who's signed through 2033. He has seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 11 games this season, third on the Avalanche behind only Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the headliners when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

"I’m happy that I can call this place home now," Necas said. “Now I can just focus on playing hockey, winning hockey games and do whatever it takes to a bring a Cup back here to Colorado.”

Already chosen for the Czech Olympic roster for the Milan-Cortina Games, Necas may just be growing into an elite playmaker in his seventh full NHL season. With Necas, MacKinnon and Makar producing and goaltender Scott Wedgewood off to a strong start, Colorado is tied for the most standings points in the league through 11 games.

“He’s an electric, top-line winger at 26 turning 27 years old that they’re hard to find,” MacFarland said. “They’re hard to acquire.”

Nikola Jokic has 4th straight triple-double to start season as Nuggets rout Pelicans 122-88

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, matching an NBA record with his fourth straight triple-double to start the season, and the Denver Nuggets routed the winless New Orleans Pelicans 122-88 on Wednesday night.

Jokic joined Oscar Robertson (1961-62) and Russell Westbrook (2020-21) as the only players to begin a season with four consecutive triple-doubles. Those are the only players Jokic trails on the career triple-double list; the three-time MVP now has 168.

Jokic shot 10 of 15 from the field and played 28 minutes. He sat out the fourth quarter after the Nuggets went on a 24-0 run in the third period to open up a 33-point lead.

Jamal Murray and Christian Braun scored 17 points apiece for the Nuggets, who have won three straight since a season-opening loss at Golden State.

After missing the Pelicans' loss to visiting Boston on Monday night with a bone bruise in his left foot, Zion Williamson scored 11 points. He finished with 27 points in each of New Orleans' first two games.

Rookie Jeremiah Fears led the Pelicans with a season-high 21 points. New Orleans shot 37.2% from the field, 20.6% (7 of 34) from 3-point range and a dismal 58.6% (17 of 29) on free throws as it fell to 0-4 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Up next

Pelicans: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

Nuggets: At Portland on Friday night.