Kareem Jackson's Homecoming Sparks Broncos to a Dominant Road Win in Houston

Tip your cap to Kareem Jackson, who played an inspired game in his return to Houston.

A homecoming can sometimes be difficult to cope with as emotions run high and things can be overwhelming for an individual to process. However, that was not the case in Kareem Jackson's return to the NFL city he called home for nine years. 

It was a game-changing performance from the Denver Broncos hard-hitting safety. Jackson was all over the field making crucial play after crucial play, helping lead his new team to a 38-24 dominating win over his old.

It will be easy to point to Drew Lock’s second-straight win and three touchdown passes, which matches John Elway’s rookie franchise mark, but it was No. 22 that set the tone in the Broncos impressive road win. Despite a mini second-half wobble that gave up 14 unanswered points, the Broncos defense matched Jackson’s relentless play, chasing Deshaun Watson down all day long.

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Jackson’s early-game monster hit on the Texans star WR DeAndre Hopkins set the tone and served as notice that on this Sunday that the Broncos were in no mood to be passive. After Lock had given Denver an early lead with a 14-yard scoring toss to fellow rookie TE Noah Fant, the 10th-year safety stuck a dagger into the Texans with a memorable 70-yard fumble return that doubled the lead.

The safety will be happy to give an assist on the play to linebacker Alexander Johnson for forcing the fumble, as well as Jeremiah Attaochu who managed to lateral the ball back to Jackson, allowing him to embark on his journey to the end zone. The Texans garbage time scoring spree also came unstuck when Jackson pulled off another terrific play, combining with Johnson yet again to pick off Watson’s pass and take all hope out of Houston’s attempted comeback.

Not all of GM John Elway’s offseason free agency moves have panned out for the Broncos but the move to sign such a game-wrecking and versatile defensive back has been a true homerun. Coupled with head coach Vic Fangio’s decision to move Jackson from his nickel cornerback assignment to his new home as a roving hitting machine also deserves kudos, despite the players' near-perfect fit for the role.

Pairing Jackson with Justin Simmons has seen the Broncos now boast the best duo in the NFL, serving as both enforcers and the last line of defense. Both are highly likely to receive Pro Bowl nods at the season’s conclusion, which would surprise none who've been watching them play.

Coming off a big win in Houston, Jackson will draw another tough assignment with a Broncos trip to Kansas, which will surely throw up another vast array of obstacles. After this superhuman showing, it’s significantly more likely that the Broncos might be able to go up to Arrowhead and pull off another huge upset. 

Jackson will likely be packing a game ball in his kit bag for the journey back to Denver after a sensational homecoming that turned into a celebration.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.