DENVER -- Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler, who was booed by Denver Broncos fans each time he came onto the field in a 27-9 loss Monday night, said he was not surprised by the crowd's reactions to his return.
Osweiler was playing in Denver for the first time since leaving to sign a four-year, $72 million contract with the Texans during the offseason.
"I was definitely not surprised by that," Osweiler said. "I assumed I'd get a lot of boos. In fact, I thought it would be a little bit louder with those boos."
His return was the story of the week leading up to this Week 7 contest, and he said after the game that part of him is happy that this week is over.
"I think there was so much that was built up about myself and the Broncos in this game," Osweiler said. "And at the end of the day, it was the Houston Texans versus the Denver Broncos. We came up here tonight. We did not play a good enough football game to get this job done."
Osweiler finished 22-for-41 for 131 yards without a touchdown in the loss. He also fumbled early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach for Houston.
During the week, several of his former teammates said there was more on this game than usual because of Osweiler's return, with Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall joking that he wanted to "kill him" because "it's competition."
Outside linebacker Von Miller said there was a little bit of "extra sauce" on this game.
But after the game was over, Osweiler was greeted by his former teammates on the field. He said he was grateful for the postgame reception.
"It meant a lot to me," Osweiler said. "I think all of those guys know how I feel about them as well. I have nothing but love, appreciation and gratitude, not only for those players, the coaches, the organization and the city of Denver.
"This place was nothing but great for four years for my wife and myself. So it was really great to see some familiar faces and give those guys a hug."