DENVER (AP) - Jake Plummer was praised for protecting the ball this season and cutting down on the turnovers that had hounded him for years.
That was before Sunday's AFC championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Broncos' quarterback lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions in the Steelers' 34-17 victory.
Plummer threw only seven interceptions during the regular season and lost two fumbles. But his mistakes were costly against Pittsburgh.
His first fumble late in the first quarter led to Pittsburgh's first touchdown and a 10-0 lead. His was intercepted by Ike Taylor in the second quarter and the giveaway set up a 38-yard scoring drive that gave the Steelers a 24-3 lead.
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TEXANS WASTE NO TIME: The Houston Texans didn't wait for the end of the Broncos-Steelers game Sunday to schedule a news conference to announce their new head coach.
Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was almost certainly expected to be chosen, but under NFL rules, the Texans could not hire Kubiak - a Houston native - until Denver's season was over.
Houston announced in the middle of the AFC Championship that they would hold a press conference at 7:30 p.m. to discuss their coaching vacancy.
Earlier in the week, the Broncos seemed resigned to losing Kubiak, who has been offensive coordinator in Denver for 11 seasons.
``His time has come,'' Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said on Friday. ``He's had opportunities in the past, but this one feels right, and we'll miss him.''
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BLOWN-OUT BRONCOS: When the Denver Broncos lose in the playoffs, they tend to lose big.
Sunday's 34-17 defeat to the Steelers at Invesco Field marked the fourth time in their last five playoff games that Denver has lost by at least 17 points.
The Broncos managed only a field goal in a 21-3 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, then were outscored 90-34 by the Indianapolis Colts in wild-card games in 2004 and '05.
Pittsburgh started the trend, which dates back almost three decades, by beating Denver 33-10 in a divisional playoff game in 1978.
But Denver's most embarrassing blowouts - by far - occurred during the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl XXII, the Broncos took an early 10-0 lead against the Redskins, only to watch Washington score 35 points in the second quarter in a 42-10 defeat. Two years later, Denver lost 55-10 to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV.
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FRAZIER OUT: Steelers LB Andre Frazier missed the second half after he hurt his ankle in the second-to-last play before halftime.
Frazier was injured while tackling Broncos returner Charlie Adams during the kickoff after the Steelers had scored to make it 24-3.
Frazier was pulling Adams down, when Adams rolled onto him. The twisted Frazier was then hit by Broncos safety Sam Brandon. He was carted off the field.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
