He signed a 3-year, $33 million deal with Denver in the offseason while Houston declined to make him an offer after nine years with the team.
“He had a lot of energy. Made a lot of plays,” Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said.
On a Keke Coutee reception and fumble, Jackson took a lateral handoff from linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, who recovered the ball, and went 70 yards for a touchdown.
“It was one of those plays that they didn’t know if it was an incomplete pass or a fumble,” Jackson said. “One of the things we harp on is playing through the whistle. I never heard the whistle.”
Jackson’s interception came late in the fourth quarter on a batted ball. He nearly had one earlier and would have likely had another touchdown, but dropped it.
Another impactful play Jackson had was with two minutes left in the first half. He made a big tackle on tight end Darren Fells to force a fourth down.
The Broncos would force a turnover on downs on the following play, and eventually score to have a four touchdown lead at halftime.
Hopkins got his bell rung by his former teammate while attempting to catch a deep ball across the middle of the field.
Jackson jarred Hopkins with a big hit creating an incomplete pass. There was no penalty on the play, though it was a vicious hit.
“I was deep and could kind of see everybody in front of me, and saw him kind of breaking loose," Jackson said. "So I was in the right place at the right time, you know, and I was able to make a play on the ball.”
Aside from a big day on the field, it was good to be back where his NFL career began.
“It was very emotional. Especially once I kind of got here and got off the bus and started to see familiar faces," Jackson said. "It’s always great to see familiar faces, especially people you haven’t seen in a while.
"I was excited to see everybody, but at the same time I had to keep in my mind that it was a business trip.”