The Houston Texans will be visiting Mile High Stadium on Sunday for a showdown. This will be the Texans’ eighth meeting against the Broncos, who have a 4-3 series advantage. Last time, the Texans won by a narrow margin as Brandon McManus missed a crucial field goal that would have won the game. The Texans are looking to get back on track after the disappointing loss to the Saints on Sunday.
Denver has been playing this year with a new quarterback because Will Fuller tore his ACL. He is no longer available. The Broncos will replace him with Will Thomas, a veteran. He has experience playing wide receiver and has made appearances in the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl. The veteran will take some of the pressure off DeAndre Hopkins. The game will be televised by CBS, and kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Mile High.
The Browns are not the only ones in action. On Monday night, the Denver Broncos will face the Kansas City Chiefs in AFC West. The Chiefs are the division leaders, but with a quarterback as young as Patrick Mahomes, they no longer appear to be a scary opponent. The Broncos are also struggling to score points, but their defense is too talented for Baker Mayfield to be stopped.
Despite the disappointing defense, the Texans’ offense was impressive. The Texans recovered from a 17-16 deficit to tie the game at the end the first quarter. The Texans’ defense was able to capitalize on a Brandon McManus missed field goal, but the secondary of the Broncos was worse. Case Keenum drove Denver to Houston 33, but missed a third-down field goal. Despite the Texans’ sloppy defense, the Broncos were able to take advantage of DeAndre Hopkins’ first-down catch.
The offense must be focused and play at the same level as the Texans when they go into the game. The offensive line must be capable of containing the Denver Broncos running backs, and the offensive lines must remain focused to limit the Broncos passing game. With a win, the Texans can move up as high as 6-3.
With the Texans down by 17-10, Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass to Jeff Heuerman before missing the do-over field goal and giving the Broncos a 16-10 lead at the half. On the Texans’ next drive, Case Keenum hit Jeff Heuerman for a 5-yard touchdown pass. It was only one of his 10 career catches. Von Miller said that it was strange not to have Thomas on his team.
The Denver Broncos are 5-8 overall and 2-0 since Drew Lock was made the starter against the Texans last season. With this win, Lock made Broncos history by becoming the first rookie quarterback to win his first two career starts. The Broncos replaced him in both games but the Texans held on to the lead. This game has a lot riding on it, so keep an eye out for the odds.