Broncos vs Texans: 3 Keys to Victory

We’re hardly two years removed from the last time these two teams faced off but the embarrassment from that ugly loss still dampens the hearts of those unfortunate enough to still remember that game and all 100 opportunities they wasted.

But there’s good news: the Denver Broncos are a lot better now than they were then.

Let’s dig into how the Broncos can keep their momentum going and extend their winning streak to six games.

1. Find a way to make up for Pat Surtain’s injury

One positive I want to take away from their game against the Cowboys is that Surtain missed the entire second half against one of the best passing offenses in the league and Denver did just fine. Their secondary held up against two of the best receiving threats in football. And while Nico Collins is a legitimate threat, the Texans don’t have that 1-2 punch like the Cowboys do.

One way to keep that going is to get pressure on CJ Stroud. Their offensive line is only giving up just above two sacks a game this year, but they’ve also benefited from a somewhat sub-par schedule. The schemes that Vance Joseph has in store for them will be lethal. I expect everyone up front to eat.

There’s also the added bonus of Dre Greenlaw making his second return to action this season, following a bogus suspension. Having him being able to secure the middle of the field and let the DBs give a soft shell over the top should make things that much harder for Stroud to deal with as well.

2. Keep running that dang ball

Believe it or not, the Broncos currently boast the third-best rushing attack in the league with 1,102 yards on the season (137.8 YPG). This was not the case last season, the season before, or the season before that. And it’s this running game that’s completely elevated the offense, and it’s what kept them on the field last week as they went three-and-out the least amount of times in a game as they have all year long.

On first downs against the Cowboys, when the Broncos ran the ball they averaged over six yards a carry. On the game they averaged nearly seven yards per carry when adjusting for kneel downs and scrambles. JK Dobbins himself averaged 7.4 YPC.

This team is a running team through and through. And when you have an offensive line that dominates as much as Denver’s does (specifically looking at you, Quinn Meinerz) you have to keep pounding that rock. And the Texans only make up the fifth-best run defense, and out of the seven teams Houston has gone up against, only one team currently has a rushing attack that ranks in the top half of the league.

Truly this is a defense that is untested in the run game and the Broncos by-far boast the best rushing attack the Texans will see all year outside the Bills and the Colts.

A great way to keep a good defense guessing is the frequent use of both run and pass options. Bo Nix has been good at both of these this season. Against the Cowboys he was really carving them up with his pass options. Sean Payton does a great job switching up motions and formations to give the offense a numbers advantage, and Nix has been able to read the majority of these and make the proper call.

If they can keep these type of plays sprinkled in throughout the game, then that’s just another wrinkle the Texans have to come up with a plan for. And this is not something they’ve really encountered this season.

Sean Payton is a great offensive coach and he’ll show up on Sunday.