Bold Predictions: Denver Broncos v. Houston Texans
The month of October consists of Halloween and many spooky stories. For the Denver Broncos, they seemed to play scared the past two weeks.
However, no story gets better in the month of October then the return of Brock Osweiler to the Mile High City. The Denver Broncos, on the other hand, faltered the past few weeks to gain any sort of momentum giving opponents a glimpse of hope.
It is imperative for the Broncos to start early and sustain that energy for the rest of the game. After Trevor Siemian’s underwhelming performance Thursday and due to an injury, it is unclear who starts against the Texans. Yet, the expectation is Siemian will start, in my opinion. Look for him to respond in a nice performance.
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Many of the flaws in Osweiler’s aerial attack is holding the ball too long that gives the Broncos’ Orange Rush to pressure the ex-teammate. Shane Ray is emerging as a legitimate threat as a pass rusher this season and in the absence of the DeMarcus Ware.
Meanwhile, Von Miller is on another planet this year and entering Defensive Player of the Year talks close to mid-season. Jared Crick, formerly of the Texans will sack Osweiler and perform well against his former team.
Jonathan Joseph is back in the Texans lineup, but what a welcome it will be for the stellar cornerback. He will be facing Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas in most offensive sets. Joseph will be tested early and often, in my opinion to see how healthy he is playing. The Texans cornerback position took a significant hit in the loss of Kevin Johnson. In that loss, look for Sanders and Thomas to play exceptionally well.
Trevor Siemian 290 yards, 3 TDs/1 INT
Oct 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) scrambles as offensive guard Michael Schofield (bottom right) holds San Diego Chargers nose tackle Brandon Mebane (92) during the fourth quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
It goes with out saying, Broncos fans can have their preferred quarterback in the back of their mind, but right now support who the head coach chooses. If by chance Trevor Siemian starts, expect a better performance than last Thursday. He looked confused and befuddled all game, but he was not healthy. Gary Kubiak stated during the week Siemian did well in practice.
Texans are 6th in pass defense for a reason and in large part due to the play of Kevin Johnson, the 2015 first-round pick. Johnson will miss significant time due to an injury, but the defense gets good news in the return of Jonathan Joseph back to the lineup. In the past, or at least under Peyton Manning, Jonathan Joseph has played poorly against the Broncos. If Siemian is healthy, he needs to challenge the secondary of the Texans early and often to determine how healthy they are as a group.
Siemian showed he can light up a stat book in the game at Cincinnati. Every throw he made in the second half could be argued as elite throws from hash mark to hash mark. However, if another underwhelming performance is in store, the Broncos will have decisions to make at quarterback if continues.
Von Miller 2.5 sacks (strip sack)/Shane Ray, Jared Crick One Sack/ Derek Wolfe, Shaq Barrett half sack
Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Jared Crick (93) in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos defense should understand the weaknesses of Brock Osweiler better than anyone and it should be exposed Monday. Osweiler holds the ball way too long as a quarterback. This gives the defensive line and pass rush linebackers to feast on him like a Whopper from Burger King.
Shane Ray is surely solidifying himself as possibly the future replacement to DeMarcus Ware. Even with no Ware, Shaquille Barrett will add more presence in the pass rush. Barrett will add a half sack, as will Derek Wolfe. Von Miller is playing on another universe and expect him to sack Osweiler two and a half times Monday. Another bold prediction is forcing him to fumble multiple times on strip sacks. Miller will have his say in that category.
Another player goes un-noticed on the defensive line: Jared Crick. Crick played his entire football career, in college and pro with great players. In his time with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, he played next to Ndamukong Suh. Fast forward to years with the Texans, Crick played alongside the best defensive player of this generation: JJ Watt (miss rest of season this year, by the way). Crick plays the Texans for the first time, which should give him extra incentive to prove he made the right decision choosing Denver over Houston.
Thomas 120+ yards, two TDs/Sanders 85 yards, one TD
Sep 25, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) celebrates the touchdown by wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Broncos won 29-17. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
As stated earlier, the Houston Texans are with out Kevin Johnson for the Monday night matchup against the Denver Broncos. This monster blow to the Texans’ secondary allows the Broncos to take center stage in the wide receivers. Despite ranked 6th in the NFL in pass defense, the Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius will feast on the back end of their defense all game long.
Thomas and Sanders failed to get separation from the San Diego Chargers corners last Thursday. The toughest opponents will raise level of play after two-game losing streak. Even though Antonio Cromartie lost a step a couple years ago, the Arizona Cardinals’ defense performs well each season. The year Cromartie played in Arizona, Thomas torched him or whoever in coverage. There is no Cromartie in the Texans’ secondary, but Thomas and Sanders will expose how bad Houston misses Johnson.
In just two games against the Texans, Thomas has close to 180 yards in total. Sanders only played Houston once in his career back in 2011. In his lone game, Sanders was targeted twice gaining just 10 yards receiving. Sanders is a better threat than 2011 and arguably the Broncos number one target. Both Sanders and Thomas will be relied on to help their young quarterback, no matter who starts.