The Denver Broncos need to get back on track after a week one loss. What should we be looking out for in week two against the Houston Texans? Fortunately, the Broncos appear to have an easier opponent on their schedule for week two.
Unfortunately, the Texans are not as bad of a team as some think. They opened up a 17-point lead against the Indianapolis Colts in week one, only to lose the lead and end up in a 20-20 tie. It was an interesting game for them all around, and they’ll have a harder test when they travel to Denver to face the Broncos, who had themselves an awful loss.
The Broncos only lost by one point, but based on the way they played in parts of the game, they should have lost by more. Two fumbles at the goal line, one each by Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams proved to be a setback that they couldn’t recover from.
A curious decision at the end of the game and being called for a ton of penalties were also huge factors in the loss. Denver clearly has a few things to correct, and with Russell Wilson in the building, I think they can end up doing this and play a cleaner game in week two.
So, what are the three keys to victory against the Houston Texans?
Denver Broncos keys to victory in week two: Easy on the penalties
The penalties were a backbreaker for the Denver Broncos. Several of them resulted in first downs for the Seahawks, and a few penalties on offense pushed the Broncos back out of good situations. Denver was one of the least penalized teams in the NFL during Vic Fangio’s tenure, and they begin Nathaniel Hackett’s tenure by committing the most penalty yards in the NFL in week one.
What makes it more frustrating was the opponent. Denver should have won this game, and I could argue that without half of their penalties, they would have. I guess on the bright side, it’s clear what needs to be corrected. The Texans are not as talented on offense as the Seahawks are, so perhaps Denver can avoid the defensive penalties.
The same applies to the defensive side of the ball too. As I mentioned above, the Texans are a better team than people think, but no matter who Denver is playing, it’s clear that committing a ton of penalties is not the answer.
Denver Broncos keys to victory in week two: Don’t lose the turnover battle
The Broncos were -1 in the turnover battle on Monday night, which might not seem like a terrible thing. Many teams are able to win games with ease with a -1 turnover ratio, but the Broncos’ turnovers could not have come at worse times.
Russell Wilson does not throw a ton of interceptions, so he’s likely to take care of the ball. The Broncos also have the players on defense to force a ton of turnovers. However, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams fumbling at the goal line proved to be the biggest difference maker in this game.
It’s unheard of to do this twice, and I’d say that fumbling at the goal line is also rather uncommon in the NFL. Melvin Gordon appears to have an affinity for this, as he’s done this as a Bronco multiple times. To be completely honest, I’m not sure why Gordon is still getting the ball in goal-line situations at this point.
He has a bigger fumbling issue than Williams, and Williams is the better back and the 1a in the room. I get that Gordon might be the better option in terms of finding an open hole or whatever the case may be, but it’s getting extremely tiring seeing Gordon fumble games away.
Either way, my general point here is that Denver needs to win the turnover battle, or at least stay even with Houston.
Denver Broncos keys to victory vs. Texans: Don’t sleep on this team
Davis Mills threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns in week one against a Colts defense that has some talent. Dating back to last year, in his last eight games, he’s thrown for 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions, with a 67.3% completion percentage and a passer rating of 99.8.
That’s insanely efficient, especially for a second-year player. Davis Mills is a legitimate quarterback that can’t be written off. They also have an incredibly underrated wide receiver in Brandin Cooks who has six 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the NFL. He’s got 7,999 career receiving yards and is in his ninth season.
He’s never really lit up the stat sheet, as he’s never had a season with more than 90 receptions, 1,204 yards, and nine touchdowns, but Cooks is an absolute dog on offense. He ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine and will be able to take the top off the Broncos’ defense if he gets free.
They’re also coached by Lovie Smith, who took the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl back in 2006 while being quarterbacked by Rex Grossman. They have a quality coaching staff and good players on both sides of the ball.
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Denver cannot expect to win this game by 10 points. They need to treat the Texans like a legitimate competitor. Yes, the Texans don’t have a ton of talent on their roster, but they have enough to make this game interesting.