The Denver Broncos are moving forward after a tough loss against the Seattle Seahawks with a quick week of preparation to face the Houston Texans in their home opener on Sunday afternoon. The Texans are coming to town to face off against a rather motivated Broncos team that got in its own way for four quarters against the Seattle Seahawks.
It was an emotional loss on Monday night, but the Broncos did so many good things that if they can clean up the mistakes against Houston, this is a team they should absolutely roll over. As we learned in Week 1, however, you can’t underestimate anybody in the NFL or you’re going to fail and fall flat on your face in the process.
As cathartic as the win in Week 1 was for Seattle, a victory at home in Week 2 for the Denver Broncos would be equally relieving for a restless fan base that is eager to move forward and far away from all of the bad things we saw over the last six years. How can they get it done? They’re going to need some big performances from some of their most important players, as well as some players flying under the radar. Which five key players are we putting under the microscope heading into this game?
1. Jerry Jeudy, wide receiver
The Denver Broncos are going to need a big-time encore performance from Jerry Jeudy after his game against the Seahawks in which he racked up 102 yards on four receptions with a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard game and the first touchdown for Jeudy since the 2020 season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, which actually took place in January 2021. Still, it was over 600 days of drought that ended abruptly in Week 1 for the former first-round pick.
Jeudy showed off his full arsenal of skills against the Seahawks. He’s got outstanding long speed, route running abilities, and YAC potential. The Broncos will need Jeudy to step up big again in the matchup against Houston where he should see a lot of veterans Steven Nelson and Desmond King.
The Texans won’t necessarily match specific corners up against specific receivers all game, so Jeudy could have the opportunity to go up against star rookie Derek Stingley Jr. as well, but if the Texans try to match up Stingley with Sutton, that leaves Jeudy with arguably the more favorable matchups throughout the course of this game. We could see a heavy dose of no. 10 this week and his impact on the game will be critical for getting the Broncos into the win column.