3 Critical Numbers Reveal Broncos' Path to Beating Texans
The Denver Broncos matchup vs. the Houston Texans on Sunday has huge playoff implications. If the Broncos are victorious, they will own the head-to-head playoff calculation against three true postseason hopefuls and will basically control their own destiny.
The Texans are no joke, and this will be a tough matchup on the road, but the Broncos can come home with a win if they can exploit these three numbers.
10
Even though the Texans have been vulnerable to the pass, teams that have established the run early have had more success against them than teams that haven't. The Texans are 2-5 in games where their opponent had at least 10 designed runs in the first half.
Those runs don’t have to gain considerable yards, either. The teams needed only to have a dedication to the run game in the first half.
In the games that Houston's opponents did not run at least 10 times before halftime, the Texans are 4-0. A dedication to the rushing attack can be effective at opening up other areas of the offense, and one of those is the play-action passing attack.
As you will see later in this article, the Texans are vulnerable to deep passing, and play-action can create those opportunities.
6
Another key to victory is striking first. The Texans have won every game in which they scored the first touchdown (5-0). When their opponent is first to score the touchdown, they're 2-4.
The Broncos would do well to march down the field on the opening drive and put the ball into the end zone. The Texans are a team with a new coach and a rookie quarterback.
Getting behind early may have an impact on their psyche, and the Broncos' first set of scripted plays needs to be solid. The Broncos also can't hurt themselves with dumb penalties on the opening drive.
It may even be wise to take the ball first if Denver wins the coin toss.
30
Part of the problem with the Texans' passing defense is that they give up big plays often. Houston has given up 30 explosive plays in the passing game (plays of 20-plus yards).
The most vulnerable spot to attack is the deep left of the field. The Texans' defense has given up nearly a 50% completion rate when quarterbacks target that area of the field which is a massive increase vs. the NFL average of 37%.
The Texans have given up a 16 yards-per-attempt average and have no interceptions in that area of the field. Russell Wilson can have a field day if he can get the ball to receivers to the deep left, especially if he can do it off of play-action.
The key to this game is getting the Broncos' offense rolling, especially in the passing game. The Broncos can have a big statistical game and really solidify their playoff chances if they can treat fans to an offensive explosion everyone's been waiting for throughout this five-game win streak.
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