During the Denver Broncos' victory over the Dallas Cowboys, they lost a vital piece of not just the defense, but the entire team. Patrick Surtain II went down just before halftime. Surtain II will be missing several weeks, eyeing a hopeful return for the first contest with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Surtain II is as great a leader for the Broncos as he is a player and will be sorely missed on the field. It will be the first game of the 2025 season that the Broncos will have an entire week to gameplan without him, but that also means the Texans get to gameplan without acknowledging the reigning defensive player of the year.
If things continue to progress the way they are for the Texans, it will be even richer for the Broncos' opponent this week as Nico Collins and Christian Kirk both practiced today, according to Aaron Wilson, reporter for KPRC2.
The Houston Texans could be getting some WR reinforcements back at the right time
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Recovering from a concussion, [Collins](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-texans-wr-nico-collins-trending-towards-playing-in-week-9/ar-AA1PlznQ?ocid=BingNewsSerp) missed the Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers. [Kirk](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/texans-lose-wr-christian-kirk-to-hamstring-injury-ahead-of-seahawks-game/ar-AA1OJA4w?ocid=BingNewsSerp) has continued to fight a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him out of the first two games of the season and the last two games the Texans have played.
Collins and Kirk are both electric playmakers who can stretch defenses vertically. If there is a guy that the Texans' quarterback, C.J. Stroud, trusts more than anyone, it would be Nico Collins. When the Broncos and Texans played back in 2023, Collins had himself a monster game and maybe career best with 191 receiving yards on nine receptions and a touchdown, and that was with Patrick Surtain II on the field.
Leading the Texans in targets, even missing a game, is Collins with 46. But on those 46 targets, Collins has just 339 receiving yards on the season with three touchdowns on 26 receptions, averaging just 13 yards per reception. Those numbers aren't terrifying by any means for a defense, but that shouldn't deter the Broncos from keening in on Collins and start with shutting him down.
What the Broncos did not do against Collins in 2023 was keep him in front of them. During the matchup in 2023, Collins had a 59-yard reception that really opened up the defense. Maybe the Broncos' defense didn't think Collins' game was there yet in 2023, but it certainly is now.
Kirk is an explosive waiting to happen, also. To stop these two playmakers the Broncos will likely see on Sunday, it begins with keeping them in front of them and rallying to the ball, not missing tackles. Communication will be vital as well. There will be new pieces rounding out the defense, and they will be different for the Broncos. Compiling on that is the Texans getting healthier while the Broncos are becoming more wounded.
It will take the entire defensive unit playing at a high, fast, and disciplined level to stop the hot Texans' offense, but it can be done; Collins and Kirk will undoubtedly cause more strain.