With 15 minutes left in a week seven contest with the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos trailed 19-0. At home. To say that things looked bleak for a team that was thought to be an AFC West contender was a complete understatement.
Well, 75 minutes and 77 points later, said AFC West contender showed the entire league that the Denver Broncos are for real and here to stay. In that game against the Giants, the Broncos scored a mind-blowing 33 points in the fourth quarter to win 33-32. Then, just one week later, the Broncos didn't wait until the fourth quarter to start the scoring. They opened up quickly and stayed dominant in a 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Those two wins moved Denver to 6-2 and in first place in the AFC West.
The Broncos offense is averaging 15 points per quarter over its last five quarters. Projected over a full game that turns into 60 points a game. My goodness, but the Broncos will leave the friendly downtown Denver confines for a return trip to NRG, where the Texans slowed Russell Wilson and the Broncos in head coach Sean Payton's first year as leader in the Mile High City two years ago in the last matchup between these two organizations.
The Broncos did not score 60 that day, but they have the firepower on offense now to do so, any time, anywhere and their defense is one of the three best units in the league. Can the Texans hold this offensive juggernaut in check? Can the Texans have any level of success against one of the most hyper-productive defenses in the league, even without last year's NFL DPOY, presumably?
With all of that in mind, let's get to know the Texans' foe for week 9 - the Denver Broncos.
Denver Broncos 2025 Schedule (6-2)
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* Week 1 - W Tennessee Titans 20-12
* Week 2 - L @ Indianapolis Colts 29-28
* Week 3 - L @ Los Angeles Chargers 23-20
* Week 4 - W Cincinnati Bengals 28-3
* Week 5 - W @ Philadelphia Eagles 21-17
* Week 6 - W v. New York Jets 13-11 (London)
* Week 7 - W New York Giants 33-32
* Week 8 - W Dallas Cowboys 44-24
* Week 9 - @ Houston Texans
* Week 10 - Las Vegas Raiders
* Week 11 - Kansas City Chiefs
* Week 12 - BYE WEEK
* Week 13 - @ Washington Commanders
* Week 14 - @ Las Vegas Raiders
* Week 15 - Green Bay Packers
* Week 16 - Jacksonville Jaguars
* Week 17 - @ Kansas City Chiefs
* Week 18 - Los Angeles Chargers
Broncos OFFENSE (in 2025 regular season)
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* Rushing Yards Per game - 137.8 ypg (3rd in the NFL)
* Passing Yards Per game - 219.1 ypg (14th)
* Total offense per game - 356.9 ypg (9th)
* Turnovers lost - 8 (3 Fumbles lost, 5 INT)
#### Expected Broncos starting offense for Week 9
* QB - Bo Nix
* RB - JK Dobbins AND _R.J. HARVEY_
* WR - Courtland Sutton
* WR - Troy Franklin
* WR - Marvin Mims
* TE - EVAN ENGRAM
* LT - Garrett Bolles
* LG - Alex Palczewski
* C - Luke Wattenberg
* RG - Quinn Meinerz
* RT - Mike McGlinchey
#### Key Offensive Non-Starters
Keys to Winning v. the Broncos Offense
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1. Thunder and Lightning - There are only two teams in the NFL that average more rushing yards per game than the Denver Broncos. Just two - the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. It was clear after the 2024 season that the Broncos didn't have the right answers at running back. As a result, they signed oft-injured RB JK Dobbins and drafted rookie R.J. Harvey. GREAT move and GREAT move. The two have fit hand in glove and present a ton of issues in the Broncos' running plan. They're extremely shifty and built like mack trucks, so they're tough to get hands on and even more difficult to tackle. That's first and foremost for the Texans this weekend - tackling Dobbins and Harvey is the number one point up on the "to-do" list on the whiteboard. But, in the passing game, they can be lethal as well, so it's a dual challenge this week against the Broncos dynamic RB duo.
1. Age is nothing but a number - It feels as if Broncos QB Bo Nix has been in our football lives for the past decade and that's not all that far from the truth. He played 61 games in college which is unfathomable, but that experience (and his advanced age) is really what has allowed him to flourish early in his two years NFL career. He went through tons of ups and downs in his college career and it was facing that adversity that allowed him to look at a transfer to Oregon as a viable option. While in Eugene, Kenny Dillingham and Will Stein helped accentuate Nix's QB skills - throwing on the run, making quick decisions, pinpointing areas on the field with his accurate throwing. Nix went from being a football wild child, creating and playing backyard football to a polished, seasoned game changer who threw the ball on the run as well as anyone in football. That's what he brings to Houston as a Broncos; he's, arguably, the best on-the-run passer in the NFL. The Texans must force him to stay in the well and make him throw over, through and around the best pass rush in the league.
1. The Best - When Broncos LT Garrett Bolles first got to the Denver Broncos, he was a walking penalty waiting to happen. He had a ton of false starts. He struggled going one-on-one in the pass game. He was not ready to be THAT guy at left tackle. Then, the switch flipped and Bolles became one of the best, and most, skilled LTs in the business. It was like night and day and his advancement continues week after week. So, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. have their work cut out against a mauler who has learned how to really be a composed edge protector. He moves so fluidly and can really frustrate edge rushers with his strong hands and power, so the Texans edge rushers will need to be smart and crafty in their rushes against one of the best in the league.