Dec 1, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips on the sidelines against the New England Patriots at Reliant Stadium. The Patriots beat the Texans 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
In his Monday press conference Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips touched on a variety of topics, even speaking about Week 16 opponent Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, who are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Texans (2-12) will host the Broncos (11-3) this Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT on CBS, and just from the look of the overall records and play of these two teams this season, victory seems to be a lock for the visiting Broncos.
Phillips, who coached the Broncos for two seasons (1993-94), had good things to say about future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning this Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
Dec 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) reacts during the first half against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The interim head coach said:
"“Obviously, (Manning is) a great, great challenge for our defense. What more can you say about him besides being the all-time, all-time quarterback? He’s having a tremendous year, one of the greatest years ever. We’re going to have to step up our defensive play and especially our pass defense, which we really feel strong about our pass defense.”"
Phillips continued to speak about Manning and the challenge of facing him:
"“They’re the number one offense in the league. Not just him, but their whole offense, their offensive line, their running backs. They move the ball better than anybody in the league. I think we’re fourth now in people moving the ball on us. It’s a big challenge.”"
In 14 games this season Manning has passed for 4,811 yards and 47 touchdowns. He’s also thrown 10 interceptions and has a rating of 112.9. Manning this season is 393-of-580.
This game could be even more of a disaster for the Texans than what we’ve already seen this season … and that’s sad to say, because there have been some really bad games this year.
The Broncos are coming off a loss to the San Diego Chargers last Thursday by a 27-20 score. Houston lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 25-3 Sunday.
I don’t know how the Texans are going to stop the Broncos, they’ve been unable to stop the Jacksonville Jaguars twice this season or pretty much any team this season on their schedule.
Sunday is going to be a long day for Houston.