Houston Texans: 3 Key Players to watch against the Denver Broncos
The Houston Texans are back with another week of football. In a must-win situation, who are the names to watch for this week against the Broncos?
Week two is here and the Texans are once again the underdog. Shocker, shocker, am I right? Nonetheless, Texans football is back against the Denver Broncos and this is a statement game for not just the Texans, but the Broncos as well.
The Denver Broncos are coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks and, let’s just say, that game was not at all what I expected. Most people thought that the Broncos were going to run the floor with the Seahawks I’m sure, but they didn’t. In this case, that works against the Texans favor though.
The Broncos were projected to be a team competing for the AFC west, and losing to a team like the Seahawks is not something I’m sure they like. Now they are going to come out fired up and doing everything they can to get this win. But luckily for the Texans, they are playing for something as well.
After tying the Colts this past week, they have something to play for. They are going to go out there and look to get this win. And if they do get this win, they will have a very good outlook for the rest of the year. But they will need players to step up, so who should we keep our eyes on?
Nico Collins
Nico Collins is the name we heard most all training camp and preseason. We repeatedly heard that Collins and Mills have an incredible connection coming into their second year. Collins didn’t have the performance we were hoping for, only having two receptions for 26 yards. If Mills and the Texans want to be taken seriously, they need to establish a solid passing game, and Collins should be the answer. Collins will have a challenging matchup against either Patrick Surtain or Former Texan Kareem Jackson, but if Collins and Mills have a big game, Collins could make a name for himself around the league.
Jerry Hughes
Jerry Hughes is fantastic. He came in and immediately upgraded the defense in a big way. Hughes had two sacks and one tackle for loss, and at 34, Hughes still has a fire in him that will lead the Texans’ defense to the next level. The hometown man adds leadership that the rest of the team can feed off this season. If we can see anything remotely similar to his last outing, then the defense will continue to be looked at as more than a bottom of the league defense.
Dameon Pierce
Dameon Pierce is the running back Texans fans have been looking for since Arian Foster. Unfortunately, his debut didn’t go as planned. Against the Colts, Pierce had 11 carries for 33 rushing yards, which is not nearly enough for Pierce to showcase his talent. The Texans used Rex Burkhead the most in the rushing and receiving game. We can expect Pierce’s usage to increase this week, and if he looks anything like he did in the preseason, Texans fans can rejoice, but we will have to wait till Sunday.