For the Denver Broncos, the most recent injury update on Patrick Surtain II is a classic case of good news, bad news. Surtain, a two-time All-Pro and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, suffered a pectoral strain in last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys. There was initially concern that the injury could've ended Surtain's season, or at the very least, landed him on the IR, but today it was revealed that Surtain would avoid the IR and will likely be back by Week 13.
See, classic case of good news, bad news.
For the Houston Texans, the story is similar. The good news is that the Denver Broncos defense will be without Surtain this Sunday afternoon in Houston, a huge break for a Texans offense that is trying to build some momentum after a solid outing last Sunday versus the San Francisco 49ers.
The bad news is that the Denver Broncos defense can be disruptive even without Surtain on the field, leaving the Texans in a position where points won't necessarily be easy to come by as they try to fight their way to .500 for the first time this season.
A Patrick Surtain II sized hole in the secondary theoretically clears the path for the Texans offense to remain in stride after CJ Stroud's best performance of the season, but that's only if Houston's offensive line -- which had its best performance of the season last week as well -- can withstand the pressure that the Denver has overwhelmed one opponent after the next with so far this year.
Thus far this season, the Broncos have practically lapped the field when it comes to getting after the quarterback. Heading into Week 9, Denver has 36 total sacks, 10 more than the Los Angeles Rams, who are second in the NFL in the category. The gap between the Broncos and Rams is just as large as the gap between the Rams and the Houston Texans, who presently rank 18th in sacks.
To make matters worse, the Broncos also rank 1st in pressure rate and knockdown rate, proving that even if they don't get home on the play, they're at the very least impacting the play a great deal. There's a reason why Denver's defense is also ranked 3rd in opponent passer rating and 1st in opponent completion percentage, and it's not just the sticky coverage of Pat Surtain.
Sunday's matchup a battle of the league's best defenses
The Texans offense will surely have its hands full with the Broncos D, but the same can be said when Bo Nix and co. come out onto the field too. Many of those categories that the Broncos defense is near the top of the league in are also categories that the Texans defense has made a mark in as well.
Opponent passer rating? The Texans defense is best in the NFL.
Opponent completion percentage? Houston ranks 2nd behind only the Broncos.
Additionally, Houston's defense is 5th in turnovers forced, 3rd in third-down success rate, 2nd in average time of possession allowed, and 1st in points allowed by nearly two full points per game.
If you're a gambler, you might want to consider betting the under in this game on Sunday afternoon. And if you're just a fan who loves a throwback matchup that harkens back to the days when 'Jacked Up' was still a segment that ESPN was running, this is the game for you.