The Denver Broncos are feasting on their Monday night matchup against the 4-2 Houston Texans and quarterback Brock Osweiler.
The Broncos are now 4-2 after losing their last two games, but going up against Osweiler in a primetime game may help them get back on the winning side.
Osweiler signed four-year $72 million contract with the Texans in the offseason. He was projected to become the Broncos starting quarterback in 2016 after Peyton Manning retired, but decided to head to take his talents to Houston. Players have not forgotten Osweiler’s decision to take the money and play for another team.
“There’s no ill will toward Brock. I am happy he got paid,” said Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. “But it’s competition. We want to kill him.”
The Broncos may know more about Osweiler than his current team. Osweiler did not even speak to his head coach Bill O’Brian before signing his huge contract. He spent his first four years in the NFL with the Broncos sitting behind Peyton Manning.
In 2015, Osweiler went 5-2 after starting for the Broncos. His role was to not mess things up and let the defense lead the team. Now with the Texans, Osweiler throws the ball around the field in more and that means more opportunities for the secondary.
“He’s like a gunslinger right now. He’s throwing the ball a lot,” said Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. “He’s throwing it everywhere and he’s also forcing a lot of throws so there’s a lot of opportunities to get picks.”
Osweiler has not been impressive so far. He’s inaccurate, holds on to the ball, and turns the ball over at a high rate. Osweiler is only completing 59 percent of his passes, 27th in the NFL. To go along with his low completion percentage, he is not throwing it far, even with his big arm. Osweiler only throws the ball about six yards per pass attempt, ranking 29th in that department.
If Osweiler continues his style of play, he will be playing right into the Broncos hands. The Broncos rank first in passing yards given up at only about 182 yards per game to go along with the league leading 21 sacks as a team.
“We know that Brock likes to hold the ball so I fell that we can get a lot of good pressure on him,” said Marshall. “Just watching their offense, I think this can be a great week for us, I can say that.”
Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak is also returning. After missing a week with migraines, Kubiak has returned to the Broncos. The Texans fired Kubiak in 2013 after spending eight years as their head coach. This will be the first time Kubiak faces his former team as a head coach for another team.
The 11-day rest could not have come at a better time. The Broncos had time to refocus and rest after. They are a championship team and know they need to get back on track. Facing Osweiler just adds to their motivation.
“It’s the same Brock Osweiler that we have come to know and experience. Tough game and looking forward to it,” said outside linebacker Von Miller.
This should be fun.
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