Denver's Defense the Best Test Yet for Offensive Viability of Texans
A successful showing against Denver would mean a ton
The Denver Broncos boast a nasty defense. It isn’t statistically as impressive as the Texans in most categories, but they have their own way of dominating opponents. Just like there is more than one way to fight, there is more than one way to play defense.
The Texans are suffocating. If you don’t protect your quarterback, they will sack him. They want to make it tough to throw the ball when you want to throw it. When you do throw it, Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. make it tough. Running the ball against Houston isn’t easy.
Denver wants to knock you out.
They have a pass rush akin to a heavyweight boxer’s right hand. The Broncos have 10 more sacks than anyone in football. They have 20 more than the Texans. Denver is the only team converting more than 10% of their pass rush reps into sacks, according to Next Gen Stats. They lead in quarterback pressure rate by six percentage points.
They can get after the quarterback.
Houston has zero wins when they have allowed C.J. Stroud to be pressured more than 30% of the time. All their wins have come when they have been able to protect the quarterback.