The Denver Broncos defeated the Houston Texans 16-9 in an ugly AFC battle at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon.
Buy Broncos TicketsHere are six quick takeaways from Denver’s first win of the season.
1
The red zone woes are a big concern
After going 0-4 in the red zone against the Seattle Seahawks last week, the Broncos went 0-2 inside the 20 against the Texans in Week 2.
Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett should stop calling shotgun formation plays from the one-yard line. Hackett should also stop calling so many passing plays inside the five-yard line.
When they get close to the end zone, the Broncos should lean on running backs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon to punch it in.
2
The offense is yet to click
With a new quarterback and a new play-caller, Denver’s offense still looks discombobulated two weeks into the season. Hackett needs to get the plays in faster and Wilson needs to get the offense set at the line quicker.
The Broncos had two more delay of game penalties on Sunday, prompting fans to begin counting down the play clock to help (and mock?) the offense.
Denver’s offense will aim to move at a faster pace against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 3.
3
Denver has been sloppy and undisciplined under Hackett
Look, we’re not trying to pile on Hackett here, but the team simply hasn’t been good enough through two games under his watch.
Denver has been sloppy and undisciplined through two weeks, primarily on offense — which is Hackett’s side of the ball. The Broncos committed 12 penalties for 106 yards in Week 1 and then followed that up with 13 fouls for 100 yards in Week 2.
Hackett needs to clean things up.
4
Javonte Williams continues to lead the backfield
Williams led Denver’s backfield again in Week 2 with 19 touches. The second-year running back rushed 15 times for 75 yards and caught one pass for 10 yards. Melvin Gordon has also been productive (he gained 53 yards on 11 touches on Sunday), but Williams is clearly the team’s top RB and he should continue to lead the team’s backfield.
5
The defense is starting to click
While the Broncos offense is struggling, the defense seems to be putting the pieces together under new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
After a poor start against Seattle last week, Denver’s defense shut out the Seahawks’ offense in the second half and they followed that up by only allowing three field goals to Houston in Week 3.
Granted, neither the Seahawks nor Texans boast formidable offenses, but the Broncos’ defense is off to a solid start. Bradley Chubb totaled two sacks last week and Dre’Mont Jones and Randy Gregory combined to record three sacks and two forced fumbles on Sunday.
6
Injuries are piling up for the Broncos
Denver’s already missing wide receiver Tim Patrick (ACL) for the entire year, and they went into Week 2 with safety Justin Simmons (thigh), inside linebacker Josey Jewell (calf), wide receiver KJ Hamler (hip/knee) and Quinn Meinerz (hamstring) all sidelined with injuries.
Then the Broncos lost wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (shoulder/ribs) and star cornerback Pat Surtain (shoulder) to injuries against Houston. We’ll find out more about the severity of those two injuries on Monday.
Fans in Denver can only hope these injury woes don’t continue throughout the 2022 season.
