Like Archie Manning said to Drew Lock after his debut win over the Los Angeles Chargers, “You can’t win them all if you don’t win your first one.”
Lock won the first one but is now faced with the much tougher task of toppling the AFC South-leading Houston Texans. What must the Broncos do to get Lock his second win in as many games? Let’s take a look:
Contain Deshaun Watson
The Texans’ offense is easily one of the league’s most potent and explosive attacks. It has one of the most dangerous receiving corps, a productive running game and it all runs through their MVP-caliber quarterback, Deshaun Watson.
For the Broncos to stand any chance in this game, they must shut down Watson, who ranks among the top 10 in the league in completion percentage, yards, yards per attempt, touchdowns, interceptions, QBR and passer rating.
He also ranks fourth among quarterbacks in rushing attempts, yards, first downs and ranks third in rushing touchdowns.
How do you limit Watson? With pressure.
He’s been sacked just eight times this season across five games. In games where he’s sacked, the Texans have a record of 2-3 with an average final score of 15.6 to 23.2. That’s compared to a record of 7-1 and an average final score of 30.7 to 21.1 when Watson is kept clean.
Let it fly, Lock
Drew Lock had an impressive debut for the Broncos, completing nearly 65 percent of his passes and throwing two touchdowns to just one interception.
That being said, Denver was extremely conservative with their aerial attack, which they can’t do on Sunday against the Texans. Lock averaged a shockingly low 4.79 yards per attempt and that number drops to 3.74 if you remove Lock’s 33-yard completion on the last play before the half.
Rich Scangarello and the Broncos can’t be scared to air it out Sunday against a bad Houston pass defense. Houston ranks fifth-worst in passing yards per game allowed, passing touchdowns allowed, first downs allowed through the air and eighth-worst in passer rating allowed.
Statistically speaking, the Texans are easily the worst pass defense the Broncos have faced all season, with only the Raiders coming close. Hopefully, the Broncos’ offensive staff exploits that weakness.
Chris Harris Jr. vs. DeAndre Hopkins
At the start of the season, Chris Harris Jr. getting re-signed seemed like one of the highest priorities for the Broncos’ front office before free agency. As the season goes on though, re-signing the veteran cornerback becomes less and less important thanks to his play.
In the last three games, Harris has been picked on by opposing No. 1 receivers.
While some of this could be excused by the quality of competition, two of the three matchups were against Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen respectively, but that excuse doesn’t apply to John Brown, who hauled in a 34-yard touchdown on Harris.
The last member of the “No-Fly Zone” will have his work cut out for him though, as he is tasked with locking down DeAndre Hopkins, arguably the league’s best receiver.
