Broncos Look To Stretch Winning Streak To Six Games When They Visit Texans – News18

DENVER (6-5) at HOUSTON (6-5)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

OPENING LINE: Texans by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Denver 4-6-1; Houston 5-6.

SERIES RECORD: Broncos lead 6-3.

LAST MEETING: Broncos beat Texans 16-9 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Denver.

LAST WEEK: Broncos beat Browns 29-12; Texans lost to Jaguars 24-21.

BRONCOS OFFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (12), PASS (25), SCORING (13).

BRONCOS DEFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (32), PASS (23), SCORING (29).

TEXANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (24), PASS (2), SCORING (10).

TEXANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (8), PASS (27), SCORING (15).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Broncos plus-8; Texans plus-4.

BRONCOS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Russell Wilson has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception during Denver’s five-game winning streak. He is 4-0 with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in four career starts against the Texans. He needs one TD pass Sunday to move past Dan Marino (328) for second most in NFL history in a player’s first 12 seasons.

TEXANS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Tank Dell is the third rookie in NFL history with at least five catches and a TD reception in four straight games. He has more than 100 yards receiving in two of his past three home games, highlighted by a career-high 149 yards receiving two weeks ago. He is tied for first among rookies with a franchise-record seven touchdown receptions and his 709 yards receiving are second among rookies.

KEY MATCHUP: Rookie QB C.J. Stroud vs. Denver’s pass defense. The second overall pick ranks second in the NFL with 3,266 yards passing and is the first rookie in NFL history with 300 yards passing in four straight games. He has thrown two or more touchdown passes all six home games. The Broncos rank 23rd in the NFL by allowing 233 yards passing a game.

KEY INJURIES: Denver WR Jerry Jeudy missed practice this week with a groin injury. … Houston OL Tytus Howard went on the injured reserve Wednesday with a left knee injury. … Dell missed practice this week with a calf injury, but coach DeMeco Ryans said he expects him to play Sunday. … WR Noah Brown returned to practice this week after missing two games with a knee injury.

SERIES NOTES: Denver has won four of the past five meetings. … Houston’s previous win in the series came in a 19-17 victory in 2018. … These teams first met in 2004 when Denver won 31-13.

STATS AND STUFF: Denver has won five games in a row for the first time since the 2015 season. It’s tied for the longest active winning streak in the NFL. … RB Javonte Williams has had at least 70 yards of offense in four of his past five games. … RB Samaje Perine had 136 yards of offense and a career-best two rushing touchdowns in his only game against Houston in 2020 with Cincinnati. … WR Courtland Sutton has a touchdown reception in five of his past six games and all four road games this season. He had seven catches for 122 yards in his previous game against Houston. … Jeudy has had at least 50 yards receiving in three of his past five games. … TE Adam Trautman had his second TD catch of the season last week. … LB Alex Singleton had his eighth game this season with 10 tackles last week, which is tied for most in the NFL. He has a fumble recovery in two of his past three games. … LB Josey Jewell has his first sack and second forced fumble of the season against Cleveland. … LB Nik Bonitto had 1½ sacks and defended a pass in Week 12. … S Justin Simmons has an interception in two road games this season. … Houston RB Devin Singletary had a season-high six receptions for 54 yards last week. He has a TD run in two of his past three games. … RB Dameon Pierce had 69 yards rushing in his previous game against Denver. … WR Nico Collins led the team with seven receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown last week. He has a TD in two of his past three games. … TE Dalton Schultz has a touchdown reception in four of his past five home games. He is one of four tight ends with at least five TD catches in each of the past three seasons. … LB Blake Cashman has had at least 10 tackles and a tackle for loss in three of his past four home games. … LB Christian Harris led the team with 12 tackles and had a tackle for loss against Jacksonville. … CB Derek Stingley has had an interception in two straight games. He had eight tackles and defended two passes in his previous game against the Broncos. … CB Steven Nelson defended a season-high two passes last week.

FANTASY TIP: Stroud has been great at home this season, with five of his six games with more than 300 yards coming in Houston, including his NFL rookie record 470-yard performance Nov. 5 against Tampa Bay.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)