Gary Kubiak is back at work and he’s hoping his Denver Broncos follow him. After four straight wins to start the year, the Broncos stumbled with back-to-back losses and the quarterback play has been questionable. The guy who was drafted to take over the reins from Peyton Manning makes his first appearance against his former team when Brock Osweiler leads the Houston Texans into the Mile High City for a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 7.
This contest in Week 7 of the regular season will go down Monday, October 24, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Houston Texans +7.5
Denver Broncos -7.5
Over/Under 40.5
Odds Analysis
Few bettors like the Texans chances in this one with 72 percent of the wagers placed on the home team. That action has forced the line up from its opening of Denver -6 to its current -7.5. The Broncos have looked average the last two games and Osweiler has a big chip on his shoulder. The points are too good to pass up in what is likely to be a close game.
Injury Report
Kevin Johnson – It looks like the Texans will be without a cornerback after Johnson left last game with a foot injury. The loss is another blow to an already ravaged secondary. Johnson was starting in place of Kareem Jackson, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. Houston could have difficulty covering Denver’s elite receivers with a group of backups.
Russell Okung – Entered the league’s concussion protocol following the last game and is questionable to play against the Texans. Okung is the veteran leader of an offensive line that has been inconsistent in its play. Should Okung miss time, Ty Sambrailo is an option. However, he was abused by Atlanta the last time he played on the outside.
Player to Watch
Osweiler was drafted by the Broncos in 2012 as the heir apparent to Manning and he waited patiently for his chance. It didn’t come until the middle of last season and all he did when taking over for the injured Manning was lead the Broncos to a 5-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Osweiler wasn’t happy when he was benched for the final regular season game of 2015. After all, the Broncos likely don’t reach the Super Bowl without his contributions. Denver GM John Elway took some public shots at Osweiler, saying he wasn’t a good fit and didn’t offer a long-term deal. The Broncos did have some important pieces on defense they wanted to keep around and when the Texans waved a lot of cash at Osweiler he jumped at the chance.
The start of Osweiler’s career in Houston hasn’t been all that rosy. His starting job looked to be in jeopardy and he certainly wasn’t living up to the hefty contract. But something happened in the second half of last week’s game. Osweiler suddenly found the touch, guiding the Texans to a wild comeback win over the Colts. He completed 14 of 17 attempts for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime as Houston overcame a 23-9 deficit with two late drives. Maybe Osweiler got pumped a little early for the Broncos.
Free ATS Pick
Simply from the standpoint of Osweiler facing his old team, this game has plenty of storylines. About three weeks ago, Elway took a jab at his former QB, saying he made the right choice in letting Osweiler walk. Back then the Broncos were undefeated and Trevor Siemian was running an efficient offense. The Broncos suffered through two painful offensive outings while losing the last two and the move doesn’t look so good now. The Broncos still have a superior defense, but that can only take the team so far. Did Siemian peak and now we’re seeing the true value of the seventh-round pick? Or is he just in a slump?
Osweiler isn’t as public about the matchup as his former teammates are, but you know he’d enjoy sticking it to his former boss. While that could be a motivating factor in a good way, it could also be detrimental. Bill O’Brien continues to praise his quarterback and it looked like the coddling paid off in the second half of last week’s game. If Osweiler can put that together for a full game, he has the play-makers to do some damage. And who knows the Broncos defense better than the player who ran the scout team against them for so many years.
NFL Odds: Texans 20, Broncos 17
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