Houston Texans at Denver Broncos, INVESCO Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Sunday, December 26, 2010, 4:05 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Texans -3
Current Line: Texans -3
Opening Total: 49
Current Total: 48.5
Money Line: Texans -145 / Broncos +125
The Denver Broncos (3-11) officially began the Tim Tebow era last week with a 39-23 loss at Oakland and will attempt to snap a five-game skid when they host the Houston Texans (5-9) on Sunday. Tebow showed flashes of what he could do against the Raiders with a 40-yard touchdown run and 33-yard touchdown pass, but he will need to improve upon that quickly if the Broncos are going to keep up with the high-scoring Texans (-3).
Houston’s offense was stymied in a 31-17 loss at Tennessee last week, as the team had scored 20 points or more in six straight games. However, the Texans will welcome getting to play against Denver’s last-ranked scoring defense, surrendering 29.6 points per game. The Broncos have been outscored 82-36 in their last two games, and they return home after playing three straight on the road.
A rib injury to Denver quarterback Kyle Orton finally opened the door for Tebow to start, and the team’s lack of defense could make it difficult for the rookie to succeed. Orton obviously had more experience bringing the Broncos from behind due to his passing ability, but Tebow has more potential to lead a rushing attack, something they were known for during their glory days.
The main problem offensively last week for the Broncos was that Tebow lost starting running back Knowshon Moreno to a rib injury in the first quarter, and reserves Lance Ball and Correll Buckhalter combined for just 23 yards on 21 carries. Tebow led the team with 78 yards on eight carries and completed 8 of 16 passes for 138 yards. He will be facing the NFL’s worst pass defense in Houston, giving up 275.1 yards per game.
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has tried hard to get his team a victory over the last three games but with no success. Schaub has averaged 351.6 passing yards during that stretch with seven touchdowns and four interceptions that have mostly resulted from him putting too much pressure on himself. Houston has been forced to rally from behind in each game since blanking the Titans 20-0 at home in Week 12. The Texans have dropped five in a row on the road since a 31-24 win at Oakland in Week 4, going 1-4 against the spread in those games.
Houston and Denver have split two previous meetings, with the home team winning and covering. The OVER is 6-1 in the last seven games overall for the Texans and 4-0 in the last four home games for the Broncos.
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