Denver Broncos (0-1) vs Houston Texans (0-0-1)
Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 4:25 pm
Texans coach Lovie Smith had some rather recent game film to review as he developed his defensive game plan for Sunday - Wilson led the Seahawks to a 33-13 win at Houston last December.
"Experience of being in that situation, of seeing him on the other side, game planning for him, it doesn't matter where you are, the person doesn't change a lot," Smith said. "Maybe some of the calls have. I see a similar offensive attack when we played the Seahawks last year. Nowadays, quarterbacks have a big say in what teams do, especially guys that have been around the game for a while."
Wilson didn't have much of a say in how things ended Monday night in Seattle, and he vowed to speak up next time Hackett considers taking the ball out of his hands in a game-defining moment.
"(I) always trust his decisions and everything else, but I'm also always ready to go try to do it if we need to," Wilson said.
Either way, the Broncos insist they've moved on.
The Broncos will be without Justin Simmons for the first time since 2017 after the star safety injured a thigh in the opener. Second-year pro Caden Sterns replaces the ironman who has started 66 consecutive games.
The Texans got big contributions from two new faces in Week 1. D-lineman Jerry Hughes, who spent the last nine seasons in Buffalo, had two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in a 20-20 tie with Indianapolis. O.J. Howard, who signed Sept. 2 after his release by the Bills, became the third tight end in NFL history to catch a pair of TD passes in his first game with his new team.
Dana’s Pick Houston Texans: +10.5 -110
AUTHOR: Dana Lane
