Texans take on Kubiak, Broncos tonight
Texans know what’s coming, but will they be able to stop it?
DENVER — Going back to his first season as Denver Broncos offensive coordinator in 1995, Gary Kubiak’s system has been built around his running game.
It doesn’t matter if Kubiak’s running game produces a lot of yards or not many yards, he’s going to use a lot of running plays to set up his passing game — the play-action and bootlegs that usually make his system function so well.
When the Texans play the Broncos on Monday night at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, they know what to expect from Denver’s running game, but stopping it can be difficult.
“It starts with a combination of the coaching and the players,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “They do a really good job of coaching that scheme, and those players do a great job of executing it.
“It’s a very unique scheme. People call it a zone scheme, which it is, but it’s different than a lot of other zone schemes. There’s a lot of things that feed off that. Their playaction, their bootleg.
“It has a lot to do with the type of lineman they bring in — big, athletic, rangy. And the type of back they have. Going all the way to the Super Bowl years (under Mike Shanahan), they’ve had great run-
ning backs.”
The defensive players know what their priority is.
“They’ve got their running game going pretty good,” nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “Their backs run hard. We know we have our hands full, and it all starts with the ground game.”
The Texans and Broncos are 4-2 and in first place in their divisions.
Denver, the defending Super Bowl champion, takes a lot of pride in its running game.
The Texans, the defending AFC South champion, take a lot of pride in stopping the run.
Unfortunately for both teams, they haven’t done a good job of running and stopping the run through six games.
29th against run
The Broncos rank 19th in rushing with 98.5 yards per game.
The Texans rank 29th against the run with 126.3 yards per game.
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was asked last week if the Texans should be better against the run.
“As a coordinator, I want to be better, and that’s what I’m telling them, that we should be better,” he said.
The Texans ranked 10th against the run the last two seasons.
They allowed 99.8 yards per game rushing last season.
The big difference is they don’t have defensive end J.J. Watt. Crennel refuses to use Watt’s absence as an excuse for the shoddy run defense.
“I think if Watt were here that he would make some plays because that’s what he does,” Crennel said. “We have to do a better job of beating blocks one-on-one and staying at the line of scrimmage, not getting knocked back and then fitting gap responsibilities, which we didn’t do last week.”
Kubiak used the same scheme during his eight seasons with the Texans, but only four starters in Monday’s game played for him, so familiarity shouldn’t be an advantage.
The Texans allowed Indianapolis running back Frank Gore to rush for 106 yards in their overtime victory over the Colts. It was the first time the Colts had a 100-yard back since 2012.
Here come the Broncos with veteran C.J. Anderson and rookie Devontae Booker carrying the load.
“They’re a running team, and we need to stop the run,” defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said. “We need to win on first and second down and get them in long situations on third down.”
The Texans want to stop the run and force secondyear quarterback Trevor Siemian to throw from the pocket.
“They’re not complicated with their running game,” Crennel said. “They have a particular scheme they employ. They’re very good with their scheme.
“Their backs are wellbuilt, and they run hard. It’s just difficult to defend. You have to put in a little extra time.”