Critical opportunities Houston Texans must seize versus Broncos to resume playoff march

TEXANS ON TAP

The Houston Texans will look to get back on track this week against the Broncos, who are suddenly back in playoff contention after ripping off five straight wins.

Too bad Houston didn't get to play the Broncos earlier in the season.

The Texans host Russel Wilson and company this Sunday at NRG and are currently 3.5 point favorites. Vegas is expecting a lot of points as they set the total at 47, the second-highest of the week.

After two straight games with over 100 yards rushing, Devin Singletary and the Texans rushing game came crashing back down to Earth with 32 rushing yards combined between Singletary and Dameon Pierce.

Things could change this Sunday, with the Broncos allowing the most rushing yards per game (155.18). To be fair, many of the Broncos stats are skewed with their terrible start to the season, and a game in which they allowed a whopping 70 points to the Dolphins.

During Denver's winning streak, they held the Chiefs and Bills to 9 and 22 points, respectively. But the one edge the Texans have over almost every team in the NFL is quarterback play.

The Texans and CJ Stroud are 1st in passing yards per game (297.6) and 4th in total yards per game (396.4).

So who will come out ahead in this critical matchup?

Check out the video above for a full early breakdown of the game, plus predictions. And go Texans!

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How will Soto's massive contract impact the Astros?Composite Getty Image.

Over the weekend, the big domino finally fell with Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million megadeal with the New York Mets. Which means Alex Bregman and the other top free agents on the market should soon follow in short order.

In fact, we're already seeing reports from Rob Bradford of WEEI and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale claiming that the Red Sox and Yankees are “expected” to make a run at Bregman.

Soto heading to the National League certainly feels like a win for Astros fans, but that could change if missing out on Soto causes the Yankees to pry Breggy away from Houston.

We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before we get too excited. However, one thing is for sure, all the free agents on the market have to be thrilled about the size of Soto's deal. Not to mention Willy Adames' 7-year, $182 million deal with the Giants that could help Bregman's chances of receiving a more lucrative deal than the Astros reportedly offered him, 6- years, $154 million.

What's really eye-opening about Soto's contract is how it could impact Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, specifically Tucker. It's hard to imagine Tucker won't get an offer of at least $300 million, and at this point $400 million wouldn't surprise us.

Historically, the Astros don't trade their big name free agents before their contracts expire, but perhaps they should rethink that approach with King Tuck. If they won't even entertain a deal approaching $300 million, it might be worth taking a step back this year to replenish the farm system and focus on the team long-term.

Speaking of trades, the Astros are reportedly calling anyone who will listen about the availability of Ryan Pressly.

Don't miss the video above as we react to the Soto deal, share our thoughts on how it could impact the Astros championship window, and much more!

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