Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning has thrown four touchdown passes and six interceptions in his last five games. Reuters/Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

In just his second exhibition game as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Gary Kubiak will visit the team that he coached for eight seasons. The Houston Texans are set to play the Broncos on Saturday night in Week 2 of the 2015 NFL preseason.

Kubiak was successful in his Denver debut, as the Broncos edged out the Seattle Seahawks, 22-20. Houston also won last week, beating the San Francisco 49ers, 23-10.

Injury News

The Broncos have been dealing with injuries to their defensive line for much of training camp. A groin injury has sent nose tackle Marvin Austin to injured reserve, and defensive tackle Kenny Anunike underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders won’t play as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Linebacker Danny Trevathan is recovering from three leg injuries that he suffered last year, and he’s expected to sit.

Former No.1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney continues to try to come back from the knee injury that forced him to miss all but four games last year. He should be ready for the start of the regular season, but it’s unknown if the linebacker will see any action this preseason. Offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo hurt his ankle against the 49ers, and he won’t be back until later in the preseason, though the injury isn’t serious.

Players to Watch

With Denver’s top offensive players making their preseason debuts, it should be interesting to see how Peyton Manning and the first-team offense perform. Manning hasn’t played in a game since he struggled in a playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will play his first game this year, as well as tight end Owen Daniels, who is replacing Pro Bowler Julius Thomas.

While Denver doesn’t have any question about who will be their starting quarterback in Week 1, Houston still doesn’t know who will start their regular season opener under center. Head coach Bill O’Brien says the battle between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett is even. Hoyer only attempted four passes last week, but he completed a 58-yard touchdown pass. Mallett went 10-of-11 for 90 yards and no scores.

Where to Watch

ABC 13 in Houston and KTVD in Denver, channel 20, will broadcast the game locally. The contest is set to start at 8 p.m. ET.

RELATED STORIES