Countdown To Kickoff: Denver Broncos v. Houston Texans

The Texans and Bill O'Brien welcome the Broncos and Gary Kubiak back to Houston, Texas tonight. While that, in and of itself, is the kind of drama the NFL thrives on, Peyton Manning is returning to the stadium where he set the record for touchdown passes (fortified with bleach and Battle Red Kool-Aid, we shall try to forget that season, agreed?), Von Miller recently hinted that he expected to get PAID when he compared himself to J.J. Watt and will be looking to make a statement in this and every other game he plays this season, and Ryan Mallett is due to get the start under center in his bid to become the Texans' starting QB this season (let's hope Ben Jones doesn't have a stomach bug).

The good guys won their first preseason matchup against the re-vamped 49ers last week and are hoping to show continued improvement and further mastery of OB's offense, RAC's defense, and Liga-something's special teams. Of course, debates still rage within our fanbase as to what last week's win means, who will start under center opening day, and how many pressures our defense will rack up over the season. In the meantime, we're here obsessing over preseason games and stats, trying to divine what they portend for the future.

Expect the first quarter thread to open at 6:45 CDT. Until then, comment like crazy below, thus demonstrating your fandom, your obsession with anything related to the NFL, and your good taste in teams.

Broncos vs Texans coverage