Broncos 24, Colts 27
Everything was far from perfect for the Denver Broncos who entered Sunday’s contest in Indianapolis 7-0. From the start of the game, the team was off-balance and appeared out-coached. Then, just before half, they briefly turned it all around.
When the final seconds left the scoreboard at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Broncos had their first loss of the season. A pair of interceptions and a slew of penalties marred the Broncos previously perfect season and left two elusive records for Peyton Manning to try and achieve next week. The Broncos left Indianapolis with bruised bodies and certainly bruised egos in the 24-27 loss.
The game started out much like it would finish. After both teams traded punts, the Colts got going on offense. It appeared that underneath routes and quick out-routes to the sidelines helped the Colts and Andrew Luck deal with the pressure the Broncos pass rush brought.
On three consecutive drives of seven, nine and eight plays, the Colts scored 17 unanswered points and took a commanding lead at home. The first two scoring drives were aided by four Broncos penalties, including a unnecessary roughness penalty by T.J. Ward and a face mask by Danny Trevathan.
The Broncos offense was in disarray for the entire first half. Outside of one 10-yard run by C.J. Anderson and a big catch by Owen Daniels, the team couldn’t run the ball or connect on several deep throws. As a result, their first half numbers were that of a 0-7 team. They tallied only 95 yards, went 1-of-5 on third downs and Manning once again was intercepted on a pass into triple coverage. The wide receivers also dropped multiple passes.
The game looked to be over even before halftime until Omar Bolden caught a Pat McAfee punt with :15 left in the half. The returner took the 52-yard punt up the right side of the field, made one defender miss and had room down the sidelines. David Bruton Jr. led the way and blocked the last Colt in the way, punter McAfee and Bolden went into the end zone as the half ended. It was the spark the Broncos desperately needed.
The Broncos then came out of halftime and played to their ability for most of the remaining contest. Much like how the Colts started the game, the Broncos entered the third quarter. They scored on two consecutive drives. Emmanuel Sanders hauled in a beautiful 64-yard touchdown pass and Brandon McManus hit a 29-yard field goal after two big plays from Demaryius Thomas and Daniels.
The Colts finally awoke from halftime after punting on four straight drives. Indianapolis converted on four third downs to cap off a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Ahmad Bradshaw as two Broncos blitzed from the same side. The 24-17 Colts’ lead wouldn’t last long.
The ensuing drive started with another big play to Daniels, a 27-yard catch. The drive continued for nine plays and 75 yards. It fittingly was capped off with a play-action pass to Daniels. The game was once again tied, this time at 24 apiece.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, the defense couldn’t stop the Colts from regaining the lead. They took the ball 33 yards on seven plays and Luck dodged pass-rushers just long enough to get the team into field goal range. Veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri gave the Colts their third and final lead of the game on a 55-yard field goal that split the uprights.
Manning then had a chance to break multiple records en route to a 8-0 record, but it was not meant to be. With just three yards needed to surpass Brett Favre for the all-time passing yards record, Manning dropped back on the first play of the drive and looked to Thomas who had Colts cornerback Darius Butler draped over him. Butler, not Thomas, caught the pass for Manning’s second interception of the day.
To end the game, the Broncos defense then played much like they started. The Colts ran the clock down with several Frank Gore runs aided by several passes completed due to the team’s ability to pick up blitzing Broncos defenders. Then, after three defensive penalties on the drive, Aqib Talib added another. He poked Dwayne Allen’s eye after a play and effectively guaranteed the Broncos would not get the ball again.
The inconsistent play on both sides of the ball and the uneven time of possession that gave the Colts the ball 38:39 of the 60 minute game led to the Broncos undoing.
Worst Quotes
Malik Jackson on the defense’s performance: “It really wasn’t them; it was we beat ourselves in this game. They were a good team, but if we would have done what we had to do on the defensive side we would’ve been alright.”
Ward on the team’s play: “Yeah, I don’t know the numbers. We just were out of whack today. We didn’t play Bronco football. Too many mistakes on defense. We didn’t tackle well. It wasn’t the scheme that got us. It was assignment errors and penalties.”
Best Quote
Head coach Gary Kubiak after the game when asked about the team’s composure: “Did we lose our cool? I thought we kept our composure in the second half. We did do a great job at getting ourselves into position to win. Did we do some not very smart things at the end of the game to get the ball back, I agree with that, but we dug ourselves a hole as a team the first half. We showed a lot of character getting out of the hole and getting ourselves into position, but we didn’t close the deal.”
Play of the Night
Bolden’s punt return for a touchdown was undoubtably the turning point in the game. Down 17-0 with only seconds left in the half, the Broncos had done nothing to instill confidence for the remaining game. The blocking was outstanding from the get-go and he took the ball 83 yards without being touched. After the loss Manning acknowledged that it sparked the whole team entering the second half.
“That was obviously a huge play by Omar (Bolden) and David (Bruton Jr.) got a great block there at the end and all 11 guys on there. We knew if we could get a stop and score and make it a one score game. We did that and hit the big play to Emmanuel.”
Offensive LVP
Thomas and Hillman, two heroes from last week’s win against the Green Bay Packers were mostly non-factors Sunday. Thomas caught some crucial third down passes but was held to only five catches for 50 yards. He also, once again, had an inexcusable drop. On top of that, Manning’s second interception was intended for Thomas and Butler simply beat him to the ball. Manning admitted just that in his postgame comments.
“I think that 20 (Darius Butler) made a heck of a play, to tell you the truth. He kind of beat our guy to the ball. Obviously a good play by him, and had to throw it probably a little earlier than I wanted to. So obviously, a throw that I would like to have back for sure.”
Hillman did not get the carries he saw last week due to the team’s sudden deficit but also could not match the Colts physical front. He gained only one yard on seven carries.
Defensive LVP
Aqib Talib played well in coverage Sunday afternoon holding Andre Johnson to zero catches. That was not the problem. His late penalties were both ill-timed and completely unwarranted, especially for a player of his experience. Both penalties that came in the final minutes of the game cost the Broncos a chance to get Manning the ball and a chance to win the game. Outside of Manning’s second half interception, he was playing exceptionally well. Talib, an eight year player, simply lost his cool. His response to the penalties after the game was to deflect blame.
“From my angle I saw him head butt Von [Miller] a little bit. I went over there and tried to poke his head. I think my hand slipped there and hit his face. He acted like he got into an 18-passenger car wreck. I guess that’s what type of guy he is,” he said of the eye gouge that cost him an unnecessary roughness penalty.
The Broncos have had penalty issues all season and Sunday, Talib highlighted the severity of the problem.
Offensive MVP
Owen Daniels was the leading receiver by either team in the loss Sunday. He has struggled to connect on a regular basis with Manning but made some big plays in the game to help bring the Broncos within a field goal of a comeback win. He finished the game with six catches on nine targets for 102 yards and a touchdown. He had multiple plays of over 25 yards on the day.
Defensive MVP
Ward had a heck of a game despite the penalties he received. He totaled 12 tackles, 10 unassisted and one for a loss. He also had two passes defended. He was flying around throughout the night and was asked to do a lot with several front-seven players and at times, cornerbacks, blitzing Luck. The unnecessary roughness in the first quarter of the game appeared to catch T.Y. Hilton under the chin but it looked like Ward made a conscious effort to hit the receiver in the chest as apposed to the head. A late holding call tainted what was otherwise a great effort from the strong safety. After the game he was ready to move onto the second half of the season.
“Just a bad day. You know how those days (can) be. We’ll bounce back. 7-1. It’s a long season ahead of us,” he said.
Worst Stats
The Broncos defense that was allowing opposing offense to convert only 31 percent of their third downs crumbled against the Colts. They nearly doubled that number, allowing Luck and the offense to convert 12-of-20 attempts for 60 percent.
On offense, the Broncos failed to create any balance of run and pass. Entering the game the Colts were equally terrible against both, but were allowing an average of 124.9 rushing yards per game. The Broncos ended with 35 yards rushing on only 14 attempts.
As a result of these inadequacies, the Broncos held the ball for only 21:21 of the game.
Best Stat
Manning, after a terrible start, completed 12-of-14 of his second-half throws to bring the Broncos back from a 10-point deficit. As a result, the offense scored on three of their four second-half drives after going zero for their first six. The defense also forced the Colts into four consecutive punts which allowed the offense to score 17 second-half points.
Up Next
The Broncos will host the Kansas City Chiefs (3-5) next Sunday and will look to erase this game from their memories. The Chiefs are coming off of a bye week and a huge 45-10 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 8. The next contest will provide a glimpse into the Broncos’ true selves. If they can shake off the defeat and return to stellar play on defense and a recently found balance on offense, than Indianapolis may have been just a bump in the road. If they struggle against their division foe then alarms may start to go off.
Email Sam at sam@milehighsports.com and follow him on Twitter @SamCowhick