The Denver Broncos took on the Indianapolis Colts this afternoon in a fast-paced, action-packed game that showcased a lot of offensive firepower. For fans hoping to see top-notch defense—this wasn’t the game for you. After four quarters of play, the Broncos lost in a heartbreaker on a last second field goal 29-28. Here are some instant reactions and miscellaneous thoughts from todays’ game.
Bo Nix and Broncos’ offense performed much better this week
Those concerned with Head Coach Sean Payton’s imbalanced
play calling and the offense’s performance last week against the Tennessee Titans were rewarded quickly with today’s efforts. The Broncos’ offense started off today’s game firing on all cylinders embarking on an 8-play, 64-yard yard touchdown drive. J.K. Dobbins was terrific running the ball and Bo Nix connected with Marvin Mims on a beautiful 23-yard touchdown pass in response to the Colts’ opening drive field goal.
With nothing accomplished on their first drive, Troy Franklin and Nix showcased their Oregon connection on the game’s third drive. After reeling in a 42-yard bomb from Nix, Franklin capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown reception to put Denver up 14-13. On their next possession, the Broncos had a 14-play, 29-yard drive that resulted off with Nix hitting Adam Trautman for a 2-yard touchdown pass. The last drive of the first half ended in a 3-and-out—an unfortunate circumstance with three timeouts remaining. Nix was 14-of-18 for 119 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half.
Denver deferred in the first half, so got the ball to start the second half. The result? An immediate touchdown drive capped off by a 7-yard touchdown scamper by Dobbins to put Denver up 28-20. The Broncos’ first big mishap on offense came in the fourth quarter, when Nix airmailed a pass over Courtland Sutton that was intercepted by safety Camryn Bynum. That was a big mistake, especially since they were in field goal range and it kept potential points off the board. One could even argue that was a mistake that very well cost them the game.
Even so, it’s hard to argue the Broncos’ offense didn’t do enough to help achieve a potential victory. They played a lot better than last week, but sadly the defense didn’t do their part. For my second point, I’ll take a turn and discuss the defense’s absolute collapse.
The Broncos’ defense struggled giving up big plays and getting off the field
Things never go perfectly in football games. As well as the offense did for the most part, the Broncos’ defense struggled mightily. Infact, they looked polar opposite compared to their Week 1 performance against the Titans. Credit to Colts’ Head Coach Shane Steichen, who dialed up a lot of nice play calls on offense and exploited some of the Broncos’ issues on defense.
One of the major questions many fans across Broncos Country had relative to the defense was inside linebacker Alex Singleton. Unfortunately, Singleton had an absolutely terrible game today. He gave up multiple big plays to Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor in pass coverage that resulted in multiple scoring drives for the Colts. He even had a missed tackle late in the fourth quarter that resulted in Taylor breaking off a 68-yard run and more points for the Colts.
On top of that, Riley Moss giving up a big play to Alec Piece and Jonathan Taylor remaining uncovered on the Colts’ second touchdown of the day. Overall, the Broncos’ defense gave up four plays over 40-yards to Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren, and Jonathan Taylor. What’s even worse, is the defense didn’t force a punt at all. It took until the fourth quarter of today’s game for the Colts to give up the ball after a failed fourth down attempt at midfield.
Daniel Jones had a great game. Jones finished going 23-of-34 for 316 yards and 1 touchdown. It was really an impressive outing for the veteran signal caller who arguably played one of the best games of his career this afternoon. I wasn’t expecting this sort of performance from the Colts’ offense at all. And I certainly didn’t think the Broncos’ defense would be this bad.
Thoughts on the field goal boondoggle
Wil Lutz having a potential game-securing kick go off the right upright was devastating enough. However, the leverage penalty called on the Colts’ 60-yard attempt with three seconds left still has me scratching my head. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way. Where on the field did a Broncos player use another player to gain leverage or launch vertically on that kick? I didn’t see that at all. On a side note, I felt that the refs were very active throughout the game—probably much more than necessary.
Other thoughts and musings:
- One of my keys to the game was limiting Jonathan Taylor’s impact on the game. Unfortunately, Taylor had a monster performance with 25 rushes for 165 yards and two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown.
- Kudos to Troy Franklin on a great game. He had 8 receptions for 89 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 targets including 47 yards after the catch. He also had one run for 11 yards. It was nice to see the second-year pro have himself a great game even in a loss.
- I’m disappointed with the Broncos’ pass rush this game. Credit the Colts’ offensive line for protecting Jones and Jones being evasive in the pocket. Outside a few blitzes, the Broncos defensive line and edge rushers weren’t able to generate much pressure at all.
