Indianapolis vs. Denver: Colts Week 1 Game Preview

Over seven months after being blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, the Denver Broncos are ready to make a run at another one in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, Andrew Luck and the Colts start their season with possibly their biggest test of the year, as they look to prove that they are a legitimate contender in the AFC.

After not winning a single game in the preseason, the Colts are finally ready to get the regular season started. Their last loss of the preseason came to the Cincinnati Bengals, where Chandler Harnish and the rest of the backups got blown out in a 35-7 loss. 

Now, the real action begins.

Peyton Manning takes on his former team for the second time in his career. It's Manning vs. Luck Part II, because everyone loves a Peyton quarterback battle that involves roman numerals. The Colts were able to win the first matchup when Manning came back to town last season, but they lost Reggie Wayne to a torn ACL in the process.

While only a few players still on the Colts roster previously played with Manning, Wayne is one of them, and he perfectly summed up his relationship with Peyton, according to Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star.

"He's my brother. He's the enemy."

As the Colts make their final preparations for Sunday night's game, here is a complete team preview heading into Week 1.

Preseason Week 4 Recap

USA TODAY Sports

Only a couple of starters spent any significant time on the field during the final preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and it showed.

The lack of depth on the Colts roster was apparent as they tried to take on the Cincinnati reserves. Tyler Hoover, originally a defensive end, was moved to left tackle, while the rest of the offensive line struggled to keep Chandler Harnish upright, as he was sacked five times. 

It was a very rough performance overall for Harnish, going 13-for-24 with 102 yards, a touchdown and an interception. After struggling throughout the entire preseason, Harnish ended up losing a job on the final roster and wasn't even moved to the practice squad. Instead, the Colts brought in undrafted rookie Jeff Mathews, an intriguing quarterback out of Cornell. 

Defensively, the Colts didn't do much better, giving up 319 yards and 5.7 yards per play. The quarterbacks completed 76.2 percent of their passes, while the Colts could only produce one sack and gave both Jason Campbell and Tyler Wilson plenty of time to work in the pocket.

Fortunately, none of this really matters for the Colts, as they can now rely on their starters to take them to the playoffs for the third consecutive season since going 2-14 in 2011.

News and Notes

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Richie Incognito Long Shot to Sign With Colts

The Colts have a lot of concerns regarding their offensive line heading into the regular season, especially in terms of depth. Donald Thomas is out for the year after re-tearing his quad, while Khaled Holmes and Jonotthan Harrison are dealing with injuries, forcing A.Q. Shipley to come in and instantly work with the first team after being signed on Sunday.

With so many concerns with the offensive line this early, some have suggested taking a look at controversial lineman Richie Incognito. While he wouldn't completely rule it out, general manager Ryan Grigson made it sound unlikely while on 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis, according to Mike Wells from ESPN.com:

"

Richie was a guy that I scouted coming out. The guy can definitely play football and we’ve looked at everybody, regardless of any incidents. ... We look at everyone and we check off all the boxes and if we feel like they are a fit for us economically, in the locker room and most importantly on the field then we will take a stab. As of right now, guard is not the pressing issue. I will never say never because then I lose credibility. I will never say never.

"

The Colts have gone on and made other moves, including signing Shipley and Jamon Meredith at offensive tackle to be a backup while Joe Reitz deals with an ankle injury. Don't expect Grigson to bring in Incognito right now, but if offensive linemen start to go down, there's a chance he makes the move.

Luck Not Thinking About Replacing a Legend

Ever since Andrew Luck was drafted No. 1 overall by the Colts, fans have been comparing him to their former quarterback in Manning.

To replace someone who is set to shatter multiple career passing records and also brought Indianapolis a Super Bowl is a ton of pressure for a young quarterback, but Luck doesn't think about it like that, according to Kevin Bowen from Colts.com:

"

I never came in thinking, ‘Oh, I have to replace a legend, one of the greatest of all-time'. You realize in professional sports people come and they go. Someone’s going to replace me eventually. Hopefully, later rather than sooner. I never really worried about it. Guys in the locker room didn’t make it feel like I had to be someone. They let me be myself, let me do things as I did. It wasn’t difficult at all.

"

In two seasons, Luck has already established himself in Indianapolis, bringing them a dramatic playoff win against the Kansas City Chiefs last season, coming back from a 28-point deficit. For Luck, this is a big season for him to prove he belongs among the elite players at the position, and he's likely more focused on that than replacing Manning.

Ex-Lions Running Back Works Out With Colts

Now that Donald Brown is gone and Vick Ballard is once again out for the season, depth is becoming an issue at running back. If Trent Richardson doesn't step up, Ahmad Bradshaw could end up being a workhorse, but his health concerns mean he could go down as well, leaving the Colts with Dan Herron and Zurlon Tipton. 

Now that other teams have made their cuts, the Colts have reportedly begun to look at other options. According to Dave Birkett from the Detroit Free Press, the Colts are scheduled to work out with former Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure, who was cut after this preseason.

In 2012, Leshoure ran for 798 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games, but he got just two carries in 2013 and was stuck behind Reggie Bush, Joique Bell and Theo Riddick on the depth chart. The move would make sense for the Colts, as they could get a running back with NFL experience in case something happens to Richardson or Bradshaw.

Injury Report

USA TODAY Sports

Player	Position	Injury Status
Sergio Brown	FS	Limited
Jonotthan Harrison	C	Full
Khaled Holmes	C	Limited
LaRon Landry	S	Rest
Joe Reitz	OG	DNP
Erik Walden	LB	DNP

All injury statuses are from Thursday's practice, via Colts.com.

The season has yet to actually begin, but the Colts already have their fair of injury concerns. The center position is especially concerning, with both Holmes and Harrison dealing with injuries, although Harrison was a full participant during Thursday's practice. If for some reason neither center can play, Shipley will probably be starting, and it's unclear if he's already comfortable with Pep Hamilton's offense.

Erik Walden did not practice on Thursday, and Greg Rakestraw from 1070 The Fan tweeted that it was due to an abdominal injury. It's unclear if he'll play or not, but things should get clearer on Friday. Still, if Walden can't go, rookie Jonathan Newsome may be asked to step up and prove himself against an elite offense.

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Castonzo vs. Von Miller

The interior of the offensive line has been a mess for a while now, but Anthony Castonzo has at least been a consistent starter at left tackle over the past couple of seasons. If he struggles, things get even worse, as opposing defenses won't be afraid to blitz and put the pressure on Luck.

Von Miller is returning from a torn ACL, but he will still be an incredibly difficult player for Castonzo to deal with. In nine games last season, Miller had five sacks and three forced fumbles, and he has accumulated 35 sacks over his three-year career. 

Castonzo was able to prevent Miller from getting a sack in last year's 39-33 win, but this is a new game, and Miller will be going after Luck with a bit more motivation this time around.

Andrew Luck vs. New Additions to Broncos Secondary

Luck had one of his best games of the regular season in 2013 against the Broncos, throwing for 228 yards with three touchdowns while adding another touchdown on the ground, leading his team to a huge win to spoil Peyton's return to Indianapolis.

Now, the Broncos have some added pieces in their secondary that could potentially give Luck some more trouble. Aqib Talib is over from the New England Patriots after a strong year with them, while T.J. Ward comes in at safety after being an enforcer with the Cleveland Browns for the past four seasons. Even rookie Bradley Roby will be using his speed to keep up with receivers like T.Y. Hilton and Hakeem Nicks.

This is a healthy secondary with some new faces that are playing in front of their home crowd, so this will be a good early test to see if Luck can keep the offense moving against a strong pass defense.

Bjoern Werner vs. Ryan Clady

Robert Mathis has begun his four-game suspension, leaving Bjoern Werner to prove himself entering his sophomore season. Werner struggled to be an effective pass-rusher as a rookie, but he looked much more comfortable as a 3-4 outside linebacker this preseason, making a good amount of disruptive plays.

But now Werner is going to have to show up in a real game situation against a strong left tackle in Ryan Clady. Although he played in just two games last season due to a foot injury, the three-time Pro Bowler is back and ready to protect Peyton's blind side on the way to a Super Bowl.

The pass rush for the Colts was already enough of an issue without Mathis in the lineup, but now Werner must step up and at least generate some pressure on Manning on Sunday night.

Colts' X-Factor of the Week: Vontae Davis

Going against an offense like Denver's, the Colts need their secondary to play as well as they did in last season's win, and that starts with Vontae Davis.

Davis is coming off an offseason where he signed a four-year deal worth $36 million, per Spotrac, and he needs to live up to his new contract. He definitely proved he was worth a big deal after last year's game against the Broncos, as he gave up just three receptions for 12 yards on eight targets and broke the Pro Football Focus cornerback record for highest game grade.

This is a great opportunity for Davis to prove that he's worth his big contract on the opening weekend of the NFL season. If Davis can contain Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, then he should be set for a big season.

Prediction

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The Colts were able to win last season's matchup, but this looks like a different Broncos team than they last went up against, especially on defense. New faces like Ward, Talib and DeMarcus Ware are key pieces to a defense that was already pretty good to begin with.

Still, the loss of Wes Welker could be a big blow to the Denver offense. Welker has been suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's drug policy, according to John Breech from CBS Sports. Welker had 96 yards on seven receptions last season against Indianapolis, and his shoes will be tough for others to fill.

Offensively, the Colts have a fighting chance with Luck at quarterback due to all of the weapons he has at his disposal. However, it's going to be tough for Luck to get the offense moving if Richardson can't produce. The former Alabama running back averaged just 2.9 yards per carry with the Colts last season and is going against a defense that allowed just 3.9 yards per carry in 2013.

I don't expect the running game to get much done, but I do expect Luck to drive down the field a few times and put some points on the board. The problem is that it likely won't be enough to keep up with Peyton and the Denver offense. The Broncos averaged 37.9 points per game last year, and they should be able to score against the Colts' shaky defense, even without Welker.

Prediction: Colts 24, Broncos 31