Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos: Full Report Card Grades for Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts lost their first game of the season against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, and while there was a lot to be concerned about, there were a few bright spots.
Things didn't go according to plan early on for the Colts. The offense kept stalling while the defense was unable to contain Manning or Julius Thomas, with the two connecting for three touchdowns in the first half. Andrew Luck was able to lead the Colts down the field before the half for a last-minute touchdown, but they were still down 24-7 at halftime.
The defense was able to step up in the second half, holding the Broncos to just seven points while Luck helped pull the Colts to within one touchdown before falling just short and losing 31-24. The run defense was especially strong in the game, holding the Broncos to just 102 yards on 32 carries.
A couple of missed opportunities might have kept the Colts from winning this one. A couple of interceptions on offense along with a missed chance to recover a fumble on defense kept the Broncos ahead just enough to get their first win of the season.
It wasn't a pretty debut for the Colts, but it helped us learn a lot about this year's team. Having said that, let's take a look at the position grades for the entire Colts team in the loss.
Quarterback
1 of 10
While the numbers weren't the best, you have to give credit to Luck for trying to help his team come back from down 24 points.
A promising early start quickly turned sour late in the first quarter when Luck sailed a throw to Dwayne Allen in tight coverage that was tipped by Aqib Talib and then intercepted by Rahim Moore. He was finally able to lead the offense to the end zone during a two-minute drill at the end of the first half
Luck started to turn things up a bit in the second half, putting up a pair of touchdowns. He finished throwing 35-for-53 for 370 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and another score on the ground. The two interceptions weren't pretty, but Luck was forced to throw 53 times with his team behind and did a pretty solid job bringing his team back.
This looks like it could be a special year for Luck, so hopefully this is ends up being one of the tougher games of the season for him.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
Trent Richardson did very little to prove himself against the Broncos on Sunday night. In the first half, he put up just 14 yards on four carries. The offense was sluggish early with Richardson in, but Ahmad Bradshaw made a few plays in the first half, catching two passes for 20 yards.
Things didn't get any better for the ground game in the second half, and Pep Hamilton ended up abandoning it almost entirely. The Colts ended up running for just 54 yards, while Richardson averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on six rushes.
As the game wore on, the Colts continued to utilize Bradshaw, and he may have made a strong case to be the starter. Along with 15 yards on just three carries, he also finished with 70 receiving yards on five catches. That kind of offensive versatility could force the coaching staff to make a switch on the depth chart before next Monday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Still, with Richardson as the starter, it's hard to say a lot of good about the running back situation from this game.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Playing in his first game since tearing his ACL last October against the Broncos, Reggie Wayne looked quite comfortable early on, catching a 22-yard pass on the first play of the game and finishing with 59 yards on four catches in the first half. He finished with 98 yards on nine catches. Even after such a big injury, it looks like Wayne will continue to be a safety blanket for Luck.
Unfortunately, the rest of the receivers and tight ends made very little impact in the passing game. Hakeem Nicks and T.Y. Hilton combined for two catches for 20 yards in the first half while Coby Fleener had just two catches for nine yards. Dwayne Allen was targeted once, but the pass was sailed high.
Nicks ended up getting a late touchdown to pull the Colts to within seven points, but Hilton had a very rough game overall. He finished with five catches for 41 yards, but he had a couple of drops and looked a bit sluggish when running his routes.
It was good to see Allen back on the field, especially after running down the sideline for a 41-yard touchdown. There's no denying that Luck has plenty of weapons to throw to in this offense, but it looks like they might need a little more time before some players are in sync.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line is already trying to be patched up, especially at center, and it showed all night for the Colts. Luck struggled with pressure in the first half, throwing one interception while being sacked twice to kill multiple drives.
The interior of the offensive line was a mess for the majority of the game, and Ryan Grigson's offseason decisions have started to draw some criticism due to the simple lack of depth at center and offensive guard. The line ended up allowing three sacks on Luck and a lot more pressure.
Still, the offensive line has to get some credit for starting to fix things in the second half. Luck had plenty of time to throw the ball on a few of the Colts' scoring drives, but it would be nicer to see him have that clean of a pocket for an entire game.
Fortunately, this is one of the better defenses the Colts will play this season, so the offensive line has some time to try to figure things out before the playoffs.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Heading into the season, the defensive line looked promising with Cory Redding, Josh Chapman and Arthur Jones in the trenches. While the Broncos don't rely too much on the run, it was good to see that the defensive line could keep running backs from consistently breaking off big runs.
The Broncos ended up averaging just 3.2 yards per rush in the game, and that's what the defensive line wants to see. Montee Ball especially struggled to get going, carrying the ball 23 times for just 67 yards. Even with Montori Hughes out, the Colts were able to show off some depth with players like Ricky Jean Francois and Zach Kerr making some plays.
Defensively, the line might have been the best group out there, and that's understandable considering the fact that the linebackers and secondary were going against Manning.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebackers were a mess in pass coverage, as they were completely unable to cover Julius Thomas in the passing game. In the first half, Thomas had already caught five passes for 90 yards and three touchdowns. At 6'5'' and 250 pounds, Thomas was a huge mismatch against the smaller Jerrell Freeman and D'Qwell Jackson.
Thomas ended up finishing with 104 yards and those three scores on seven receptions, and the linebackers just couldn't find a way to stop him. Jerrell Freeman ended up having to leave with an injury, forcing Josh McNary to get some extra playing time. McNary ended up making some plays, including putting some pressure on Peyton that lead to a sack from Erik Walden.
A significant injury to Freeman could end up hurting the Colts, however. McNary and Henoc Muamba are the only reserves at inside linebacker, and neither have significant in-game experience to be effective starters. In the meantime, the Colts are going to have to find some way to defend the more athletic tight ends in the NFL.
Grade: C-
Secondary
7 of 10
While the linebackers deserve their fair share of the blame in the passing defense, the secondary didn't do much to stand out from the other unit. Greg Toler struggled with the new rules on contact with receivers, drawing multiple penalties that gave the Broncos automatic first downs.
It was quite disappointing to see Toler struggle so much. After barely being able to stay on the field in 2013, he hasn't proved himself so far as a legitimate No. 2 cornerback, although the sample size is small since coming to Indianapolis last season.
Vontae Davis played the game of his life in coverage last year against the Denver, and he was the lone bright spot in the secondary early on, nearly getting an interception and making a big tackle in the backfield.
The safety play was about what most Colts fans expected. LaRon Landry struggled in coverage and was a sloppy tackler while Mike Adams did little to prove that he's the true long-term option at safety this season. The injuries to Delano Howell and Sergio Brown left the Colts with few options, but that might be more on Grigson than the actual defensive backfield.
The cornerbacks are talented, but if the safeties can't at least be average, pass-heavy offenses like Denver won't have trouble putting up 30-plus points.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
There's not much to say about the Colts special teams from Sunday night, as they were as consistent as they usually are.
Pat McAfee started the season off with a solid four-punt game, averaging 49.8 yards per attempt. He didn't have any balls land inside the 20-yard line, but he did have a booming 59-yard punt early on. Meanwhile, veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri made all three of his extra-point attempts as well as an easy 25-yard field goal.
Neither side got the chance to return a kickoff, but the punt coverage team held Denver to just four yards on three return attempts. The special teams look like they're as reliable as last season, and that could help turn the tide of a game or two this season.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Chuck Pagano is going to get a lot of criticism for his early decision on the opening drive to kick on 4th-and-1, mostly because they weren't prepared and had to punt because of a delay of game penalty. Instead of taking points early, the Colts didn't and then had to deal with a 24-point deficit before finally getting on the board.
The head coach likely made the right call in the third quarter to go for it on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line, but the play they chose was questionable. With a very weak interior offensive line, they decided to go for the sneak and were quickly stopped short. The other plays at the goal line were questionable as well, with a shotgun draw and shovel pass to Dwayne Allen that both went nowhere.
Pep Hamilton's play-calling was pretty frustrating to watch, as he continued to try to get Richardson involved in the offense, even if was it was on 2nd-and-long. While he eventually gave up on the run game, it was frustrating to see him try to force it with Richardson when it clearly wasn't there.
Pagano ended up making some good calls late in the game, including going for and getting an onside kickoff, then choosing to kick it away on the next kickoff. The defense was able to hold and the Colts ended up getting the ball again to have a chance to tie.
Overall, Pagano was a bit more gutsy than he was last year, but it would have been nice to see him go for it on 4th-and-1 on the first drive.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | C |
| WR | B+ |
| OL | C- |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | C- |
| Secondary | C+ |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | C+ |
It definitely wasn't the best showing for the Colts, but it was good to see them make it a contest against the clear favorite in the AFC. There are still lots of concerns in terms of depth and who will start on the inside of the offensive line. But the defensive line looks much better than last season while Luck has plenty of weapons to throw to.
There's a chance that the struggles were simply because the Colts were going against such a talented team on both sides of the ball, but things will be more clear as the season continues. In the end, the Colts didn't play their best game, but there were enough bright spots from some players that they were nearly able to tie it up in the fourth quarter.
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