Colts vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NFL Playoffs

On March 7, 2012, Jim Irsay made a choice. The Indianapolis Colts owner was releasing the best player the franchise had ever known with the plan of handing the keys to an unproven (albeit talented) rookie from Stanford.

On Sunday, Andrew Luck confirmed Irsay's choice was the right one.   

Luck threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns, outdueling a struggling Peyton Manning en route to a 24-13 victory over the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Three seasons into Luck's career, Sunday's victory represents his first road playoff win, putting him four years ahead of the path set by Manning. The Pro Bowler was largely held to underneath passes thanks to a strong effort from the Denver secondary but made key plays whenever needed. He completed 27 of his 43 passes to eight different receivers, doing an excellent job of navigating the field against a game plan designed to limit T.Y. Hilton.

"He's one of those guys that you have to play a 60-minute game against," Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware told reporters in reference to Luck. "He has really good pocket awareness. He's always one of those guys, just like Peyton, where he hits the open guy the majority of the time. He plays a fundamentally sound game."

On the other sideline, Manning was left to prepare for the narrative crow about his January struggles. The future Hall of Famer spent most of his afternoon throwing ugly, wobbly passes that rarely hit their target. While there were openings over the top on a number of occasions, Manning's inaccuracy stifled the Broncos offense downfield.

Manning completed an uncharacteristically low 26 of his 46 pass attempts and had little success going after his top wideouts. Emmanuel Sanders, who was visibly frustrated at points when passes fell incomplete, recorded seven catches for 46 yards but was targeted 15 times. Demaryius Thomas caught a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter but was limited to 59 yards, and seven of Manning's 12 attempts his way fell incomplete.

It was an oddly dispiriting performance that in some ways confirmed ongoing suspicions coming into Sunday. One of the NFL's most prolific passing offenses for most of the regular season, the Broncos decided to become a grind-it-out attack, leading to some suspicion Manning was secretly nursing an injury. Running back C.J. Anderson, who had another solid game with 80 yards on the ground against the Colts, led the NFL in rushing yards over the final six weeks and became their workhorse. 

Manning has consistently maintained he's healthy, but the Broncos' offensive struggles will undoubtedly continue to elicit concern.

On the other side, Luck was able to make throws consistently without the benefit of a ground game. Daniel Herron rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, failing to gain more than eight yards on a single rushing attempt. Herron was far more useful in the passing game, making eight receptions on checkdowns that helped move the chains. The Ohio State product's ability to play all three downs rendered backup Zurlon Tipton all but irrelevant. Former starter Trent Richardson was a healthy scratch. 

It was an adjustment many saw long coming, as part of the continued evolution of this Colts roster. Derided early in his Indianapolis stay for his loyalty to Richardson and insistence on running the football, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton gave Luck the offensive keys and the Colts have ascended. Luck threw the ball 43 times against 28 total runs, a good amount of which came when Indy was trying to burn out the clock.

"Our emphasis is to just try and score every time we touch the football," Hamilton told Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star. "If that's (by) running the football, that's great. Ideally we want to have balance in our offense. But at this point, we have to accentuate our strengths and do what we do best and find ways to score."

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

For Manning, this is his second one-and-done in Denver and his ninth overall for his career. Few (if anyone) would call his post-Indianapolis career a disappointment—disappointments don't blow away the NFL record book—but this loss is undoubtedly frustrating. The Broncos came into 2014 with hopes of earning a second straight Super Bowl berth, with their roster more balanced on both sides of the ball and a rejuvenated Manning leading the charge.

They'll enter 2015 with far more questions than answers. Manning's playing future is a constant source of conversation, and some with a quick trigger may start casting their eyes at head coach John Fox. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported earlier Sunday that Fox was in danger of losing his job if the Broncos lost (h/t Will Brinson of CBS Sports).  

The Colts travel to New England next week, where Luck will attempt to exorcise more demons. He threw four interceptions in a 43-22 divisional-round thumping last season at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots also had no issues dispatching the Colts earlier this season as Jonas Gray rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-20 triumph. In three head-to-head meetings since Luck's arrival, the Patriots have outscored the Colts 144-66.

Indianapolis defenders have been open about using the latest New England loss as a catalyst for the team's second-half surge.

"This is a group of prideful men," Colts cornerback Darius Butler told reporters in December. "New England came in our house and ran the ball down our throats basically. It felt like we didn't have a chance the whole game. We learned from that. You take your licks and move on and hopefully get better. I feel like we've done that." 

AJ Mast/Associated Press

The numbers don't indicate much of an improvement. According to Football Outsiders' premium database, the Colts ranked 19th in run defense DVOA during the first half of the season. During the second half? They ranked exactly 19th again. They were slightly better from a percentages standpoint, but the strength in Indianapolis' defense remains in its secondary.

But as has been the case since Luck's arrival, the Colts' hopes live and die with his arm. If he's able to curb turnovers and find holes underneath against Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, the Colts have a chance to pull off the upset. If he succumbs to the pressure as he has each previous time, Indy will leave New England with its tail between its legs once more.

Sunday may have represented the passing of the narrative torch between Manning and Luck, but Luck can't take it and run with it before getting past Brady, too.    

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter