Colts vs. Broncos: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning get another shot at each other when the Indianapolis Colts visit the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football to help usher in the 2014 season.

A byproduct of the league's desire to book as many interesting games as possible, storylines run deep in this particular matchup. Luck replaced Manning, who led Indianapolis to a 141-67 record, 11 postseason berths and one Super Bowl during his tenure.

A quote from Manning's former partner in crime, Reggie Wayne, says it all, via the Indianapolis Star:

The contest also features two teams that seem safe bets to take division crowns and postseason berths yet again. So let's take a look at the game's critical info before things get underway.

When: Sunday, Sept. 7, 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Watch: NBC

Live Stream NBC Sports Live Extra

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

Over/Under: 55

Spread: Denver (-6)

Team Injury Reports

Name	Position	Status
Erik Walden	LB	Questionable
Reggie Wayne	WR	Probable
Khaled Holmes	C	Questionable

Name	Position	Status
Ronnie Hillman	RB	Probable

Injury info via ESPN.

Those Left to Pick Up the Pieces

Denver is a team in transition around Manning, both of its own volition as John Elway and the front office go all-in during the quarterback's final years, and due to losses for various reasons.

One such offseason loss came with the departure of Knowshon Moreno, who rushed for 1,039 yards and 10 scores last year and added another 548 and three through the air. Luckily for Manning and the offense, it seems safe to presume sophomore back Montee Ball will pick up the slack after he averaged 4.7 yards per carry as a rookie.

More concerning is the passing attack, which lost Eric Decker to free agency and more recently Wes Welker to suspension, per Mike Klis of the Denver Post. In other words, 2,066 yards and 21 touchdowns are now missing from the offense.

Emmanuel Sanders, who had a breakout season last year in Pittsburgh with 67 catches for 740 yards and six scores, along with rookie Cody Latimer, figure to be the duo tasked with picking up the slack, as illustrated by Ben Volin of The Boston Globe:

On the defensive side of things, Elway brought on two high-profile names off the market to help turn around the unit. Aqib Talib is one of the league's better cover corners, and he'll have to make up for the offseason loss of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Joining him in the high-profile department is end DeMarcus Ware, who has recorded double-digit sack totals in all but two of his nine years in the league. Talib seems to have changed the attitude of the unit.

“Everybody has that same goal that first week to come out and set the tone. Everybody’s saying the same thing,” Talib said, per Ben Swanson of Broncos.com. “We’re tired of talking about it and we’re ready to go out there and do it.”

Few better opening-week tests exist than a matchup with Luck, Wayne and T.Y. Hilton under the national microscope.

An Uphill Climb...

...is the best way to describe things for the Colts.

Much of the attention for this game in particular has been thrown at Welker and what his absence does to the Broncos, which makes it easy to forget that the Colts are down a critical player as well thanks to suspension—linebacker Robert Mathis.

Mathis, who posted a career-high 19.5 sacks last season, creates a gaping hole on a defensive unit that allowed Manning to go for 386 yards and three touchdowns last year at Lucas Oil Stadium.

While the Colts won that encounter, the situation in the secondary is not pretty. Vontae Davis did rank as a top-five cornerback at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) last year, but Darius Butler and Greg Toler ranked No. 63 or worse.

Against a quarterback like Manning, that's not going to cut it.

That is especially the case when the Broncos can force Luck into a one-dimensional attack due to the lack of a productive ground game. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton understands this dilemma best, as captured by Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star:

Should Richardson, who has never averaged better than 3.6 yards per carry as a pro, fail to produce, behind him is Ahmad Bradshaw, who has battled injury in each of the past three seasons.

Luck does have a wealth of targets to hit in the passing game, but in a loud environment with no run game behind him and a shaky line in front of him that sees a rookie (Jack Mewhort) start at guard, things could get ugly in a hurry.

Prediction

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Denver has won 13 of its past 14 openers at home, and Indianapolis does not appear to have the talent on either side of the football to properly line up and change that consistent trend.

The best thing the Colts can do is attempt to keep it simple—fooling Manning doesn't really work anymore, and especially won't with the team's best pass-rusher on the sideline in sweatpants.

Manning and Ball can hurt the iffy defense in too many ways. Luck is a once-in-a-generation quarterback who will surely have the Colts in the conversation for the division crown, but a trip to a hostile environment while undermanned against perhaps the greatest of all time is not going to end well.

Prediction: Broncos 35, Colts 20

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).