Broncos Defense, Despite Andrew Luck Heroics, Proves It Can Be Difference-Maker

DENVER — It was one of the few times Peyton Manning has ever been hit hard. Really hard. And it still didn't matter.

The rush came up the middle from 318-pound Colts defensive lineman Cory Redding. Redding grabbed Manning around the waist, lifted him slightly and plopped him onto the ground. It was a totally legal, totally hard hit. It was also stunning since Manning rarely gets hit like that.

Manning got the pass off—a 35-yard touchdown to tight end Julius Thomas, who had three TD catches in the first half. Manning looked momentarily stunned and walked slowly toward Redding. Redding looked at Manning, started walking toward him and…Redding gave Manning a fist pound. Yeah, I got you. Manning returned the favor and laughed. Yeah, you did.

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It looked like the Broncos would keep laughing. Then came Andrew Luck, who in the second half used his smarts and stubbornness to challenge a Broncos defense that is clearly better but almost got snapped in half anyway.

The locker-room quotes were predictable, except for one from a player who admitted to me: "If we would have lost this game, it would have been a disaster."

That's because the Broncos organization, and the City of Denver, had waited for this moment. Both needed something to eliminate the memory of being atomized by the Seahawks.

The Broncos got the win mostly because of Manning but also because of that Denver defense. A defense that saw safety Rahim Moore get two picks, Luck frustrated in the first half and Luck rejuvenated in the second. That straining and creaking sound you heard wasn't from Manning's knees but the Broncos defense bending but maintaining structural integrity.

Denver's defense isn't perfect, but it's better, and that makes this team a legitimate threat to earn a second straight Super Bowl appearance.

Everything with this squad, of course, starts with Manning. In the offseason, Manning lost receiver Eric Decker to the Jets, and Wes Welker wasn't playing Sunday due to a suspension. What's clear is that Manning makes his receivers, not the other way around. 

Manning as regular-season android, as a non-Super Bowl statistical laptop computer, is well-known, and this day was no different. In the Broncos' 31-24 win over Indianapolis at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday, Manning was 22-of-36 for 269 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

So while Manning is always the top story on days like this, what was particularly striking about Denver wasn't Manning—it was Denver's defense, especially early in the game, and on the Colts' final play.

That defense looks…different. It's not perfect, as it almost succumbed to Luck's late-game charms, but it's still markedly better.

Several plays symbolized the contest for Denver, which had Luck under duress all night. At one point, the Colts faced a 4th-and-goal at the Denver 1. Luck attempted to rush up the middle, trying to push the pile forward, but after taking two steps, he was swamped instantly by a gaggle of Broncos.

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Luck was so distressed by failing to score that when he went to the sideline, he slammed his helmet on top of a Gatorade cooler. The source of his frustration was clear. Twice in the second half, the Colts had 1st-and-goal inside the 5, and they came away with only a field goal. That was Denver's defense. That had nothing to do with Manning.

The mission of general manager John Elway this offseason was to construct a defense that didn't need to depend on the offense, one that had its own personality. Check and check.

Manning gonna Manning. We know that. What's clear is the Broncos have an eye west, toward a city named Seattle, and they remember how that defense destroyed Manning and the offense. Elway basically said, "I want me one of those."

No, the Broncos aren't the Legion of Boom, but they are a far more physical unit than last year's Denver defense, a unit that doesn't fritter and squander, and one that can match Manning's production. The Legion of Zoom? (Sorry.)

Luck gets hit hard a lot because he holds on to the football as long as possible, trying to make plays. The Broncos really battered him. I counted four particularly nasty shots he took, the kind of hits that make you wonder how he was able to get up and walk.

It's true the Colts offensive line is awful, but it was especially exposed to what seemed like a faster Denver team. Last year when these two teams met, the Broncos gave up 39 points. This year, they gave up 24, just 10 entering the fourth quarter.

The Broncos made another statement late in the game as Luck threatened yet another comeback. Luck leads the NFL in comebacks with 10 since 2012, and after cutting the score to 31-17—with the Colts recovering an onside kick—the game was getting interesting.

The Colts were driving until Moore intercepted an overthrown Luck pass. Denver's defense held.

Then after a Manning sack, giving the Colts good field position, Luck orchestrated a 49-second drive that made it just a seven-point game. Typical Luck. The comeback king.

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Luck was driving again with under two minutes remaining when Broncos corner Bradley Roby broke up a fourth-down pass to end it. Luck finished the game with a staggering 53 pass attempts.

Denver did give up 408 yards of offense, but it held Indianapolis to 4-of-13 on third downs, stuffed the Colts on two first-and-goal tries from the 5, limited Indianapolis to 54 rushing yards, and sacked Luck three times and intercepted him twice.

That defense bent a little but didn't collapse. Last year, it would have. The addition of players like DeMarcus Ware, who had a critical 3rd-and-goal sack in the third quarter, made a difference.

There was a time when Manning playing his old team was the huge storyline. Not any longer. For the moment, no one cares.

The real story right now for the Broncos is that defense. Far from flawless, it just might be good enough to push Denver back to the Super Bowl.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.