Why Broncos, Colts Divisional Round Showdown Will Be Different Than Week 1 Match
The Denver Broncos are getting ready this week to take on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. This game is a rematch of the season opener of the 2014 season. In Week 1, the Broncos beat the Colts 31-24 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Now, the Colts come back to the Mile High City in a single-elimination playoff scenario.
It’s been a long season, and multiple things are different for both teams. Week 1 seems like an eternity ago in NFL terms, and the Broncos have worked through various injuries, suspensions, lineup changes and philosophy changes during the regular season.
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Broncos head coach John Fox confirms many things have changed for both teams since Week 1.
“Yeah. I think when you look at that big of a gap, their offensive line has changed," he said. "Our offensive line has changed. It was a tough opener. They are a very, very good football team. I believe [they have] been to the playoffs three years in a row. [QB Andrew Luck] is as good a young quarterback as there is in the league. Much of that has not changed. Statistically over the stretch they are if not No. 1 then I think top three in the league. They’re very capable. When you get to the elite eight, you usually are.”
Multiple things for the Broncos are different this time around. Let us count the ways.
C.J. Anderson Not Montee Ball
Arguably the biggest difference for the Broncos offense is the emergence of C.J. Anderson as their starting running back. Anderson has been one of the best backs in the league since he took over as the starter in Week 11.
Peyton Manning had nothing but praise for Anderson’s work ethic.
“C.J.’s picked up this offense quickly," he said. "He studied during his time of not playing, which that’s paid off for him. Sometimes guys aren’t playing—if they don’t study, all of a sudden their number gets called, they’re not ready, it shows. He’s taken advantage of his opportunities while playing but he’s also used the time when he wasn’t playing to learn the offense so when called upon, he’s certainly been ready.”
Against the Colts in Week 1, Montee Ball was the starter for the Broncos. Coming back from an appendectomy he had in training camp, Ball looked sluggish against the Colts. He finished the game with 23 carries for 67 yards and one rushing touchdown.
By comparison, Anderson has only had one game this year where he rushed for less than 67 yards. In Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills, Anderson had 21 carries for 58 yards. Oh yeah, he also had three rushing touchdowns in that game and was playing through an ankle injury he suffered the week before against the Kansas City Chiefs.
One should expect Anderson will be able to do more against the Colts than Ball did in the season opener.
Offensive Line Changes
The Broncos have shuffled their offensive line this year. They began the season with Ryan Clady at left tackle, Orlando Franklin at left guard, Manny Ramirez at center, Louis Vasquez at right guard and Chris Clark at right tackle.
This unit struggled to blast open holes for the ground game consistently, and it also failed to provide adequate protection for Manning. Thus, the Broncos moved around three of the five spots. Clady is still at left tackle and Franklin is still at left guard, but the other spots are now different.
Now, the Broncos have Will Montgomery at center. The team added him in free agency in 2014, but he failed to win the job over Ramirez in training camp.
Ramirez has now slid back to his more natural position of right guard. He still struggles with laterally agile defensive tackles, but he’s not as big a liability as he is at center.
Vasquez was an All-Pro right guard in 2013, but the Broncos have moved him to right tackle. This is not a natural position for him, and Vasquez is not as effective on the outside. However, Vasquez is a team-first guy and he’s their best option at the position.
Wes Welker is Back
In Week 1, Welker was serving the first of what was a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. The suspension was eventually reduced to two games, but Welker’s numbers were down from 2013 as we saw the emergence of Emmanuel Sanders.
Welker will be available for the playoff game against the Colts, and this gives the Broncos yet another weapon in the passing game to feature when going through the air.
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas acknowledged having Welker available is a boost for the offense.
“It’s great. I tried to play the slot [in Week 1] and it wasn’t for me that early in the season," he said. "Having him back is good because he is one of the best that does it and having him, you never know what defense they will play because they will have to watch everybody. It’s good to have Wes back and I can be back outside and try to do my best to play my best for the team and have a big impact on the game.”
Broncos Linebackers Have Changed
The Broncos are relatively healthy entering the postseason, but the position that has been hit hardest by injury is linebacker. The plan was to begin the season with Von Miller at strong-side linebacker, Nate Irving at middle linebacker and Danny Trevathan at weak-side linebacker.
That plan was disrupted when Trevathan suffered a knee injury during training camp. He only played in three games this year and eventually ended up on Injured Reserve. Irving also suffered a knee injury and was shut down for the year.
This has opened the door for guys like Brandon Marshall to get more playing time. Marshall has turned into a solid starter for the Broncos with this expanded role.
Strong safety T.J. Ward appreciates what Marshall has done for this team.
“He plays hard," he said. "You’ve seen him out there. He plays really hard. He can do a lot of things from the linebacker position. And he started from the bottom—he was on practice squad last year—and just to see his development is pretty amazing.”
Two Star Defenders Are Healthier
It’s remarkable to recollect that both cornerback Chris Harris and Miller were coming back from knee injuries suffered near the end of the 2013 season. Miller tore his ACL in Week 16 against the Houston Texans, while Harris suffered a partially torn ACL in the playoff game against the San Diego Chargers.
Entering training camp, both were limited participants all the way through the preseason. Neither was at full strength to begin the regular season, but both were on the field in the season opener against the Colts.
Harris laughed when looking back to Week 1. “Yeah at that time, I wasn’t fully healthy," he said. "I was going in and out of the game when we played them the first time. So now this time, I’ll be in. Shoot, I’m not coming out.”
As you can see, Harris just didn’t just have a good year—he had a fantastic season in 2014 and emerged as one of the best corners in the game today.
"Chris Harris ranked 1st in #NFL with a 47.8 quarterback rating against him and did not allow a touchdown this season #Broncos
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) December 31, 2014"
Miller turned in a strong performance in 2014 as well. After registering only six sacks last year in a disappointing 2013, he bounced back with 13 sacks in 2014. This was the second-highest single-season sack total in his career.
Harris believes the team’s chemistry is stronger than it was at the beginning of the season.
“We’ve got that chemistry now and at that time, that was kind of our first time learning how to play with each other, and all new guys," he said. "So now, we’re playing them and we’re full strength. I didn’t even play the whole game the first time and I think a lot of other guys didn’t play the whole game. So now we’re full strength and it’ll be another good game.”
Summary
Fox believes a few things can be taken away from the game these two teams played against each other earlier this year.
“Just a little bit," he said. "You look at matchups. But like I said, their team’s changed quite a bit and so has ours.”
However, cornerback Aqib Talib believes this playoff contest is completely different from Week 1.
“It doesn’t really help [looking back at Week 1]," he said. "They’ve seen us just like we’ve seen them. It doesn’t really help. It’s another game. It’s a playoff game, a big game. We’re going to prepare as if we didn’t play them earlier this year. We’re going to prepare as if we’ve never seen this team before and we’re going to go over the game plan, get the game plan down and execute it.”
The Broncos can’t just follow the same game plan they had earlier this year. The Colts have changed, and so have they. The Broncos are best served to set the tone early the way they want to on both sides of the ball.
With a rejuvenated running game, the Broncos should come out and soften up the Colts with Anderson. If they need to use the short passing game to supplement the ground game, then targeting Welker in critical situations is a fine move.
Defensively, the team will have to prepare for a barrage of passing from the Colts. The linebackers are going to be tested early and often with talented tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. The cornerbacks are going to be tested deep with long passes coming in for T.Y. Hilton or Donte Moncrief.
The Colts are going to examine the Week 1 game looking for clues about how to defeat the Broncos. Those clues may not provide adequate hints as to what to do against Denver because the Broncos have changed a lot from then until now.
The Broncos are a better team now than they were in Week 1.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.
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