Colts vs. Broncos: Complete Divisional Round Preview for Denver
After resting during the first round of the playoffs, the Denver Broncos (12-4) are set to face the Indianapolis Colts (12-5) on Sunday from Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
These two teams last met in the season opener, a 31-24 victory for the Broncos in Denver. But this is the playoffs, and in a win-or-go-home scenario, that season opener means nothing.
Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck—and the fact that Manning will be going against his former team—will dominate the headlines leading up to the game.
".@Colts @Broncos = 1st in TD pass (Luck 40) vs 2nd (Peyton 39). Last time matchup like this in playoffs? SB XLIV (Brees over Peyton).
— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) January 7, 2015"
But this is a Broncos team that is still licking their wounds from last season's Super Bowl loss to Seattle, and how they respond to having a home playoff game with a chance to get one step closer to returning to the big game is the real story.
Read on for a complete preview for this divisional-round game, including key matchups to watch and a full injury report for the Broncos.
Week 1 Recap
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The Broncos and Colts played each other back in early September, kicking off the 2014 season on Sunday Night Football.
Despite jumping out to a 24-0 lead, the Broncos allowed the Colts to come back and get within seven points after two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Andrew Luck.
The Colts had the ball at the Denver 39-yard line with just under two minutes to play in the game, but they couldn't convert a pass on 4th-and-6. As a result, the Broncos hung on for the victory.
The win avenged a loss to the Colts in Indianapolis last year and tied the all-time series between Peyton Manning and Luck at one game apiece.
The Colts actually had 47 more yards of total offense than the Broncos in Week 1, but they were undone by two costly turnovers. The Broncos controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for five minutes longer than the Colts.
Tight end Julius Thomas caught seven passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way for the Denver offense, and DeMarcus Ware chipped in with 1.5 sacks in his Broncos debut.
News and Notes
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Adam Gase is a Hot Head Coaching Candidate
There are several teams in the league with head coaching vacancies. It seems that all of them want an interview with Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
Gase has interviews set up with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears across the next two days, but as Ian Rapoport tweeted out, the Buffalo Bills want to throw their hat in the circle too:
"The #Bills are on the board in their head-coaching search, requesting permission to speak with #Broncos OC Adam Gase, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2015"
That could leave Gase with a choice of teams to coach next season, but those teams will have to act fast. If they don't speak to Gase before the end of the weekend, they'll have to wait until Denver's season officially comes to an end to meet with him, per league rules.
Jack Del Rio Too?
Mike Klis of The Denver Post reported that the Oakland Raiders have discussed handing their head coaching position to Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
The Raiders seem to be the only team where Del Rio's name has popped up as a candidate, but bringing him there would make sense considering Del Rio's ties to the California area.
Still, do the Raiders really want to give another Denver defensive coordinator a job as head coach? And would Del Rio want to take on a job where he had to play the Broncos twice every year?
Is Winning the Super Bowl a Must for Peyton Manning?
According to NFL.com's Adam Schein, it is.
It's hard to argue otherwise. Manning, despite his many records and excellent understanding of the quarterback position, has lost more postseason games than he has won.
It's hard to say that any one player has to win the Super Bowl, but no player seems to catch more criticism for his failures than No. 18, whether it's fair or not.
It's been said many times that John Elway put the Broncos in this position when he signed Manning. Anything less than winning the Super Bowl is simply not good enough.
Meanwhile, it's tough to argue that a guy with an 11-12 record in the postseason—when the games really matter—is the best quarterback to ever play the game.
How many times can he afford to come up short when everything is on the line?
Injury Report
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| Brandon Marshall | Linebacker | Foot | Limited Practice |
| David Bruton | Safety | Neck | Full Practice |
| Orlando Franklin | Guard | Concussion | Full Practice |
| Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Thigh | Full Practice |
| Will Montgomery | Center | Knee | Full Practice |
| Julius Thomas | Tight End | Ankle | Full Practice |
| T.J. Ward | Safety | Neck | Full Practice |
| Quanterus Smith | Defensive End | Knee | Limited Practice |
| Aqib Talib | Cornerback | Achilles | Full Practice |
| Demaryius Thomas | Wide Receiver | Ankle/Finger | Full Practice |
All injury statuses courtesy of DenverBroncos.com.
Despite being full of big names, the injury report looks very promising for the Broncos heading into this game.
It appears that linebacker Brandon Marshall is the only significant player who could miss this game, but Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that he will be available. However, he could play in a somewhat limited role.
The encouraging news is that T.J. Ward, David Bruton and Orlando Franklin have all taken part in full practices this week.
Ward missed the regular-season finale against Oakland after suffering a neck injury against Cincinnati in Week 16.
Franklin and Bruton left the game against Oakland with injuries.
But this is why the bye week is so important in the playoffs. If the Broncos were forced to play in the Wild Card Round last weekend, they may have been without several key players. Instead, they look to be at nearly full strength against the Colts.
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X-Factor Players and Key Matchups to Watch
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DeMarcus Ware vs. Anthony Castonzo
The Broncos need to be aggressive with their pass rush in this game and at least get hits on Andrew Luck. DeMarcus Ware had 1.5 sacks in the first meeting between these teams and should give Anthony Castonzo fits.
Ware hasn't played a postseason game since 2009. That should be all the extra motivation he needs to come out and have a big game on Sunday.
Brandon Marshall vs. Coby Fleener
T.Y. Hilton is probably the only threat in the Colts passing game that strikes fear into opposing defenses these days.
Since he will likely be shadowed by Aqib Talib for much of this game, Luck will have to turn to other options. Tight end Coby Fleener will probably be his first choice.
Linebacker Brandon Marshall, should he play, would be the guy charged with shutting Fleener down. If he can't go, those duties could fall to backup linebacker Todd Davis.
If Fleener gets matched up against Davis, he could have a big day.
Omar Bolden vs. Indianapolis Kick Coverage
The Colts ranked No. 10 in the league this season in defending kick returns, giving up just 22.6 yards per return. The longest return they gave up all year was 52 yards.
However, the Broncos have found something by putting safety Omar Bolden back to return kickoffs. He has a return of over 75 yards in each of Denver's last two games.
While Manning and Luck will get all of the attention, a relatively unknown player like Bolden could make all the difference in the game with a big return.
X-Factor Player: Ronnie Hillman
The Indianapolis defense is susceptible against the run. That should play right into Denver's hands.
After the Broncos wear down the defense with the bruising C.J. Anderson, bringing in Ronnie Hillman for a quick change of pace could gash the defense.
In the Wild Card Round, the Cincinnati Bengals averaged 5.2 yards per carry while gaining over 100 yards on the ground agsint the Colts defense, despite trailing for most of the game.
The Broncos should be able to pile up big yards on the ground against the Colts, and Hillman will take advantage of that with some big gains.
Prediction
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The Broncos have been here before.
For the third year in a row, they earned a first-round bye in the playoffs and will be hosting a playoff game. The team has been preparing for this exact moment since they were blown out in Super Bowl XLVIII.
They can't allow a team like Indianapolis to come in and do what Baltimore did two years ago and put a halt to their championship dreams.
The Colts are a team that seems to play beyond their talent level, and much of that should be credited to the play of Andrew Luck. He is simply amazing.
But the Broncos are the superior team and it really isn't very close.
Denver has a very good defense which has the ability to be great. They have an offense that can beat you in many different ways.
The Colts are down to the bottom of their depth chart at the running back position, and with Reggie Wayne starting to show his age, there isn't a player who can complement T.Y. Hilton in the passing game, at least on a consistent basis.
If the Broncos take the field with an intense, in-your-face attitude, it may be tough for the Colts to match that and the game could turn into a blowout.
Still, this is a Broncos team that has a bad habit of letting teams hang around, so the final score will probably be closer than it should be.
Prediction: Broncos 30, Colts 21
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