Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos: Complete Report Card Grades for Denver
The hopes of a return to the Super Bowl for the Denver Broncos were dashed in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday. In fact, those hopes were stomped out with authority.
Andrew Luck and his Indianapolis Colts came into Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday and dealt the Broncos a crushing 24-13 defeat. The loss was Denver's first at home this season.
Denver was defeated in every phase of the game and seemed like a team quickly on the decline, facing a young, fresh team on the rise.
With the loss, the next several weeks for Broncos fans will be filled with questions about the team's future.
"If Peyton wants to keep playing by all means he should. But if he didn't win with this team this year, he isn't going to. #Broncos
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) January 12, 2015"
For more on the game that led to the end of Denver's once-promising season, including report card grades for each positional unit, read on.
Quarterback
1 of 10
To say Peyton Manning didn't have it on Sunday would be a slight understatement.
Manning completed just 26 of 46 passes and barely hit the 200-yard mark. But it wasn't his stats that stood out, it was his play.
Manning was way off on many of his passes, particularly on the deep ball. He missed receivers deep, he missed receivers over the middle, and he even missed receivers short.
It was a bad day for the Broncos quarterback, as his seemingly growing deficiencies have never stood out more.
It will be a long offseason filled with uncertainty for this team, and part of that uncertainty could be at the quarterback position.
"Peyton Manning finished 6-of-21 on throws more than 5 yards downfield
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 12, 2015"
Manning needs to think very seriously about whether or not this was the final game of his career.
Grade: D
Running Back
2 of 10
Despite facing a team that has given up plenty of yards on the ground, the Broncos weren't able to find a lot of running room against Indianapolis.
But give credit to the Colts defense; they came in with a great game plan and played very well.
The Broncos did average 4.4 yards per carry, but they only called 20 running plays, as it seemed they spent the entire game trying to get Manning in a rhythm—which never happened.
C.J. Anderson was probably the best player on the field for Denver on Sunday, gaining 80 yards on 18 carries. Toward the end of the third quarter, the Broncos were facing a 4th-and-1 and they had to convert it to stay alive.
Anderson took the handoff, and it appeared that he'd be lucky to get back to the line of scrimmage. Instead, he showed tremendous desire, fighting off three separate tacklers to find the first down.
Ronnie Hillman carried the ball just two times for eight yards, and he didn't catch a single pass. Anderson had six catches for 29 yards.
While the running game didn't set the tone for the Broncos the way they likely hoped it would, the grade has to be bumped up slightly due to Anderson's effort.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
On Denver's opening drive, Manning found Julius Thomas down the sideline for a 32-yard completion. That set up a one-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.
For a very brief moment, it looked like everything was right again. But it quickly faded.
After taking the early 7-0 lead, the Broncos saw Demaryius drop multiple passes. They saw Julius catch some short passes, but he seemed unable to make anyone miss with the ball in his hands.
What happened to this vaunted passing attack?
Emmanuel Sanders caught seven passes, but he wasn't able to stretch the field the way he did most of the season.
Wes Welker had one catch for 20 yards. Is there a team even afraid of him anymore?
The Broncos just weren't able to move the ball down the field with their passing game. When they did complete a pass, Colts defenders were there to make an immediate tackle.
The passing game used to be dangerous. It used to be close to unstoppable. It's not anymore.
Grade: D
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line did an adequate job in the running game, and they did their best to protect Manning, who was sacked twice on the day.
One of the game's most critical plays came in the second quarter. Manning dropped back to pass and Jonathan Newsome came around the edge pretty much untouched and hit Manning, knocking the ball loose on the play.
Indianapolis recovered in Denver territory and turned the fumble into seven points, taking the lead at 14-7. They never looked back.
"Ryan Clady confused by his protection assignment, and Jonathan Newsome comes free to strip sack Peyton. Not an All Pro look, Clady. #Broncos
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) January 11, 2015"
Ryan Clady, who was beat on the play, is just not the same player anymore. He's another guy the Broncos will have to look long and hard at in terms of bringing him back next season. His salary-cap number will play a huge role in that decision.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Perhaps the biggest factor in Denver's loss was the fact that there was basically no pass rush. Andrew Luck was able to do whatever he wanted in this game.
They didn't even come close to sacking him.
Despite having DeMarcus Ware and some young, hungry pass-rushers like Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe, the Denver defensive line was dominated by the Colts offensive line.
In fact, the Indianapolis offensive line was made up of probably the most valuable players in this game.
The Colts rushed for 99 yards on the day, but it was Luck's play that made the biggest difference.
Wolfe, Jackson and Terrance Knighton all got hits on Luck, but it just wasn't enough to disrupt the Colts offense.
Ware, who was signed in the offseason for games just like this, was hardly a factor. He finished with four tackles in the game.
Grade: C
Linebackers
6 of 10
Having Brandon Marshall back appeared to be big for the Denver defense, and although he made some nice plays in the game, he didn't appear to be close to 100 percent.
This forced Todd Davis into the game for several plays, and he still looks like a liability in coverage.
Steven Johnson had one of the better games of anyone in a Denver uniform Sunday, making several tough tackles and doing his part to get the offense off the field.
His seven tackles led the team.
Von Miller wasn't able to get much pressure on Luck, with just six tackles—two of which went for a loss—and a hit on the quarterback.
However, the Broncos desperately needed a big play out of the defense due to the lack of offense they were able to muster, and Miller was never able to get it for them.
"Interesting to watch some premium pass rushers this weekend become almost invisible. Add Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware to list.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 12, 2015"
He is one of the stars of the defense, and in games like this, he has to be more of a factor.
Marshall and Davis finished with six tackles each, and the linebacker group as a whole played pretty well. Still, having guys like Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan would have been nice.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
Aqib Talib may be considered one of the league's best cornerbacks, but supporters of that idea will never point to tape of this game to prove that.
In other words, Talib was awful on Sunday.
Denver figured it would use him to match up against T.Y. Hilton, limiting the Colts' No. 1 wide receiver. That didn't happen.
Hilton beat Talib so badly on a few plays that the Broncos were forced to rotate their coverage.
"And now Aqib Talib, beaten there by Dwayne Allen on that TD, is struggling to defend anybody. Colts 14-7.
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) January 11, 2015"
But Talib didn't do any better elsewhere. He was called for a critical holding penalty in the end zone on a third down that allowed the Colts to continue a drive that ended with a touchdown.
Luck completed 27 passes for 265 yards in the game, but the biggest play he made was on a pass to Hakeem Nicks, a 15-yard touchdown pass with Denver defenders surrounding Nicks.
On a drive in the fourth quarter, the Broncos forced the Colts to go three-and-out by knocking down three consecutive passes. Chris Harris, Talib and T.J. Ward each had one.
It appeared this would be the momentum shift that Denver needed, but the Broncos followed up with a three-and-out of their own.
Denver did collect two interceptions in the game, but neither one amounted to much, as they both occurred on third-and-long situations that basically translated to punts.
The secondary did what they could to keep the Broncos in the game, but with no pass rush to speak of, they were just asked to do too much.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
It can't be a good thing when the most reliable player on your team in a playoff game is your kicker. But Connor Barth did his part for the Broncos.
Barth kicked field goals of 45 and 41 yards on the day, and after being signed to replace an ineffective Brandon McManus, he made 17 of the 18 field goals he tried.
Omar Bolden, who has made an impact returning kicks in recent weeks, made two great plays on special teams in this game. On each play, he tackled Indianapolis kick returner Josh Cribbs.
On the second of those plays, Bolden was blocked right into Cribbs and a nasty collision ensued. The ball popped loose and Denver recovered, and it appeared the Broncos had finally gotten the big turnover they needed all game.
Instead, replays allowed the officials to overturn the call, but it was a very controversial decision.
Britton Colquitt got mixed results when punting the ball. He was able to pin one punt inside the Colts' 5-yard line, but he also had some very short kicks as well.
Denver's kick returning was nearly nonexistent. It didn't get a chance to return a single kickoff, and Wes Welker had one punt return for a loss of a yard.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
It has been well documented within the report card grades for the Broncos this season that the coaching could be a lot better. That was the case again on Sunday.
John Fox was up to his usual tricks, showing no sense of urgency and seemingly hoping to catch a big break.
There is a chance that it will be the last game Fox coaches in Denver, at least according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, which was tweeted out by Jason Cole.
"@JayGlazer reports #Broncos coach John Fox might be available if team loses. Pretty good chance.
— Jason Cole (@JasonPhilCole) January 11, 2015"
His coordinators weren't any better in this game.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase continued to go to the wide receiver bubble screen. It didn't work a single time. Not even close.
Defensively, it's understandable to respect the ability of Luck, but Jack Del Rio almost refused to blitz. Instead, the Broncos sat back in a soft zone coverage that Luck easily dissected.
This coaching staff has been gifted with some of the best talent in the NFL, and they have had the chance to work with one of the best rosters in the league.
And all they can muster is 13 points against the Colts?
Teams with coaching vacancies may want to seriously reconsider bringing either Del Rio or Gase aboard. As for Fox, would any Broncos fans complain if he's out?
Grade: F
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: D
Running Back: C+
Wide Receiver/Tight End: D
Offensive Line: C-
Defensive Line: C
Linebackers: C+
Secondary: B-
Special Teams: B+
Coaching: F
Overall Grade: D+
The Broncos picked a terrible time to have their worst performance of the season.
There were very few bright spots in this game outside of C.J. Anderson and Barth's kicking, and the coaching staff just wasn't able to adjust to what the Colts were doing.
This game will lead to many, many questions for a team that will be facing a very uncertain offseason.
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