Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts: What's the Game Plan for Denver?

After by far its most impressive victory of the season over the Green Bay Packers, the Denver Broncos will go on the road in Week 9 to face a team that has given them a lot of trouble in recent years: the Indianapolis Colts.

Since Peyton Manning left Indianapolis—where he spent his first 14 seasons in the league—he has faced the Colts three times. In those games, the talk has centered around Manning facing his former team and going head-to-head with Andrew Luck.

While that talk will never go away, there is also the fact that the Colts sent the Broncos packing last year, ending their season on their own field in the divisional round of the playoffs. They did so with a fairly convincing victory as well.

That loss cost John Fox his job as general manager John Elway went looking for a coaching staff that would be more aggressive, one that would hopefully not allow a team to come onto their home field and embarrass them.

Gary Kubiak was given that position, and this is his chance to further prove that Elway made the right decision in hiring him. The Colts are a struggling 3-5 team that is probably the most disappointing in the league this season.

But it will be Denver's job to kick them while they're down. The Broncos must not forget the bad taste last January's 24-13 defeat left in their mouths. They need to march right into Indianapolis and deal Luck and his team a crushing defeat. How can they accomplish this feat? Let's take a look at the game plan.

Offensive Game Plan

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The Broncos should be able to open the playbook this week, as the Colts have struggled to stop the run and the pass this season. Looking at team statistics on NFL.com, Indianapolis is ranked No. 27 against the pass and No. 28 against the run. 

Against Green Bay, the Broncos were able to run the ball. C.J. Anderson finally got on track by running for 101 yards and a touchdown and Ronnie Hillman added two more scores. Combine that with that fact the Hillman ran for over 100 yards in the team's prior game against the Cleveland Browns, and it appears the team has finally got the ground game to where Kubiak wants it.

They will run the ball right at the Colts in this game and they will run the ball to set up the pass.

The other part of the offense that came alive against Green Bay was the fact that the tight ends became part of the passing game.

Going into Week 8, only two teams had completed less passes to tight ends than the Broncos, something that is very strange for a team led by Kubiak. That changed against the Packers, as Virgil Green and Owen Daniels each caught three passes and combined for 105 yards receiving.

But the Broncos weren't satisfied there. Earlier in the week, the team traded for veteran tight end Vernon Davis. This was a curious move coming off the performance Green and Daniels had against Green Bay, but it also shows that the Broncos are determined to get to the Super Bowl.

In Davis, the team gets one of the league's most athletic tight ends. He will be able to stretch defenses down the field and with a quarterback like Manning throwing him the ball, he gives the Broncos a dangerous new weapon.

"

Vernon Davis on trying to fit into #Broncos offense -- "I don't know what's going to happen, but I know it's going to be damn good.''

— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) November 4, 2015"

According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, the Broncos are prepared to get Davis onto the field right away. Davis should see action on Sunday and while it's hard to imagine that he already has the entire playbook down, he likely learned enough to contribute.

While Davis may only be used as a decoy, his ability to make plays throughout his career is something Indianapolis will have to honor and defend. His presence will be one to watch in this game.

But the offense will start and end with the running game. The Broncos should be able to get physical with the Colts, who have given up eight runs of 20 yards or more this season. Only two teams—the Browns and San Diego Chargers—have given up more.

Though Hillman is listed as questionable for the game, Kubiak expects him to play, as Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reports.

Hillman and Anderson should both have good games, taking the pressure off Manning.

Defensive Game Plan

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If the Denver defense can limit last year's NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to 77 yards passing, it could be a long day for Luck. The Colts' quarterback hasn't had his best season. Luck is completing just 55 percent of his passes and has thrown the most interceptions in the league (12). 

He also has just a 71.6 quarterback rating. According to ESPN, only Ryan Mallett has a lower rating of the 33 quarterbacks it lists here.

But Luck isn't getting much help either. The offensive line has allowed 17 sacks and veterans Frank Gore and Andre Johnson haven't had the impact that the team hoped they would when it brought them in as free agents.

"

Do the Colts have an offensive line or just throw 6 guys out there instead of 11

— Shaun Morash (@MrazCBS) November 3, 2015"

So how are these Colts going to generate big plays and points against the Broncos' No. 1 ranked defense? It's certainly going to be tough.

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has all the pieces he needs to run the defense exactly how he wants to. A strong secondary is there to back up a potent pass rush and the linebackers are all able to fill in wherever they're needed.

Against the Colts, expect Phillips to turn up the pressure on Luck and come at him from every angle. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports recently reported that Luck has been playing with several fractured ribs. Don't expect the Broncos to ignore that.

Denver will look to get hits on Luck, even if they don't result in sacks. Getting after him and knocking him around will slow down everything the Colts do. However, the Broncos must not get too confident. Luck is a savvy player who is very adept at recognizing and beating the blitz.

Phillips will need to choose his spots wisely. While the Colts are a 3-5 team, they have the ability to beat just about any team in the league.

Players and Matchups to Watch

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Luck vs. Denver Blitz: We touched on this before, and it is something to really look for. How will Luck handle the pressure Phillips sends at him? Luck is dangerous when he steps up into the pocket, particularly with his feet. He has ran for over 1,000 yards and has 12 touchdowns on the ground in his career. 

Luck can move the chains with his feet and may be looking to do so on third down. If Denver sends a blitz on third down, they need to make sure the middle of the field is not wide open for Luck to step up and run for a new set of downs. 

Aqib Talib: Denver cornerback Aqib Talib had arguably his worst game as a Bronco in the playoff loss to the Colts last season. However, he's been one of the best defensive players in the entire league this season. It will be interesting to see if he can redeem himself from that poor performance against Indianapolis last season.

Andre Caldwell: Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reports that Jordan Norwood will miss this game due to a hamstring injury, which means Andre Caldwell should see extended playing time in this game. 

Caldwell has just six receptions on the season, but Manning needs someone he can trust in the passing game other than Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Bennie Fowler should see some opportunities as well.

Virgil Green: Though the Broncos traded for Davis, Virgil Green should still be a threat in the passing game. He caught three passes for 61 yards against the Packers. The Broncos featured offensive sets with two tight ends throughout the game with Green Bay, and that should continue going forward.

Prediction

The Broncos are coming off a big high in handing the Packers their first loss of the season. Now they go on the road to face a 3-5 team that they should expect to be playing with a level of desperation. 

The Colts have won two of three meetings since Manning came to Denver and Luck went to Indianapolis, so despite the win-loss records of each team, this won't be an easy win for Denver.

In the end, Denver's defense makes the difference. The offensive line of Indianapolis just doesn't have the talent to hold up against the pressure Denver will throw at it. As a result, Luck will be under siege for 60 minutes and he will find it difficult to put anything on the scoreboard.

Final Prediction: Broncos 24, Colts 13