Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts: Denver Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Indianapolis Colts continue to be a thorn in the side of the Denver Broncos. Andrew Luck led the Colts to a 27-24 victory over Denver on Sunday, handing the Broncos their first defeat of the season.

The Broncos didn't help themselves much, felled by costly penalties and the fact that they couldn't get the Colts off the field on key third-down plays. In addition, the Broncos gained just 35 yards on the ground.

But let's not take anything away from the Colts. They converted 12 third downs in this game and had nearly 39 minutes of possession. Luck got help from his running game, which churned out 120 yards.

Even with all of that against them, the Broncos still had a chance to pull out the victory. Peyton Manning threw that opportunity away when he tossed his second interception of the game with just under six minutes to play. The Broncos never saw the ball again.

It's a frustrating loss for the Broncos, particularly because it comes against a team that was 3-5 going into the game. But head coach Gary Kubiak will have to get his team focused on putting the defeat behind them and moving forward to Week 10.

But first, let's take a closer look at this game, complete with grades for each positional unit.

Positional Grades

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Position                                                                         Grade

QB	C
RB	D
WR	B
TE	A-
OL	C
DL	B
LB	B
DB	C-
Special Teams	A
Coaching	C

Quarterback: Though Manning came within three yards of the NFL's all-time record for career passing yardage in this game, the interceptions he threw were critical. Manning did step up in the pocket well to avoid pressure, particularly on a 64-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders. Still, his 13 interceptions are the most in the league this season.

Running Back: Denver only ran the ball 14 times in this game, so the running backs weren't given many opportunities. They didn't make much out of them, either. Ronnie Hillman netted just one yard rushing. 

Wide Receiver: Sanders had a big game, catching six passes for 90 yards and the long touchdown. Demaryius Thomas added five catches for 50 yards. 

Tight End: Owen Daniels made an impact in this game, leading the team with six catches for 102 yards. He also caught a touchdown that tied the game at 24. Vernon Davis did not catch a pass and was only targeted once.

Offensive Line: The offensive line didn't play a terrible game, but the unit wasn't as impressive as it was against the Green Bay Packers. They had trouble opening holes in the running game. 

Defensive Line: Malik Jackson had probably his best game of the season. He made five tackles and three passes defensed in the game. Though the Broncos brought plenty of pressure at Luck, they managed just one sack in the game. 

Linebacker: Danny Trevathan paced the team with 19 tackles. It seemed like he was in on just about every play on defense. But he also was flagged for committing a holding penalty with 25 seconds left in the game that prevented any chance the Broncos had of getting the ball back. Von Miller had four hits on the quarterback. 

Secondary: The biggest difference between this game and the one Denver played last Sunday against Green Bay was the fact that Luck was able to throw on the Broncos. Luck showed no fear of Chris Harris or Aqib Talib, completing passes to his wide receivers with regularity. The Broncos gave up big gains on defense to players like Griff Whalen and Jack Doyle. 

Special Teams: Down 17-0, the Broncos were given new life when Omar Bolden returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the first half. Britton Colquitt averaged 43 yards on his five punts and Denver's kick coverage was good. They held the Colts to 0.7 yards on three punt returns and 16.5 yards on kickoff returns.

Coaching: It seemed like Denver went away from the running game in this one. With the game close in the second half, Manning was still throwing the ball on nearly every play. Going forward, the Broncos should rely more on the running game. Juwan Thompson should be given more of an opportunity. Finally, Kubiak needs to clean up the penalties. Though the Broncos only gave up 56 yards in penalties, most of them were pivotal to keeping drives alive for the Colts. 

Important Note No. 1: DeMarcus Ware Moves into Top 10 on All-Time Sacks List

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Broncos had just one sack on Sunday, and it was made by DeMarcus Ware. The sack gives Ware 133.5 for his career, which moves him into a tie for No. 10 on the league's all-time list with John Abraham.

Unfortunately, Ware was unable to finish the game. He left the game in the third quarter and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, as well as Pro Football Talk, reported that it was a back injury for Ware and he would not be able to return.

This could be bad news for the Broncos, particularly because Ware has already missed time this season with a back injury. This will be a situation to follow in the coming week.

Important Note No. 2: Broncos Get First Punt Return for TD in over Two Years

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When Bolden returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the first half, it was a rare sight for fans in Denver. Trindon Holliday was the last player to return a punt for a touchdown for the Broncos, and that happened in Week 2 of the 2013 season.

It's a wonder why Indianapolis didn't just kick the ball out of bounds, but other teams will likely be more leery of Bolden going forward. He had some big kickoff returns for the team late in the year last season.

Bolden has been able to stick around in Denver mainly due to his ability to help the return game, and it looks like the Broncos have found someone they can put back there for the rest of the season.

Important Note No. 3: Vernon Davis Has a Quiet Debut

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Just before last Tuesday's trade deadline, the Broncos made a move with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire tight end Vernon Davis. The move was made to give Denver another threat in the passing game, allowing them to stretch defenses.

Davis made his first appearance for the Broncos on Sunday, going without a catch. Manning only attempted to throw him the ball once, taking a deep shot down the field. Though the ball was slightly overthrown, it appeared Davis had a chance to pull it in.

While Davis is still likely learning the full playbook, the Broncos would probably like to get him much more involved when they face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10.

Quote No. 1: Gary Kubiak on DeMarcus Ware's Injury

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Linebacker Brandon Marshall and cornerback Chris Harris left the game to be evaluated for possible concussions, but both players were able to return. It was the injury suffered by Ware that Kubiak seemed the most concerned about following the game.

According to Ben Swanson of the team's official website, Kubiak had this to say about Ware following the game.

"

Well, he's our concern. I think it's pretty much kind of what he did before. I don't know any extent or anything like that so we'll wait until we get back home. Other than that we had a lot of nicks but they're nothing really serious. So he's our concern as we go home.

"

This is tough news for the team, as it sounds like Ware could miss some games. Fortunately for the Broncos, Shaquil Barrett has proven to be very capable when given the chance. Barrett could be a key player in the team's next few games.

Quote No. 2: Peyton Manning Assesses Team's Performance

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Following the game, Manning addressed the media, via the team's official website, and he talked about the Broncos coming up short against his former team.

Around the 2:00 mark of the video, he is asked about the interception he threw with just under six minutes to play.

"

I thought that 20 (Darius Butler) made a heck of a play, to tell ya the truth. He beat... ya know kinda beat our guy to the ball and obviously good play by him. I had to throw it probably a little earlier than I wanted to, so obviously, a throw that I'd like to have back for sure", said Manning.

"

Manning gave credit to Butler for the big play, but the bottom line is he needs to protect the ball much better than he has. Thirteen interceptions in eight games is just too many, and it puts too much pressure on defense.

Since coming to Denver, Manning hasn't thrown more than 15 interceptions in a season. He threw 15 last year, but that came in 395 pass attempts. He's thrown 13 interceptions in 203 attempts this year.

Quote No. 3: Gary Kubiak Talks About Failing to Finish

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Following the game, Kubiak addressed the media, via the team's official website. Around the 0:25 mark of the video, a reporter asks Kubiak if the team lost its cool during the game.

"

Did we lose our cool? I thought we kept our composure in the second half, we did a great job of getting ourselves in a position to win. Did we do some not very smart things at the end of the game to get the ball back? I agree with that. We dug ourselves a hole as a team in the first half, and we showed a lot of character getting out of the hole and had ourselves in position, but we didn't close the deal. Ya gotta give them credit. They were tremendous on third downs and we had one more possession and obviously got into a tough situation so, just weren't able to close the deal after battling our way back.

"

It seems that Kubiak is proud of the way his team fought back after falling behind 17-0, but the loss still stings. Kubiak's goal for the upcoming week should be focusing on reducing costly penalties and turnovers. You can't win many games in the NFL when you hurt yourself as much as this team did Sunday.

As for Wade Phillips, the defense needs to buckle down on third down. Allowing the Colts to convert on 12 of 20 third downs was the difference in this game.