The Denver Broncos defense helped the Colts to a new NFL record.
Denver’s D didn’t force Indianapolis to punt in their heartbreaking 29-28 loss on Sunday, although they did force two turnovers on downs.
Still, the Colts have been on fire to start the season and now sit at 2-0. Meanwhile, the Broncos are at 1-1 when they should be undefeated.
Denver Broncos defense helps Colts to a new NFL record
The Colts set an NFL record during the Super Bowl era, becoming the first team to play two straight games without a single punt.
That per The Athletic, who got it from NFL Plus on X:
The Colts did not punt in either of their first two games this season.
They’re the first team in the Super Bowl era to achieve this feat 🤯
H/T NFLPlus/X
— The Athletic (@theathletic.com) September 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
There’s a big caveat in the stat that we already mentioned: Indy did turn the ball over twice on downs against Denver. Although, in their Week 1 win, the Colts went 3-3 on 4th downs.
That’s some sensational offense by the Colts and their new quarterback, Daniel Jones.
In the first half, Denver’s offense was on fire. Bo Nix led the Broncos to three touchdown-scoring drives and they led 21-13 at one point. That came after the defense’s one stop of the first half, a turnover on downs at the 50 yard line. Nix led the offense to a score on the short field.
But the Colts counter-punched and brought the game to within one point, 21-20, at halftime. Indy did well to mix and match short runs and intermediate throws with explosives on nearly every drive.
Denver pushed their lead back to eight points right out of halftime. J.K. Dobbins got into the end zone to make it 28-20, Broncos. But Indy methodically marched for a field goal to keep it a one-score game.
That’s when Jonathan Taylor took off on this electrifying 68-yard run:
Jonathan Taylor making a couple guys miss in the backfield, then showing off the long speed
— JP Acosta (@acosta32jp.bsky.social) September 15, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Denver’s D came up with their second stop of the game, another one on 4th down at the 50, but Nix tossed an interception a few plays later. That gave the Colts a chance to win. Indy moved into long field goal range, and missed from 60 yards out, but Denver was called for a leverage penalty correctly. Indy’s Spencer Schrader made the much-closer 45-yarder to win.
All told, the Broncos run defense was decent until it wore down in the fourth quarter and gave up the back-breaking play. Even then, they held the Colts to a field goal.
Still, with that play, Denver gave up 167 yards on the ground, which was more than any game in the 2024 regular season. Where they really struggled was in the second level against the short-to-intermediate pass game.
Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad a liability in the middle
Inside linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad got thrashed yesterday by the Colts intermediate passing game, mostly to Tyler Warren.
Warren, a rookie tight end, put up a team-leading 79 receiving yards on four receptions yesterday. Many of those catches were against Singleton. A majority of those yards came on this giant pass play, which was a smart design by the Colts:
Rookie TE Tyler Warren has been awesome to start the season for Indy (leads all TEs in receiving yards and YAC), and Shane Steichen has done a lot of really cool things to maximize his ability after the catch. Leaking him through the opposite A-gap to run a sail route is nifty
— JP Acosta (@acosta32jp.bsky.social) September 15, 2025 at 11:21 AM
The Broncos have been bad about defending opposing tight ends for a while, and Singleton just doesn’t have the speed to keep up. He also overpursued on that 68-yard run play by Taylor.
But, that’s why Dre Greenlaw was brought in. At least in part, Greenlaw’s athleticism was going to be used to cover tight ends. Two weeks into his tenure with the Broncos and Greenlaw has been held out due to a quad injury twice.
Simply, the Broncos need Greenlaw to suit up and to play well. This year, Singleton has a 46.1 coverage grade per Pro Football Focus, which is 76th-of-101 linebackers. Last year, Greenlaw earned a 65.1 coverage grade and in his last full season, 2023, he enjoyed a 72.1 coverage grade.
It wasn’t just Warren who gashed the Broncos, but Taylor, too. He enjoyed two catches for 50 yards and a touchdown through the air.
“But early in the game, we have the runner coming out of the backfield uncovered,” Sean Payton said after the loss. “It’s the second week in a row that we’ve allowed points on the first drive of a game. That’s concerning.”
Through two weeks, the Broncos are now 1-1. They were seconds away from being 2-0, and now face a tough Chargers team in LA next week.
