Mile High Sports

The Denver Broncos squander ample opportunities in the first half

The Denver Broncos dominated the Indianapolis Colts in the first half.

Through 30 minutes, the Broncos outgained the Colts, who had 450 yards of offense last week, 294 to 73. Behind Trevor Siemian, Denver drove into Indianapolis territory on five of their six drives, and on the other side of the ball, they held Andrew Luck to 5/15 passing for 53 yards.

And yet, at halftime, the Broncos led by just seven, 13-6.

A series of miscues turned what should have been an overwhelming positive first half into a concerning trend, and it all started with a misread by Siemian and a missed kick by Brandon McManus on the first drive.

After moving the ball down to the Colts’ 36-yard line, the Broncos faced a third and 2. Demaryius Thomas lined up in the slot uncovered and Siemian missed him entirely, forcing a field goal attempt.

McManus preceded to miss a 54-yard attempt that would have put the Broncos up early.

On the next drive, Siemian again drove the Broncos down the field on a seven-play, 70-yard drive, only to stall out at the 5-yard line after missing Emmanuel Sanders in the back left corner of the end zone.

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On the next drive, the Broncos again looked to be moving the ball down the field with ease, only for Demaryius Thomas to drop a third-down pass that went through both of his hands.

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The Broncos would eventually score their first touchdown of the day on a 4-yard C.J. Anderson rush, but Siemian threw away another scoring drive the next time they had the ball with what should have been a pick-six, only saving a touchdown because Darius Butler pulled up with a hamstring injury.

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Both the Colts and Broncos would tap on a field goal to end the first half, but it wasn’t a satisfying 30 minutes for Broncos fans at all.

Despite the seven-point lead, Denver expected more.

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It was a similar story last week when the Broncos turned the ball over three times inside the Panthers’ 30-yard line. Siemian’s second-quarter interception added to the tally.

The Broncos need to start taking advantage of each and every opportunity if they want to put themselves back in Super Bowl contention.

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