Broncos 24, Colts 27

Everything was far from perfect for the Denver Broncos who entered Sunday’s contest in Indianapolis 7-0. From the start of the game, the team was off-balance and appeared out-coached. Then, just before half, they briefly turned it all around.

When the final seconds left the scoreboard at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Broncos had their first loss of the season. A pair of interceptions and a slew of penalties marred the Broncos previously perfect season and left two elusive records for Peyton Manning to try and achieve next week. The Broncos left Indianapolis with bruised bodies and certainly bruised egos in the 24-27 loss.

The game started out much like it would finish. After both teams traded punts, the Colts got going on offense. It appeared that underneath routes and quick out-routes to the sidelines helped the Colts and Andrew Luck deal with the pressure the Broncos pass rush brought.

On three consecutive drives of seven, nine and eight plays, the Colts scored 17 unanswered points and took a commanding lead at home. The first two scoring drives were aided by four Broncos penalties, including a unnecessary roughness penalty by T.J. Ward and a face mask by Danny Trevathan.

The Broncos offense was in disarray for the entire first half. Outside of one 10-yard run by C.J. Anderson and a big catch by Owen Daniels, the team couldn’t run the ball or connect on several deep throws. As a result, their first half numbers were that of a 0-7 team. They tallied only 95 yards, went 1-of-5 on third downs and Manning once again was intercepted on a pass into triple coverage. The wide receivers also dropped multiple passes.

The game looked to be over even before halftime until Omar Bolden caught a Pat McAfee punt with :15 left in the half. The returner took the 52-yard punt up the right side of the field, made one defender miss and had room down the sidelines. David Bruton Jr. led the way and blocked the last Colt in the way, punter McAfee and Bolden went into the end zone as the half ended. It was the spark the Broncos desperately needed.

The Broncos then came out of halftime and played to their ability for most of the remaining contest. Much like how the Colts started the game, the Broncos entered the third quarter. They scored on two consecutive drives. Emmanuel Sanders hauled in a beautiful 64-yard touchdown pass and Brandon McManus hit a 29-yard field goal after two big plays from Demaryius Thomas and Daniels.

The Colts finally awoke from halftime after punting on four straight drives. Indianapolis converted on four third downs to cap off a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Ahmad Bradshaw as two Broncos blitzed from the same side. The 24-17 Colts’ lead wouldn’t last long.

The ensuing drive started with another big play to Daniels, a 27-yard catch. The drive continued for nine plays and 75 yards. It fittingly was capped off with a play-action pass to Daniels. The game was once again tied, this time at 24 apiece.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, the defense couldn’t stop the Colts from regaining the lead. They took the ball 33 yards on seven plays and Luck dodged pass-rushers just long enough to get the team into field goal range. Veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri gave the Colts their third and final lead of the game on a 55-yard field goal that split the uprights.

Manning then had a chance to break multiple records en route to a 8-0 record, but it was not meant to be. With just three yards needed to surpass Brett Favre for the all-time passing yards record, Manning dropped back on the first play of the drive and looked to Thomas who had Colts cornerback Darius Butler draped over him. Butler, not Thomas, caught the pass for Manning’s second interception of the day.

To end the game, the Broncos defense then played much like they started. The Colts ran the clock down with several Frank Gore runs aided by several passes completed due to the team’s ability to pick up blitzing Broncos defenders. Then, after three defensive penalties on the drive, Aqib Talib added another. He poked Dwayne Allen’s eye after a play and effectively guaranteed the Broncos would not get the ball again.

The inconsistent play on both sides of the ball and the uneven time of possession that gave the Colts the ball 38:39 of the 60 minute game led to the Broncos undoing.