Broncos at Colts: What to watch for

INDIANAPOLIS - Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts' Sunday afternoon meeting with the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium:




Kickoff: 4:05 p.m.




Broadcast: CBS4.




Spread: Broncos by 2½.

History lesson, Part I 

The Colts are in position for their first 2-0 start since 2009. They opened their run to Super Bowl XLIV with 14 straight victories. Peyton Manning led the Colts to a 2-0 start six times. The only other quarterback to achieve a 2-0 start in the Indy era: Jim Harbaugh in 1996 (4-0).




By the way, the last time the Colts opened 2-0 with consecutive home wins was in 1960.

History lesson, Part II

The overall series is tied 15-all. The Colts have won 10 of the last 13 meetings, but Denver won the most recent. Surely you remember last December at Empower Field at Mile High? Indy was in position to take a 20-7 third-quarter lead in a game with serious playoff ramifications, only to see Jonathan Taylor's 41-yard touchdown turn into a lost fumble when he dropped the football short of the goal line. That, along with an ill-advised throw-back pass by AD Mitchell that Nick Bonitto returned for a 50-yard fumble return/TD, contributed to Denver's 31-13 victory.

Daniel Jones, Act II

The offense scored on all seven possessions, the first time that's happened in the NFL since at least 1978. Credit Jones. In his first start for the Colts, he was decisive, efficient and generally found the right receiver in stride. He completed 22-of-29 passes - the 75.9% is the 6^th-best in his career with at least 20 attempts - for 272 yards and a TD. He also rushed for two TDs, becoming just the sixth player in NFL history with at least 250 passing yards and two rushing TDs in a season opener. He joined an illustrious group: Josh Allen, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Otto Graham and Jim McMahon.




Nice game. Now, do it again.




"I think once you have that, you move on,'' Jones said. "It's week-to-week. This is the NFL, so you've got to put that behind you and prepare this week. Learn from what you didn't do as well, improve on that going into this week. I think we're all kind of in that mindset.''




Shane Steichen opted for Jones over Anthony Richardson Sr. in large part because of his consistency. That means stacking solid games. The last time Jones won consecutive starts was weeks 4-7 of 2023. The only time he's passed for at least 270 yards in back-to-back games: the final two games of his rookie season in 2019.

More from the offense

Jones probably benefitted from the best supporting cast of his career. Pass protection allowed just two hits and one sack. Seven different players caught at least one pass and the Taylor-led run game churned out 156 yards.




The offense faces a stiffer challenge Sunday. The Broncos ranked 3^rd in fewest points last season (18.3 points per game) and took an authoritative step into 2025 against the Tennessee Titans. They harassed No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward with six sacks and eight other hits and limited the Titans to a league-low 133 yards, 2.4 yards per play, no TDs and four field goals.




Six different Broncos produced a sack, including end Zach Allen, who had five hits on Turner, and Bonitto, who had two tackles for loss and three QB hits.




Another catalyst is cornerback Patrick Surtain II. The reigning Defensive Player of the League and two-time first-team All-Pro is capable of locking down one side of the field.




That's where Jones must recognize where the football needs to go. Against Miami, he primarily targeted rookie tight end Tyler Warren (nine) and Michael Pittman Jr. (eight). If Denver takes them away, Jones must look more to Josh Downs and Mitchell.




We're interested in what Warren has for an encore. His first pro game included seven catches for 76 yards and one rush for 3 yards that converted a third-and-short. Steichen has barely scratched the surface of Warren's versatility.

Bo knows

It appears coach Sean Payton got his man with the 12^th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Bo Nix led Denver to the playoffs as a rookie by passing for 3,775 yards and 29 TDs and rushing for 430 yards and four more TDs.




Nix wasn't dominant against the Titans, passing for just 176 yards and one TD while suffering two interceptions. He also lost a fumble.




Denver, though, isn't a one-man show. Courtland Sutton is one of the most prolific receivers in club history, and opened with six catches for 61 yards and a TD against Tennessee. The backfield tandem of rookie RJ Harvey and vet J.K. Dobbins combined for 133 yards on just 16 carries.

Defensive hurts

The task of dealing with Nix and Denver's passing game is more complicated with Charvarius Ward (concussion) and Jaylon Jones (on IR with a hamstring) out of the mix. Ward undoubtedly would have been assigned to Sutton. Now, the load must be shared by Kenny Moore II, Xavien Howard, Mekhi Blackmon and rookie Johnathan Edwards.




Blackmon, who was acquired in a trade with Minnesota in late August, probably starts for Ward. Coordinator Lou Anarumo might want Moore to focus on his nickel duties.

And the winner is: Colts 24, Broncos 21

This figures to be markedly more difficult than last week's dominance of a wavering Dolphins bunch. Denver appears to be the real deal. But the opportunity's there for Indy to establish itself early in the season, especially with the first two and four of six at Lucas Oil Stadium. What struck us about the blowout of Miami was that the Colts didn't do anything extraordinary. They were sound in all three phases.




Do it again.




You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.





via: https://fox59.com/sports/broncos-at-colts-what-to-watch-for/