Offense — F
No touchdowns. Two fourth-quarter interceptions. A run game that didn’t get going until the fourth quarter, and a passing game that, outside of two big throws down the field and a pair of screen passes for chunks, had pretty much no rhythm the entire night.
This was a stinker essentially from start to finish.
The best two drives of the night for the Broncos came on the final two. They covered 72 and 70 yards, respectively, the first near the end of regulation and the second in overtime. They ended in a Russell Wilson red zone interception, which gave the Colts life just before the two-minute warning, and a fourth-and-1 shotgun pass play that was batted down by cornerback Stephon Gilmore and ended the game.
This group’s got a lot of problem-solving to do in the next week-plus.
Defense — A-
It’s difficult to ask for much more than the Denver defense provided Thursday night. They sacked Matt Ryan six times. They forced two turnovers — a pair of Caden Sterns interceptions — and caused havoc most of the night. They didn’t allow a touchdown.
That should win a team virtually every game it plays. And yet, in the face of mounting injuries — starters Josey Jewell (knee), Ronald Darby (knee) and Baron Browning (wrist) on this night alone — Ryan’s 67-yard march over 2:08 late in the game was enough to get the Colts in position to tie the game at nine. Then 45 more in overtime set up the go-ahead field goal. This loss, though, certainly is not on Ejiro Evero’s group.
Special Teams — D
In a game that featured field goals exclusively, the Colts made all of theirs and Denver had one blocked. A long, bizarre game full of mistakes unfolded around those eight attempts, but at the end of the day pressure between Broncos long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer and right guard Graham Glasgow led to Brandon McManus having a field goal blocked cleanly. Those points may well have made the difference in the game. Corliss Waitman punted seven times and averaged 41.4 net, a solid if unspectacular night. Returner Montrell Washington avoided disaster when he fumbled a kick return inside the 10-yard line just before halftime but the Broncos recovered.
Coaching — D
In Week 1 against Seattle, head coach Nathaniel Hackett rightly got fried for not putting the ball in Russell Wilson’s hands on fourth-and-5 from the 46-yard line and the game in the balance. Say this for Hackett: He didn’t make the same mistake twice.
Even still, a pair of decisions — throwing the ball on third-and-4 just before the two-minute warning after Indianapolis had taken its last timeout and throwing it again out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1 from the 5-yard line — go under the microscope when they end in an interception and a game-ending incompletion, respectively.
Another red flag: A 2-of-15 performance on third down that included nine attempts from 10 or more yards. Some way, somehow, the Broncos need a better plan offensively.
