Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts Week 2 Preview- What to look forward to Sunday, September 18th at 2:25 PM MST.
The last time these two teams met, the Broncos were undefeated—coming off their best victory of the season to date—and the Colts were struggling bad, having just fired their offensive
coordinator the week prior. We all know how that ended—Andrew Luck played far and away his best game of his 2015 season, throwing for 256 yards, 2 TD’s and no picks. It came at a cost, however, as Luck suffered a lacerated kidney in the contest and missed the rest of the season. The game saw the Broncos suffer their first loss of the season; Peyton Manning fell a few yards short of the passing record and suffered a tear in his Plantar Fascia; and it was topped off by Aqib Talib going all Bobby Boucher on Dwayne Allen:
There is no doubt that the Colts will be out for vengeance on Talib, but you had better believe the Broncos would like some revenge as well; not only for breaking up their bid at an undefeated season, but also for knocking them out of the playoffs the year before.
This years matchup is going to look a little different, as for the first time in 23 years, the game between the Broncos and the Colts won’t feature Peyton Manning as the quarterback of one of the two teams. Trevor Siemian will have to put up points as Andrew Luck appears to have rediscovered his 2014 form and will put up some points, even against the Broncos DEFWU defense.
The Broncos enter the game 1-0, coming off a come-from-behind win against the Carolina Panthers. The game didn’t end without controversy however, as the talk all week across the league was the helmet-to-helmet hits by Brandon Marshall and Darian Stewart on Panthers quarterback, and 2015 league MVP, Cam Newton. On Wednesday, Brandon Marshall was fined $24k for his hit, and Darian Stewart also drew an $18,231 fine.
The Colts lost a heart-breaker to the Lions in their opener, coming from way behind in the fourth quarter to take the lead in the final minute, only to lose the game on a last second field goal by Matt Prater. T.Y. Hilton has already come out and described this game as a “must-win” for the Colts who would like to avoid an 0-2 start to their 2016 season:
TY Hilton said this is a must win game against the Broncos. Can't start 0-2 again.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 14, 2016
Andrew Luck typically seems to reserve his best games for when he plays the Broncos. He currently sports a 3-1 record against the Broncos, which includes a road playoff victory that ended the Broncos season in 2014.
The Broncos should come out hungry on Sunday, not only looking for revenge against the Colts, but also to gain some nationwide respect for the type of team they have this season. On Tuesday, ESPN released their Week Two Power Rankings and ranked the Broncos at number
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eight. These are the same Broncos that won the Super Bowl just seven months ago, and beat a team that had won 22 of their past 25 games dating back to 2014 in week one this season. ESPN thought the Texans win against the Bears was enough to jump them six spots in the rankings and placed them ahead of the Broncos. It’s a good thing the committee of one here at
knows how to
. They had to get some respect somewhere and until the champs lose a game, they should be considered the team to beat.
One factor to watch on Sunday will be the officiating. The Broncos are beginning to be labeled as a “dirty” team after the hits given to Cam Newton a week ago. It will be interesting to see if they
draw a few extra 15-yard penalties if they decide to hit Andrew Luck the same way they hit Cam. While not as physically imposing as Newton, Luck provides another unique challenge, as he is no stranger to tucking the ball and taking off. If he gets hit in the head, it will be interesting to see if the officials make an early statement with a penalty or an ejection.
Broncos/Colts is always one of the more exciting matchups year in and year out. Can the Broncos improve to 2-0, or can the Colts avoid an 0-2 start and send the Broncos to their first loss of the 2016 season? Tune in Sunday to find out.
Who: Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
Where: Sports Authority at Mile High
When: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Time: 4:25 PM EST/2:25 PM MST
Network: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms