The Denver Broncos are 8-5 entering their Week 15 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, and obviously in this type of game, the stakes are incredibly high. A loss to the Colts would leave the Broncos with no tiebreakers against a trio of AFC playoff hopefuls (Colts, Chargers, Ravens) and would put a very sour taste in the team's mouth with a short week to face the Chargers on the road.
Needless to say, taking care of business coming out of the bye week and playing at home is essential. The Broncos have to find a way to win on Sunday against the Colts, and if that's going to happen, they need to fix some serious issues that popped up against the Cleveland Browns (or have persisted most of the year).
What are the biggest problems that need fixing?
Broncos need to limit big plays through the air vs. Colts
1. Limit/shut down Colts' big-play passing attack
The Cleveland Browns put up 552 total yards of offense against the Broncos a couple of Mondays ago, and Jameis Winston had a huge day through the air. Winston threw for 497 yards and a whopping six touchdowns on the night, and thankfully, two of those touchdowns were pick-sixes by the Denver defense.
Winston and the Browns absolutely dominated the Broncos through the air and they did it without really throwing at Pat Surtain II all that much. The Broncos absolutely cannot justify throwing Levi Wallace out there against any of the Colts' receivers, because he was badly victimized by a patchwork Browns crew that obviously didn't include Amari Cooper (who was traded earlier this year) or Cedric Tillman, one of their young breakout players.
The Colts have one of the best groups of receivers in the NFL, and Alec Pierce is averaging over 22 yards per reception. If the Broncos don't clean up their communication on deep balls, the Colts will take advantage early and often.
2. Find more consistency in the running game
For the Broncos to have better offensive success down the stretch this season, they need some more consistency and continuity in the running game. Jaleel McLaughlin had a nice performance against the Cleveland Browns, but it's time for the Broncos to truly feature rookie Audric Estimé, whose potential emergence late this season could be critical in determining how far this Broncos team is capable of going.
The Broncos can't ask Javonte Williams to carry the ball 15-20 times per game because he's been so ineffective with his runs. Featuring Estimé and McLaughlin gives this team a combination of guys who can make you miss in a variety of ways. And there's no better time to unleash the running game than in Week 15 because the Colts have the 31st-ranked run defense in the league this season.
3. Connecting on downfield shot plays
We're reaching a little bit calling this a "problem" after the huge play to Marvin Mims against the Cleveland Browns, but the Broncos could be better at connecting on downfield shot plays.
We've seen some off-target throws, we've seen some drops, and we've seen some plays that were this close to going for huge gains for one reason or another. If the Broncos can start hitting on more of their shot plays downfield, this offense is going to absolutely explode. The opportunities have been there and Bo Nix has been connecting on 20-plus-yard plays, but the shot plays need a little more consistency.
Let's get some shot plays for both Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele. Give Courtland Sutton a few more opportunities deep downfield. The receivers have been stepping up more and more lately, and as soon as these plays start hitting, the Broncos are going to reach a new level offensively.