AFC Divisional Playoff: Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts
By Andrew Dill
The last time the Denver Broncos hit the field was back on December 28th, when they manhandled the division rival Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field by the final score of 47-14. This upcoming Sunday however, they will face a high-powered offense in the Indianapolis Colts led by third-year quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck finished third in the National Football League in terms of passing yards for the entire season with 4,761. Denver will have their hands full no doubt.
What: AFC Divisional Round Playoffs: Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos
When: Sunday, January 11th
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver, Colorado)
Time: 4:40 PM EST, 2:40 PM MST
TV: CBS
At the age of 38, you would have to think this is realistically the best and last shot for Peyton Manning to hoist the Lombardi trophy. Denver came up just short last season after suffering a humiliating defeat to the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. Then in Training Camp and beyond, the team used the number 35 as somewhat of a rally cry for the season. Denver lost by 35 points to the Seahawks (43-8) and they would use it as motivation.
Indianapolis comes into this game as the third best offensive in the NFL behind the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers in terms of total yards (6,506). The Broncos on the other hand were close behind in fourth with 6,446. However, the Colts led the entire league in passing yards per game with 305.9 which will test Denver’s scary secondary come Sunday afternoon.
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Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, and rookie Bradley Roby will have their hands full with Andrew Luck’s aerial attack, so the guys up front such as DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe, Terrance Knighton, and Von Miller will have to do their best to get to the quarterback and force Luck to make some bad decisions. Indy has some weapons in their pocket with T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne, and Hakeem Nicks.
Indy received a pleasant surprise with second-year running back Daniel Herron during the AFC Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Ohio State back netted a total of 141 yards in the win, including 85 yards receiving and 56 yards rushing. Not to mention, Herron added a rushing touchdown to his credit in the 26-10 victory to help Indy advance. Herron will be a big part of this teams success if they want to advance, since veteran Ahmad Bradshaw is out for the season with a fractured fibula.
C.J. Anderson will be Denver’s X-factor moving forward if they want to advance. We all saw that Denver couldn’t possibly win-it-all by simply throwing the ball all-game long, so they implemented more of a run-first type of offense. Anderson’s burst onto the scene has been a tremendous boost to a team with a Super Bowl or Bust type of mentality. Anderson racked up two-straight 160+ yard games on the ground, including rushing for a career-high 168 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 13 to capture the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.
Indy’s defense was a middle-of-the-pack team statistically during the regular season, but they stepped up big-time last week against the Bengals. The Colts gave up just 254 total yards throughout the entire game, limiting Andy Dalton to just 155 yards passing. One player to keep an eye out for on the defensive side for Indianapolis is linebacker Jerrell Freeman. Freeman was an absolute beast in the Wild Card victory, racking up 15 total tackles, seven solo, and 1.5 sacks.
Denver’s dynamic duo of receivers, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, will be looking to torch Indy’s secondary. The duo was one of the best in the NFL, with each recording 1,400+ yards. Thomas finished the season with 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Sanders captured 1,404 yards and 9 touchdowns. Keep an eye out for these two come Sunday afternoon.
Just a reminder, kick-off between the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos is scheduled for 4:40 PM EST, 2:40 PM MST at Sports Authority Field.