The Indianapolis Colts (3-11) are on the best way to a very high draft pick – and presumably also to a new coaching staff. At the beginning of Week 15, the Colts lost at home to the Denver Broncos (5-9) with 13:25 – despite the Broncos starting quarterback Trevor Siemian’s early injury.
But this did not detract from the guests’ game – rather the exact opposite was the case. Siemian (5/9.67 YDS, INT) had opened the game with another catastrophic interception, a few layouts later Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett (17/30.158 YDS; 5 ATT, 18 YDS, TD) also marched from seven yards into the final zone. The Colts raised at the beginning of the second quarter after Denver awarded a 40-yard field goal; it was to be Siemian’s last drive of the evening. And possibly his last as Denver’s starter, too.
In a bag of Mingo, Siemian was injured on his shoulder, with reports circulating before the end of the season, after which the season is over for him. After a very good start to the current season, Siemian had massively reduced the number of players, and Osweiler’s appearance was much better than the performances of Siemian in the past few weeks.
For example, Osweiler conducted a touchdown drive during the second attempt, which he completed himself with an 18-yard scramble. The Colts could only answer via Field Goal, because the first – and equally best – drive of the hosts was stopped in the second half shortly before the Red Zone.
Afterwards the Broncos dominated with their offense and especially their run game. Osweiler put Denver in the lead for the first time with a 22-yard touchdown on Latimer, with a 54-yard touchdown pass on Heuerman shortly before the end of the third quarter the preliminary decision had already been made. The Colts-Offense was once again too harmless at this time and the Broncos let the clock run down continuously with a very strong run game.
Indianapolis Colts (3-11) – Denver Broncos (5-9)13:25 (7:0,3:7,3:15,0:3) BOXSCORE
It’s a tragic season for Siemian, who seems to have completed the crash from a serious mid-term starting option to backup and possible cut candidates. As so often in the past few weeks, he has made a critical turnaround even in the limited time of the season, and since Indianapolis’ Pass-Rush had a comparatively good evening, it’s hard to tell how the game with Siemian would have gone on. Osweiler, on the other hand, put his best seasonal game on the floor after Siemian’s injury.
The Colts didn’t have any Run Game and that was due to the offensive line. Although the Broncos end the game with only one bag, the pressure on Brissett was higher than this figure suggests. Miller alone had seven QB-pressures, Indy was not able to find a 10-0 beat after the field goal.
Osweiler delivered a surprisingly good game, that’s beyond question. But the driving force behind this offense and the reason Osweiler only had to throw 17 passes was Anderson: 158 rushing yards at 30 runs mean a spectacular cut of 5.2 yards per run – even though his longest run was a 16-yarder. 99 yards after contact with opponents and seven Forced Missed Tackles are on his record. For Anderson it was the personal season’s highest value, the Broncos are now standing at 7-0 overall if the 26-year-old has at least 100 rushing yards.
Of course, Brissett had a tough time with his offensive line, but once again he didn’t have a good day in the passing game. Brissett finished the game with a completion of over ten yards downfield, ending up at 5.3 yards per pass. Several times he held the ball too long and was responsible for some of the pressures. Also his number one receiver, T. Y. Hilton (5 REC, 41 YDS), who got a bruise on his hand, could only help him to a limited extent.