5 Colts Keys to Victory vs Broncos

Against the Dolphins, Indianapolis led the offensive surge with the passing attack behind Daniel Jones. While Jonathan Taylor was a factor (as always); he only averaged 3.9 yards on 18 carries for 71 total.

Denver has a great secondary featuring cornerbacks Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss, and safety Talanoa Hufanga. While there's confidence in Jones' ability to run the offense, what he saw against Miami will be a night-and-day difference in talent against the Broncos.

After Denver allowed only 112 passing yards from the Tennessee Titans in their 20-12 victory, it's assumed the Colts will be a bit more cautious with this talented Denver secondary. The best way to open things up for Jones is to get Taylor going, and early.

Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves

Center Tanor Bortolini and right guard Matt Goncalves saw their first game as full-time starters against the Dolphins. They didn't disappoint.

Neither allowed but one pressure on Jones, and looked crisp, technique-driven, and powerful in the run game.

Bortolini and Goncalves will deal with the likes of Zach Allen and D.J. Jones, so it will be critical to Jones' and the ground game's success for these players to be their best.

DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart

While Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is talented, he struggled against the Titans. With this issue, Denver turned to running backs J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey.

Together, the duo put up an impressive 133 rushing yards (Harvey - 70, Dobbins - 63) and will be turned to if Indianapolis allows too much through the interior gaps. Luckily, they possess the monstrous Grover Stewart and elite DeForest Buckner.

Buckner and Stewart will be critical to Lou Anarumo's defense to stop Denver from attacking on the ground. While the Dolphins only secured 78 rushing yards, it was on just 12 attempts for a healthy 6.5 yards per carry. Indy can't allow that efficiency for Sean Payton to work with.

Lou Anarumo's Magic

Colts defensive coordinator Anarumo was in complete control of Mike McDaniel's offense on Sunday. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was lost and looking for answers as the Colts held Miami's offense to eight points.

It's starting to show that Miami's days as a contender are done, but they're still an NFL team featuring the most accurate quarterback from 2024, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De'Von Achane.

Denver has an offensive master in Payton, so it will truly be a chess match of geniuses on Sunday. If Anarumo can bypass Payton's scheme and confuse the youngster Nix, it will give Indy a big shot at replicating their Week 1 defensive performance.

Xavien Howard and Mekhi Blackmon

With the unfortunate news that cornerback Charvarius Ward is in the concussion protocol; there's a high probability he won't suit up on Sunday. If this is the case, Xavien Howard and Mekhi Blackmon will be relied upon to play more prominent roles.

On Sunday, Howard had a key fumble recovery and posted a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 80.7 on 22 passing downs, but had no other statistics. Expect Howard to see more than 31 total snaps against the Broncos.

As for Blackmon, he played on 20 passing snaps and posted a coverage mark of 55.4. As with Howard, Blackmon will need to step up and contain the likes of Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims Jr. if Ward misses the game.

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