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Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) reacts after a play against the Tennessee Titans in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

5 Key Offensive Matchups Broncos Have to Win vs. Colts

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Erick Trickel | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The justified hype continues surrounding the Denver Broncos' defense in Week 2. However, the Indianapolis Colts had the second-best defense in the first week of the season.

The question is, was the Colts' defense that good, or were the Miami Dolphins' offense that bad? We're fixin' to find out.

The Broncos' offense had a rough start, and if the Colts' defense is as good as it looked, Bo Nix and company could be in for another rough week. There are some matchups the Broncos need to worry about, but also some they can look to exploit.

Let’s break down this week's five key matchups on offense.

RT Mike McGlinchey vs. DE Samson Ebukam

Ebukam isn’t the starter, as he's behind Kwity Paye on the Colts' depth chart, but he had a great start to the season. With only 18 snaps, 17 as a pass rusher, Ebukam picked up a team-leading four pressures and one of the Colts' three sacks.

The Broncos had some issues with McGlinchey, who allowed two pressures in the opener, but what makes this concerning is how Ebukam wins. McGlinchey has had issues with speedier, bursty pass rushers throughout his career.

Now, McGlinchey should win as a run blocker, but the Colts did a good job of keeping Ebukam limited and not exposing him in that area. This could be an opportunity for Denver to make a targeted attack and run the ball at Ebukam when he's on the field.

LG Ben Powers vs. DL DeForest Buckner

Powers had a better game than many fans realize against the Tennessee Titans, but it still wasn’t great. Jeffery Simmons is a tough interior defensive lineman to handle, and Buckner is as significant a threat.

Although Simmons and Buckner's methods of winning differ, that doesn’t mean the latter can’t give Powers issues. Powers and Buckner went against each other last year, with the former winning a good majority of those reps and only giving up one pressure. Even with the previous season’s success, this remains a key matchup in this game.

C Luke Wattenberg vs. DT Grover Stewart

Wattenberg has struggled to displace strong defensive linemen from the point of attack, and he had similar issues with Stewart last year. In the end, Wattenberg secured enough wins to aid the Broncos' offense, but the game between the two players was closely contested.

This year could be more problematic, and this applies to Powers and Bucker as well. This game is earlier in the season, when the defenders are fresher and the offensive line is still coming together.

Running Backs vs. Linebackers

This would be a good game for tight end Evan Engram to shine as a mismatch weapon. But I'm focused on the Broncos' running backs having a bigger impact in the passing game and exploiting the favorable matchups against the Colts' linebackers.

Zaire Franklin is a good linebacker, but he has issues in coverage, while Cameron McGrone was terrible in the season-opener. The Colts' best player in coverage among the linebackers in Week 1 was Joe Bachie, who rotates with McGrone.

J.K. Dobbins and Tyler Badie were the Broncos' receiving backs, but both of them had issues in the first game, especially Badie with securing catches. However, RJ Harvey could be the one to take the best advantage of the linebackers' issues in coverage.

WR Courtland Sutton vs. CB Xavien Howard

If the Broncos want more from their passing offense, they will need Sutton as they wait for another receiver to step up next to him. The Colts are down two starting cornerbacks this week, and Howard had a great first game, facing tougher matchups than Sutton, but they were different types of receivers.

The Dolphins got nothing against Howard, though that was a revenge game for him, and he likely gave it more than his all. However, Ward allowed all targets to be caught, but limited the damage in yardage with only 27 yards allowed and five after the catch.

Bo Nix loves to look at Sutton, especially when things get a little muddy, and Colts' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo loves to muddy things up in the secondary. Anarumo’s defense gave Nix issues to start the game last year when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals, so look for the Broncos' QB to look at Sutton to get in rhythm.

Nix needs Sutton to handle business when it comes to the two boundary corners for the Colts. If Sutton can’t find those wins, it could lead to a rough start for Nix and the Broncos' offense.