The NFL's Week 2 slate is giving us a battle of 1-0 teams in the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos. A matchup that, whether we like it or not, is going to be viewed as "the Peyton Manning bowl" at least for the foreseeable future. This game probably is going to feel a bit more personal for the Colts, though for an entirely different reason.
The Colts and Broncos went head-to-head in Week 15 of last season in a matchup that held tremendous playoff implications. The Colts seemed to be in the driver's seat early and appeared to be on the verge of an outstanding offensive performance, then things got weird. J0nathan Taylor fumbled at the one-yard line, and the team threw a pick-six on a trick play, leading to one of their most significant losses of the year.
Now the two get to run it back as the Broncos try to make sure the same result occurs, while the Colts look to get their revenge. To get all the information for this matchup, we decided to speak to two of our analysts here at A to Z Sports who know these teams very well. So let's check out how they believe this game will go, including their finals score predictions.
.@Colts & @Broncos fans can agree that Peyton Manning is awesome.
— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2025
DENvsIND– Sunday 4:05pm ET on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/rJZmodOo55
The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts met during the 2024 campaign with a game that ultimately allowed Denver into the postseason. While Denver looked sluggish on offense, their defense was in midseason form throughout its Week 1 victory against the Tennessee Titans. Denver's defensive front, paired with Patrick Surtain locking down the No. 1 receiver in Calvin Ridley, made life difficult for the Titans, and I expect the same against the Colts. Denver led the league in sacks in 2024 and may very well repeat in 2025 with the performances seen in Week 1.
The team is still without Dre Greenlaw, but John Franklin-Meyers, Nate Adkins, and Alex Singleton are trending in the right direction for the contest. Both Denver and Indianapolis enter the matchup undefeated, but I have Denver winning this game with the offense getting back on track and the emergence of RJ Harvey in the backfield. Harvey will find the endzone for the first time in his NFL career, and Nix will finish with a complete, turnover-free performance. - Adam Zientek, Buffalo Bills & Denver Broncos beat writer
The winning play by Ja'Quan McMillian @Broncos pic.twitter.com/udgRqNm8JA
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
If you had asked me my prediction for this game before Week 1, I would have had a very different response. I didn't know what to expect from a Daniel Jones-led Colts offense, but their season opener was pretty eye-opening. The Broncos defense isn't the Dolphins defense, though, so I don't expect to see another 30+ scoring day. But watching Bo Nix and their offense struggle against a Titans defense I believe to be significantly worse than the Colts' tells me they don't need to put up those types of numbers in Week 2.
If Jones can operate the offense similarly to what we saw in Week 1 against arguably the best defense in the NFL, the Broncos, people will have no choice but to take them seriously going forward. I think the Broncos defense will force more mistakes, and we will surely see punter Rigoberto Sanchez get his first offical punt in the stat books. However, I think Lou Anarumo will force Nix into mistakes, and I think we will see him have an even worse performance than the season opener. Even without star CB Charvarius Ward, I'm going to bet on Anarumo's unit to help seal a win that I expect to come down to the wire. - Destin Adams, Indianapolis Colts beat writer
Daniel Jones to Michael Pittman Jr. connection!#MIAvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PYMcl8DT11
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
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