Colts outlast Broncos in overtime in no-touch Thursday night struggle

DENVER – Facts Indianapolis Colts won one of the wildest games in memory, sleepwalking for three and a half quarters before waking up late in the fourth inning and overtime to score Win 12-9 via Dancer broncos. According to research by the Elias Sports Bureau, seven goals combined in a game where both teams scored only by goals on the field is an NFL record.

Defender Stephen GilmoreDefensive Player of the Year 2019, made two of the biggest games of the night, rewarding the Colts’ faith in signing him this season with a late interception and a winning pass of Russell Wilson during overtime.

The Colts are still a mess in many ways, but they are trailing 2-2-1 and back in the thick of the AFC South race.

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Trouble Trends: The Colts made major changes to their offensive line during the game, but while the roster changed, the results were not. Colts still give up on constant penetration and can’t consistently open vulnerabilities in a running game. Matt Ryan was fired six times, giving him 21 sacks taken during the season. The Colts enter the game at 27th in ESPN’s pass-block pass win rate, and it’s hard to imagine they’ll improve much after Week 5. The Colts move rookies. Bernhard Raimann left settlement, Matt Pryor settle on the right and Braden Smith to protect the right. Lots of moves but little replay.

QB analysis: Ryan’s struggles continue, and perhaps get worse without a return run Jonathan Taylor and first-quarter injuries for Nyheim Hines. Ryan made two more interceptions, giving him six for the season (in five games). The veteran looked overwhelmed at times, especially when he launched a jamming intercept to Caden Sterns in the second quarter. Sterns was lurking in the middle of the field, looking Ryan in the eye, and Ryan inexplicably threw the ball at him. Ryan showed some spark in the fourth inning again, leading the Colts to the pitch goal forcing overtime, but he needed to start faster.

Breakthrough Performance: Rookie receiver Alec Pierce had a coming performance with eight 81-yard tackles, including an impressive three catches in the Colts’ fourth-quarter game. The second-round pick from Cincinnati was Ryan’s recipient, targeted nine times, including some of the game’s most important moments. Pierce’s game concern was his difficult catching in traffic, but Pierce made some controversial catches and dives throughout the game, helping to change the complexion of the next legion. Colts’s wide child acceptance. –– Stephen Holder

Underrated statistics to know: With two runs on Thursday, Ryan now has 11 goals this season. That’s the most by a single player over five games since the 1970 merger.

Next game: versus the Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, October 16)

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If people want to know when the Broncos officially use up their pre-season expectations, circle Thursday night on the calendar and the Broncos’ overtime loss to the Colts in a tough Broncos game. won until they didn’t.

Because of the goodwill that the Broncos bring after trading for the quarterback Russell Wilson was lost in a worsening touchdown drought by a team that continued to squander heroic defensive efforts. In short, the Broncos’ attack is now a heavy anchor, it has pulled the team’s defense down with it. And a failed pass, with Wilson in the 4-inch pistol in the final inning of the game, was the capper.

The Broncos have played five games this season and scored 16 points or less in four of them. It all turned into too many penalties, misses, missed passes (a few more on Thursday) and a general view of discomfort almost every time they had the ball. So yeah, the Broncos are currently 2-3 with two inexplicable late-game decisions from coach Nathaniel Hackett, both in prime time.

Trouble Trends: Look, the Broncos secured the upper hand for the franchise’s last Super Bowl win – Super Bowl 50 ended the 2015 season – so Thursday night’s defensive effort shouldn’t be overlooked (six bags, two interceptors). But the Broncos have a touchdown problem on the other side of the ball and it doesn’t get any better. They went into their last game of the tournament fouling in the red area and scoring their 31st goal from kick-ins. And Thursday didn’t help any of that, with just 103 meters fouled in the first half. The second half wasn’t much better. Hackett and Wilson go on to say that the team is “closer” to a breakthrough, but it seems anything but right now.

Biggest flaw in the game plan: Wilson was the team’s top driver in the Week 4 loss to the Raiders and he was the team’s top driver heading into the fourth quarter on Thursday. Hackett has consistently praised the qualities of a running game as part of Broncos offense. First game since Javonte Williams Being on the bench with a knee injury at the end of the season is not something anyone is thinking about. Even within their often reliable double-headed team, the Broncos struggled. They had 54 yards of charge at the end of the third inning, 23 of that by Wilson and 18 yards of Wilson in a play in the Broncos’ first possession of the game.

QB analysis: Wilson is not kind. There’s always a short-week element to any Thursday night stand-up, but Wilson wasn’t called in at all, starting with the Broncos’ first failed ride inside the Colts’ 20-yard line in the first. they own the game. Wilson was 21/39 passes for 274 yards and twice intercepted, he covered, toppled the receiver and was judged concussion early in the fourth inning before returning to the game. The learning curve has always been steep in the Broncos offense – John Elway once said it took him about half a season to feel comfortable in Mike Shanahan’s first year as coach – but Wilson now now looks more uncomfortable than he did in the opening season.

Injury report: The Broncos who ran away are back Javonte Williams (knee) for the season and outside defender Randy Gregory (knee) for several weeks this past Sunday, there was also a long list of injuries on Thursday. Solve on the left Garett Bolles injured in the fourth quarter with a leg injury while playing full-back Josey Jewell (knee), corner Ronald Darby (knees) and pavers Baron Browning (wrist) didn’t end the game. – Jeff Legwold

Underrated statistics to know: Brandon McManus‘goals on the field provided the first offensive points the Broncos scored in the third quarter of this season. Going into today, Denver only scored two points out of one Jimmy Garoppolo safe in which the midfielder has stepped out of the back of the end area.

Next game: at Chargers (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, October 17)