2014 Broncos Season, Week One


The regular season is here, thus begins the recaps for games that count.

Week One: Broncos 31, Indianapolis Colts 24
Season Record: 1-0 (1-0 home)
Key Play: With the Broncos up 31-24 and the fourth quarter winding down, the Colts were driving. Andrew Luck faced a fourth and six from the Broncos' 39-yard line. In an effort to extend the drive, he looked to connect with top target Reggie Wayne, but rookie nickel corner Bradley Roby dove over the top to knock the ball away. It ended the Colts drive and, effectively, ended the game. The Broncos' offense took the field and kneeled down three times to preserve the seven-point win.

Recap: As one might expect, this game had good, bad, and ugly. First with the good. The Broncos won the game, avenging one of their three regular season losses from 2013. It was also important to preserve home field and kick the season off with a victory. The Colts have been a very good team in close games with Luck over the past two years. To have withstood his best punch at the end and avoided allowing him to come back was also good. And, at times, both the offense and defense looked good, too. Now for the bad. This team was up 24-0 at one point, so the fact this game was in doubt late is troubling. That is what happened to the Broncos against the Patriots last November, and seems to have been a trend. Toward the second half of last season the Broncos would frequently build a lead only to let the other team back into it. This time, though, it wasn't on the defense. The offense seemed to disappear in the second half. Yes, the Broncos managed a touchdown in the second half. But the team failed to hold onto the ball at key sequences to begin the third quarter and in the fourth quarter. The Broncos need to do better in that area. And the ugly — Special Teams. First, Isaiah Burse muffed a punt on a play where he should have called for a fair catch. That didn't result in a turnover, but it well could have and possibly should have. Later, the Broncos lost an obvious onside kick. That's just embarrassing, and gave the Colts momentum late in the game. The Broncos need to play better to keep beating good team. That begins next week against the Chiefs, but more importantly in two weeks when the Broncos travel to Seattle to battle the Seahawks.

Game Balls:
* Julius Thomas. Wes who? Well, not quite. Emmanuel Sanders looked decent in the slot and outside, but it was Julius Thomas that picked up the slack. He had more than 100 yards receiving and three touchdowns from Peyton Manning in the first half, helping build the 24-0 lead. Thomas is the real deal, and one of the elite tight ends in football.

* Rahim Moore. It's been a rough couple seasons for Moore. He was burned for a touchdown in the Broncos' playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens two seasons ago, then last year he injured his leg and nearly lost it. In his first game back, Moore showed why he's a valuable piece of the Broncos' puzzle, making big plays and collecting two interceptions.

* Bradley Roby. The Broncos' top draft choice was great in the slot, making big plays in the big moments, including that game-saving tipped ball. Roby is a great addition to this Broncos' secondary.

Lingering Questions:
* Special Teams. Be it in returns, sealing balls, or making big kicks, what to make of this Broncos' unit? It was a question much of last year and is one of the few areas of concern on this deep and talented team. The performance in week one did little to quell that concern.

* Disappearing offense. The Broncos, again last night, had a big first half only to struggle to sustain drives in the second half. When the offense works, the Broncos look dominant. At times, though, the offense seems to disappear. And the running game was tough to watch last night. The Broncos have weapons, but they sometimes lack consistency.

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