Colts vs Broncos: After Further Review

The Colts were able to hand the Broncos their first loss on Sunday, seemingly putting the Colts back on track, for now.

The Colts jumped out to a 17 point lead in the first half, but then they gave it up, letting the Broncos tie the game in the third quarter. The rest of the game consisted of the two teams trading touchdowns, and the Colts ended up taking the game 27-24 on the heels of a 55 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal.

Indianapolis was able to produce offensively against the number one defense in the NFL. This has to be promising as the Colts head into their bye week. Before we get to that topic, let’s look at a few takeaways from Sunday’s game.

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Takeaway number 1: Peyton Manning is the greatest regular season Quarterback ever

Notice the word choice before you freak out, and call me an idiot.

I know this is a Colts site, but I feel the need to be nostalgic, just this once. Manning had the opportunity to pass Brett Favre in all-time pass yards and all-time wins by a starting quarterback. He ended the game three yards shy of the passing yards record, and obviously he did not win the game.

However, barring some catastrophic circumstances, Manning will throw for at least four more yards this season, and the Broncos will win at least one more game. Many tend to forget that Manning already holds the record for most passing touchdowns and is second in total completions. With those facts in mind, I don’t think it’s totally insane to say that Manning is the greatest regular season quarterback of all time.

Now, I’m not saying he’s the greatest quarterback ever, as much as I hate to say it, Tom Brady may hold that esteem. When you look at the records Manning holds and the successful team’s he’s led, I think most would agree with me.

As a Colts fan, it’s great to see Peyton passing these records, as most of these stats came from his Indy days. I just wanted to be nostalgic for a moment, so let’s move on.

Takeaway number 2: Was play calling responsible for the early struggles?

The Colts fired offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton this past week, leaving Rob Chudzinski to the OC duties. With limited time to prepare for the game, Chud was able to put together a great offensive gameplan.

This poses the question: Was the play calling responsible for the Colts struggles through the first eight games? I think it actually might have been a bigger factor than we first thought. Sure, Andrew Luck was not playing like himself and there were a few other elements, but the play calling seems to be the culprit.

I mean think about it, the Colts were able to consistently keep the best defense off guard all night. When a couple weeks ago against New Orleans, they couldn’t get anything going against a terrible defense. At some point we may need to realize that maybe Chuck Pagano wasn’t the problem, but perhaps Pep Hamilton was.

Takeaway number 3: This is a turning point for the Colts

Analysts can rag on the Broncos as much as possible, but they were undefeated coming into this game. Beating an undefeated team is a huge momentum boost, especially for a Colts team that has yet to find it’s identity. Sunday’s win helps the Colts get closer to that identity.

I won’t go so far as to say Andrew Luck is “back” in a sense. He did play his best game of the season on Sunday, and he didn’t turn the ball over either. However, he has yet to put together consistently good outings, we saw it when the Colts faced New England. Luck played well that game, but then turned around the next week against New Orleans and laid an egg.

I don’t want to be that pessmistic fan or anything because Luck’s good game on Sunday was really awesome to see. I’m just not totally sold on the idea that he’s completely back to form yet.

Well Colts fans enjoy the week off as the Colts will start preparing for the Falcons in Week 11.

Next: Manning Nearly Breaks NFL's Passing Yards Record

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