Colts can learn from Cleveland’s offensive explosion against Denver’s elite defense

Indianapolis will travel to Denver in Week 15 for a pivotal matchup. A win would move the Colts into striking distance of a Wild Card spot, while a loss would virtually eliminate them from playoff contention. All eyes will be on Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis offense as they face one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Led by veteran defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, the Broncos are holding opponents to just 18 points and 316 total yards per game. However, before the bye week, the 3-win Cleveland Browns exposed some cracks in the Denver defense, racking up 32 points and a staggering 552 yards of total offense. The Browns don’t have a great offense, but they used smart playcalling to torch the Broncos. Let’s break down how Indianapolis can follow a similar gameplan on Sunday.

Target everyone not named Pat Surtain II

While Surtain might be the league’s best cornerback, Denver’s pass coverage is still vulnerable in other areas. Cleveland QB Jameis Winston aired it out 58 times for a career-high 497 yards against the Broncos. Winston succeeded by targeting Denver’s linebackers, safeties, and backup corner Levi Wallace, who filled in for the injured Riley Moss and was burned on multiple deep passes. If Moss also misses this Sunday’s game, the Colts should be ready to exploit Wallace or some other subpar replacement. 

Clearly, Richardson should avoid testing Surtain but he shouldn’t be afraid to attack the rest of the secondary. The Browns’ passing game thrived in the middle of the field, which is where Richardson is most comfortable throwing. Indianapolis can be just as effective by getting the ball to Josh Downs from the slot, Michael Pittman Jr. in the intermediate range, and Alec Pierce on deep routes.

Trust Anthony Richardson to handle pressure

The Broncos know how to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. Joseph loves to send pressure with a 31.3% blitz rate and he gets results. Led by Nik Bonitto, Denver has recorded more sacks this season (47) than any other team in the league. Of course, the biggest threat to an aggressive pass rush is a mobile QB. Winston looked the most dangerous against the Broncos when he was able to escape the pocket. The veteran signal-caller was still sacked 3 times, but Richardson’s athleticism gives him a unique edge.

Richardson has frequently shown off his ability to evade pressure and extend plays with his legs. If the Broncos can’t consistently take Richardson down when they blitz, they’re leaving themselves exposed to his dual-threat skillset. Richardson has the arm talent to punish 1-on-1 man coverage down the field as well as the speed to take off on a big run. There's no need to complicate the offense. The Colts should unleash Richardson and have faith that he’ll make the right plays.

Use the run game to keep the defense honest

Running the ball against Denver is no easy task. The Broncos boast the sixth-best rush defense in the league and have held some of the NFL’s most productive running backs in check — Chuba Hubbard, Bijan Robinson, and Alvin Kamara ran for a total of just 101 yards combined. Despite Denver’s success in stopping the run, Indianapolis should not abandon the ground game.

While Cleveland’s rushing attack wasn’t very effective, the Browns still ran the ball 23 times. Just the possibility of a run kept the Broncos on their toes. The Colts can’t risk being too one-dimensional and predictable on offense, especially against such a strong defense. Shane Steichen has to make sure superstar RB Jonathan Taylor is involved in the game. Ideally, Taylor can still find a way to be efficient but, at worst, his presence will open up more passing opportunities — either way, he will be a difference-maker.

Avoid turnovers…especially in the red zone

The Cleveland offense did a lot of things right in Denver, but turnovers are why they lost the game. Winston threw 3 interceptions and 2 of them were returned for touchdowns. In 2024, the Broncos are averaging 1.4 takeaways per game and have notched 6 turnovers in their last 3 matchups. These turnovers both slow down the opposing offense and take some pressure off Bo Nix on the other side of the ball.

To put it bluntly, Indianapolis cannot afford to make the same fatal mistake as the Browns. It’s already going to be tough enough to score on Denver without the Colts hurting themselves. Richardson famously has struggled with turnovers in his young career, but there have been signs of improvement in recent weeks. The 22-year-old passer needs to be as sharp as ever against the Broncos’ ball hawks.