Dopey Report Card -- Colts vs. Broncos

With an added emphasis on "dopey." Dropping the ball short of the goal line: Dopey. Calling the double pass with AD Mitchell and Anthony Richardson: Dopey. Just a mind-boggling performance. Dreadful.

RUN OFFENSE

I don’t care that Jonathan Taylor ran for 107 yards against a very stout Denver rush defense. I don’t care that he was Indy’s best offensive player on a day when the Colts couldn’t get much of anything going beyond the first drive. I don’t care that Denver has not given up that many yards on the ground (149) all season. Carry the ball into the endzone. Shoot, carry it through the endzone. Better yet, hold on to it and place it gently into the official’s hands, maybe demand a receipt. What, is the ball so heavy that it must be discarded at the soonest moment possible? After Taylor’s blunder/folly/boondoggle, the Broncos scored 24 straight points. Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that was a turning point.

Grade: B

RUN DEFENSE

Two weeks ago, the New England Patriots rolled up north of 200 yards rushing, an astonishing number for a team that’s at the bottom of the league in rushing and total offense. This week, the Colts defense came to play. Denver, which only had 193 yards of offense the entire game – and somehow scored 31 points – went nowhere on the ground. The Broncos managed 72 yards on 27 carries. The usual suspects led the way: E.J. Speed had 13 tackles, Zaire Franklin had nine tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception and Grover Stewart had five tackles and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. Bo Nix was Denver’s leading rusher with 23 yards. How do you get blown out in a game when you surrender 72 yards rushing? Remarkable.

Grade: A-