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Broncos (8-4) @ Colts (12-0)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Lucas Oil Stadium
11:00 a.m. MT

The Denver Broncos (8-4) travel to Indianapolis this week to face a Colts squad that is 12-0 this year and has won its last 21 regular-season games to tie for the longest such streak in NFL history. Kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. EST, and the game will be televised on CBS with Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts calling the action.

No GameBlog chat today… Follow us on twitter at @BroncoTalk for thoughts throughout the game! Keep it clean in the comments!

Warmup YouTube
Jimmy Eat World – Clarity. We’ll get a clearer picture of these 2009 Broncos after they face the AFC’s best.

INACTIVES

Denver: QB Brandstater (3rd QB), S Bruton, RB Jordan, G Olsen, T Taylor, DT Baker, WR Lloyd, DE Smith.
Indianapolis: WR Gonzalez, DB Francisco, K Vinatieri, RB Brown, DC Hall, OT Toudouze, TE Santi, DE Baldwin

Weather: It’s in a dome!

Bonus preview vid after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Should the Colts take a dive against Denver Sunday to possibly avoid another January San Diego upset? (Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

The 8-4 Denver Broncos and 12-0 Indianapolis Colts are preparing for quite a game this Sunday, but it might behoove the Colts to think twice before pursuing 13-0. The New York Times’ Fifth Down Blog points out that putting the Broncos two games back in the AFC West race wouldn’t be doing Indy any favors come January.

(A) win clinches home-field advantage for the playoffs — but a loss could benefit the Colts in the long run. The Colts’ nemesis is the Chargers, who beat them in the 2007 and 2008 playoffs and in the 2007 regular season. The Chargers have not won the A.F.C. West yet and are always one mistake from a minislump; the Broncos have the Raiders and Chiefs on their schedule (as well as the Eagles) and could retake the division with a hot streak.

So if the Colts win, they host the playoffs. If they lose, they could help the Broncos win the division, and force the Chargers to travel someplace like New England or Cincinnati for a first-round playoff game. No wonder Peyton Manning seems so relaxed.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Correll Buckhalter #28 and Knowshon Moreno #28 of the Denver Broncos celebrate after a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 44-13. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno are hitting their stride, and, in return, voters at NFL.com are hitting them up with weekly player awards.

Both the veteran and the rookie netted Week 13 awards following the Denver Broncos‘ 245 rushing yards performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13.

Buckhalter takes home the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award, the first such award for Buckhalter or any Bronco this season. Moreno nets the Pepsi Rookie of the Week honor for an NFL-best fourth time this season. Moreno previously won the award in Weeks 3, 4, and 12.

More importantly, the Broncos are winning in a dominating fashion, and the Buckhalter-Moreno combination is making all the difference. They’ll be tested against a speedy, undefeated Colts defense this Sunday in Indianapolis.

Injury Report for the Week 14 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, December 13, 2009.

DNP – Did Not Participate; LP – Limited Participation; FP – Full Participation; NL – Not Listed

Changes in practice status from Thursday’s injury report in bold. Colts report, in all its 23-man glory, after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts is pictured during the NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Breaking down each week’s Broncos‘ opponent from the Football Outsiders‘ perspective. This week: Indianapolis.

Recall that lower (negative) percentages are good on defense, bad on offense and special teams.

Pass Offense: 49.0% (4th)
Rush Offense: 4.4% (12th)
The Colts may have the lowest rushing yardage total in the league, but their rush DVOA confirms what we expected all along: this is by design, and less a statement about their ability to run the ball and more a statement about their desire to. They are a pass-first team but are efficient at running the football when they want to be (see: Joseph Addai‘s nine touchdowns). This offensive strategy has led them to the league lead in passing yards. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Broncos Family, what do you say we just chill? I know, I know, easier said than done.

It’s possible though, right? We can all just zen out for the remaining four games.

Soak it all in.

We’ve celebrated (wins 1-6), we’ve screamed til our lungs bled (losses 1-4), and regained confidence through solidarity (wins 7 & 8).

We control our own destiny. We have hope. In the end, what more do you want? So sit back and relax. After all, we have been given the perfect opportunity to do so. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Our weekly perusal around the Interwebz for water cooler fodder.

ESPN: 9th
The Chargers aren’t out of the Broncos’ range yet, and an upset in Indy could do a lot to keep AFC West title hopes alive.

CBS: 9th
They broke a trend by winning at Kansas City in December, and it looks like they’re back on track. But that’s a big one this week at Indy.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Denver isn’t likely to get a lot of sacks Sunday seeing as how Manning is the hardest QB to take down.  Doom says it’s all about making the QB uncomfortable in the pocket.  [CS Gazette]
• The Colts are playing with the burden of staying perfect.  [Denver Post]
• It’s not just Manning, the entire Colts squad is complimenting each other’s play.  Preparing for a perfect team.  [Broncotalk]
• The Broncos might have the winning formula to take down the undefeated Colts.  [SI.com]
• Some quotes on the Broncos in this article from Indy’s head coach Jim Caldwell.  [Examiner-CS]
• The Broncos best bet at stopping Peyton will be relying on the team’s veteran secondary.  [CS Gazette]

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Thursday Injury Report for the Week 14 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, December 13, 2009.

DNP – Did Not Participate; LP – Limited Participation; FP – Full Participation; NL – Not Listed

Changes from Wednesday’s practice status in bold.  Colts report, in all its 23-man glory, after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »