Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Crossover: Keys to Victory Over Denver Broncos

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's time to do a little crossover Colts fans. Today on this episode of Locked On Colts, I cross over with the host of Locked On Broncos to give you the last minute analysis of this Colts Broncos Thursday night matchup. Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:20 Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. It is Crossover Thursday here once again on the Lockdown Podcast Network, a Thursday night football matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts in Power Field at Mile High. This is a Lockdown Broncos-Lockdown Colts crossover brought to you by our good friends over there at Price Picks. Make sure you check out pricepicks.com.

Starting point is 00:01:00 Enter promo code LOCKEDON for all the action. I'm Cody Rourke of Lockdown Broncos, joined alongside by co-host Sarah Bedinger of Lockdown Broncos, and we're going to be speaking with Zach Hicks, host of the Lockdown Colts podcast, to break down all the action on today's episode of the show. So gentlemen, let's waste no time getting into the details of this game. A short turnaround for both teams who had just played a game on Sunday, coming into Thursday night football. I mean, every team is banged up right now.

Starting point is 00:01:27 But, Zach, from a Lockdown Colts perspective, for this Indianapolis Colts team, what is the biggest story leading up into this game? You know, it's funny. We've done these crossovers now for a couple weeks here with Lockdown Colts and with all the teams that we've played against. And I feel like I've said the exact same thing for storylines with the Indianapolis Colts. And it's just,

Starting point is 00:01:47 can this Indianapolis Colts offense get out of its own way? Just one time. I'm all I'm just begging one game for this offense to get out of its own way. Cause I actually wrote an article today for horseshoe huddle, where I talked about this Colts offense is statistically the worst in football, you know, 32nd in DVO way by a long shot, so bad that the team is ranked 32nd in DVOA overall when their defense is 13th overall. So that's how bad their offense has been. They're the worst team at scoring points this year, 14.25 points per game through four weeks, including the shutout in week two, the only shutout in the NFL season so far.

Starting point is 00:02:23 But they're moving the ball. You know, they have a very high success rate on offense. They're being productive, getting the ball past midfield. They've had 21 drives into opponent territory this year. They are doing well at moving the ball. They just keep shooting themselves in the foot. They are not finishing drives, whether that's turnovers. You know, Matt Ryan, if you count fumbles, not just fumbles lost, but fumbles.

Starting point is 00:02:44 He's got nine fumbles this year, which is on pace to shatter an NFL record for fumbles in one season. Five interceptions, Jonathan Taylor fumbled last week. They're giving up a lot of sacks and QB hits, a lot of pressures. Overall, this team, just once they get past midfield, once they get into field goal range, you get into that red zone, they're shooting themselves so much in the foot with poor fourth down conversions, with not being able to convert into points, missing field goals, turning the ball over. Really, if the Colts want to turn this season around and not just be a mediocre to bad team, they need to finally figure it out on offense and convert some of these opportunities to points.

Starting point is 00:03:20 So the storyline for this week, for every week, the weeks prior, the weeks going forward is just going to be, can this Indianapolis Colts offense finally turn it around and start converting these chances into points? And that's going to be the biggest storyline going forward. I feel like you just described the Broncos offense in some aspects there, but you know, Sarah, from a lockdown Broncos perspective, what is the Broncos biggest storyline heading into this matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday? Well, I was just there but you know sir from a lockdown broncos perspective what is the broncos biggest storyline heading into this matchup with the indianapolis colts on thursday well i was just gonna say cody i was just back over here writing all that stuff down that zach was just saying like all right let me just regurgitate everything that he just said no i think honestly from the broncos perspective

Starting point is 00:03:59 for this specific game with a quick turnaround the biggest storyline to me guys has got to be can the broncos overcome some major injuries And we were talking about it before we started recording. I mean, you talk about Randy Gregory, Javante Williams, and that doesn't even touch on guys like Justin Simmons, who's not back yet for the Denver Broncos. It's obviously a beaten up team and who isn't in the NFL right now. But for the Denver Broncos, you're losing some key members, both offensively and defensively. So you go up into a pretty critical game, I guess, for both teams trying to get back on the right track. Now, without two key players, can you overcome those kinds of injuries? And especially with the question marks about Melvin Gordon with the four fumbles this season so far

Starting point is 00:04:41 in four games, you talk about Matt Ryan having nine fumbles and Melvin Gordon's kind of right there behind him. So certainly it's an issue for the Denver Broncos to lose a guy like Javante Williams. And then Randy Gregory has arguably been their best defensive player besides Pat Sertan II. So certainly some big losses to overcome and you got a short week to do so. Can the Broncos get it done?

Starting point is 00:05:03 That's an interesting dilemma that they have to face this week. You know, for me, the short perspective that I have to bring for this week can the broncos get it done that's an interesting dilemma that they have to face this week you know for me the short perspective that i have to bring for this week for the broncos can they stop the run now zach alluded to it not sure if jonathan taylor will or will not play i mean frank reich said there was a chance but at this point in time we have no idea leading up into kickoff whether or not he will play we'll probably get a little bit more clarity as the game gets a little bit closer here but for for the Broncos, regardless, can they be more consistent at stopping the run this week after surrendering

Starting point is 00:05:30 over a hundred yards to Josh Jacobs in week four, right? If Jonathan Taylor's unable to go, I imagine Naheem Hines, maybe former Denver Bronco, Phil Blinsey gets elevated to the active game day roster. And you never know like chip on his shoulder. Could the Broncos find a way to stop the run a little bit more consistently? We spoke with defensive coordinator Jiro Ebro this week at his weekly media press conference,

Starting point is 00:05:50 and he said guys just have to be a little more consistent. You know, first guy has to wrap up, second guy has to come in and try to rip the ball out. You can't have the first guy trying to rip the ball out because then you have broken tackles that lead to extended drives, and that's really what wore the Broncos down against the Raiders in week four of action there. So Broncos country country and if you're a colts fan listening one thing we're going to do coming up here in just a moment we're going to analyze some of the key

Starting point is 00:06:12 matchups that we're most looking forward to from a lockdown colts and a lockdown broncos perspective in thursday night football prime time action we'll get that coming up here in just a moment but before we do that let me tell you about the sponsor of today's crossover episode. It's our good friends over there at Elias. And do you ever wish that before every NFL game, you could get up to date and accurate information before placing bets and locking in your fantasy lineup? Well, now you can with the Elias Game Plan app, the ultimate sports betting and fantasy companion for the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Whether you're part of a fantasy tournament, placing bets, or just a huge sports fan and stats nerd, Elias Game Plan has everything that you need.

Starting point is 00:06:51 And Elias Game Plan is a sports app for the most trusted name in sports stats, the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statisticians of U.S. Pro Sports League since 1913. But now you can have all the stats, the facts, and team and player updates in the palm of your hand, all backed by the renowned research team. Take this NFL season to the next level and download the Elias Game Plan app today and choose from three game plans when you subscribe, weekly, monthly, or annual.

Starting point is 00:07:14 But I can get you 25% off your first month when you choose the monthly subscription. Just use my promo code LOCKEDONNFL25. That's one word, LOCKEDONNFL25. Find Elias Game Plan Sports betting in the app or Play Store today and use promo code LOCKEDONNFL25. As we continue on with this crossover Thursday episode here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, Lockdown Broncos, Lockdown Colts. Real quick, just want to say thank you so much to everybody.

Starting point is 00:07:40 If you're a Broncos fan that tunes into Lockdown Broncos, if you're a Colts fan that tunes in every single day to the Lockdown Colts podcast, thank you so much for making these podcasts your first listen of the day every single day, free and available everywhere you get your podcast in audio format, or whether you watch both shows on YouTube, do us all a favor, hit that subscribe or that follow button respectively, so you never miss out on a day's worth of Denver Broncos or Indianapolis Colts news content coverage and more every single day

Starting point is 00:08:06 all year long. Gentlemen, continuing on with our conversation on today as we preview Thursday night football, getting to some of the key matchups that we're all looking forward to this week. Zach, I want to start things off with you. From a locked on Colts perspective, what are some of the key matchups you have your eyes on specifically for the Indianapolis Colts against the Denver Broncos? Yeah, so I actually have a couple, but I think one of the more personal ones that I just want to see, it really isn't even like a macro one. It's more just a very micro matchup that I just want to see is Michael Pittman Jr. is an ascending young receiver who's had some really good games, and he had a really strong season last year. But how does he fare

Starting point is 00:08:44 against one of the best young corners in all football arguably the best corner in all the football and Pat Sertan I think that's going to be a phenomenal matchup so just on a micro level before I even jump into the macro levels or anything like that that is a really interesting matchup that I really want to see because Pittman Jr. is a big physical guy but Sertan is kind of handling everybody right now going to more of the macro level, more of the team, stuff like that. I want to see if this Colts pass rush can really take that next step against this Denver Broncos offensive line that has kind of struggled a

Starting point is 00:09:14 little bit this season. You know, I'm not going to say that they've been as bad as Indy's offensive line, but they are kind of close. They are having their own issues up front. I know that the offensive tackle situation, especially on the right side, has been a bit of a struggle for the Denver Broncos this year. Can Yannick Ngakwe finally become that pass rusher the Colts traded for this offseason? Can Quidipe go from, oh, he's looked really good this season, to, okay, this is a really great breakout game for Quidipe? And can DeForest Buckner kind of bounce back from a couple of lackluster games to start the season? I think this Denver Broncos offensive line offers a really good opportunity for the Indianapolis Colts pass rush to kind of get back to form. And then on the other side of the ball, the Colts offense, you know, you guys mentioned it a little bit with your first matchup segment, with your first part of this episode here.

Starting point is 00:10:00 Can the Colts running game kind of turn it around against this Denver Broncos defense that has not looked great against the run weeks. They went into this last matchup against the Tennessee Titans where the Tennessee Titans were giving up the most yards per carry in the NFL and superstar running back. Jonathan Taylor went 20 carries for 41 yards in that one. So all the, all the, all the signs were pointing for the Colts to be able to run the ball in that game. And it didn't work whatsoever.

Starting point is 00:10:24 And they just kept running into a brick wall. Can they turn that around this week? Can, even if it is Naeem Hines and Phillip Lindsay, can they just get some kind of production in the ground game? Because the Colts passing game outside of the turnovers last week was really good. But if the Indianapolis Colts want to have continued success this season, they have to run the ball and they have to run the ball efficiently.

Starting point is 00:10:44 And I think this Denver Broncos defense is a good way to kind of get back on track I will say one of the things I was looking at kind of coming into this matchup and obviously Jonathan Taylor is the workhorse of this entire offense for Indianapolis and you could tell that because when Matt Ryan is your second leading rusher with 12 yards rushing and he finds with 11 there's a little bit of a concern there so I mean I think at the same unknown variable you know one thing I'll throw out there is the Broncos had a similar situation like this last season and they played the Raiders in one of the matchups and then the very next week you know going to Thursday night football they had to play the Cleveland Browns where this where the

Starting point is 00:11:15 Dearness Johnson game came from this where he became a household name it was against the Broncos defense so hopefully the Broncos can avoid that repeat but Sarah from a lockdown Broncos perspective what are some of the matchups you have your eye on this week Thursday night football primetime action so hopefully the Broncos can avoid that repeat. But, Sarah, from a lockdown Broncos perspective, what are some of the matchups you have your eye on this week, Thursday night football primetime action? Well, I don't know if you'd necessarily call this a matchup specifically, but I'm going to call it a matchup, Cody. I'm going to say Matt Ryan versus the Denver Broncos pass rush. Obviously, that's been an area of struggle for him this season

Starting point is 00:11:42 with the five interceptions, the nine fumbles, and the Broncos have really been good in this department. That's been an area of struggle for him this season with the five interceptions, the nine fumbles. And the Broncos have really been good in this department. Jiro Evro, the defensive coordinator, has dialed up blitzes when need be. He's made good on his promise back when he was hired, right? If four's not working, I'm going to send five. If five's not working, I'll send six. And he's done so in a variety of different ways.

Starting point is 00:12:04 We've seen him line up Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory on the same side of the field. We've seen him line up Draymond Jones way out wide of the tackle. We've seen him send Kaywon Williams. We've seen him send, you know, a lot of different players, Josie Jewell. And I mean, it's just been all over the place in terms of who's rushing the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. But specifically, we know that in this game, it's going to be key for the two young guys, Baron Browning and Nick Benito, who are going to get majorly increased roles with the injury to Randy Gregory. They're going to have an opportunity to kind of make this their breakout game, similar to some players on the cold side, it sounds like. So I think Baron Browning and Nick Benito, Cody, coming off the edge against Matt Ryan.

Starting point is 00:12:40 That's a key matchup that I'm going to be looking for in terms of, you know, just seeing how he responds to that pass rush and how those two young pass rushers can kind of hurry up his process. Well, you know, I'll continue on, too, and I'll add my two cents because this has definitely been something I think early on in the season, the Broncos struggled with, and that's tight ends, right? Mo Alley-Cox is coming off of a two touchdown performance this past week, and he's one of those guys you can't overlook. And I think that for the Broncos, I mean, the key matchup for them in the secondary will be, like Zach had said, it's going to be Patrick Sertan probably lining up against Michael Pittman.

Starting point is 00:13:12 This also may be a week where if Pittman's on the right side, they may just be comfortable leaving Ronald Darby there. If he's on the left side, obviously you'll see Sertan. I'd be very intrigued to see what a Giro Evro scheme is because I know that outside of Michael Pittman, they've been looking to have some other guys step up at the receiver position there, but that's where Mo Alley Cox has come in and they have a multitude of tight ends that can actually step in and contribute. So for the Broncos, you know, can they avoid getting snake bitten a little bit by the

Starting point is 00:13:36 tight end position, which has kind of been a little bit of a bugaboo for them for the last couple of years there. And I think for the inside linebackers, Josie Jewell and Jonas Griffith, them guys having a bounce-back game, especially in coverage, where a lot of times their eyes were caught in the backfield against Derek Carr, that has to change a little bit. They have to find a little bit more consistency. But just talking to the players this week, there's a nasty taste in their mouth. They want to get it out.

Starting point is 00:13:59 And look, you don't have much time to prepare against the Indianapolis Colts team. They don't have as much time to prepare. So who's going to be the more disciplined football team on Thursday, I think will be a huge key as to determining who will win this football game here. But you know what? It is going to be a physical matchup between both of these teams, which coming up here in just a moment, we're going to get into the conversation. From a Broncos perspective, how can the Broncos win?

Starting point is 00:14:22 From a Colts perspective, how can the Colts win? We'll dive deep into the details coming up here in just a moment. But before we do that, let me tell you about NFL Key Predictions, one of the shows we have here on the Locked On podcast network to get you up to date on everything you need from the local experts covering every team around the National Football League. And thanks again for making Locked On Broncos or Locked On Colts your first listen every single day.

Starting point is 00:14:43 Make sure you check out NFL Key Predictions every Friday on Locked on NFL. Locked on's local experts will give you the inside scoop on the five biggest games of the NFL weekend, including Sunday and Monday Night Football, plus betting advice from the field's leading experts. Bet online. Follow NFL Key Predictions every Friday on Locked on NFL. Available on the Odyssey app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. As we prepare for Thursday night football, the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts will battle in primetime action

Starting point is 00:15:12 on Amazon Prime, 6.15 p.m. Mountain Time kickoff. Who will come out ahead? We'll dive deeper into the details as to what the Broncos need to do to win, what the Colts will need to do to win, respectively, from each of these teams' representatives. But before we do that, I just want to say thank Broncos need to do to win, what the Colts will need to do to win, respectively, from each of these teams' representatives. But before we do that, I just want to say thank you so much to everybody for making Locked On Colts or Locked On Broncos your first listen of the day on your favorite audio podcasting platforms.

Starting point is 00:15:33 Or whether you watch all these shows on YouTube, make sure you do us all a favor. Hit the subscribe or that follow button so you never miss out on a day's worth of Denver Broncos or Indianapolis Colts news, content, and coverage. Zach, as we jump into the fourth quarter of today's crossover episode brought to you by our good friends over there at Price Picks. Make sure you check out pricepicks.com. Use promo code LOCKEDON for all the action and a 100% deposit match bonus today.

Starting point is 00:15:56 From a Locked On Colts perspective, if the Indianapolis Colts are going to come into Empire Field at mile high and get their second win of the season. What do they need to do? It really comes down to turnovers. And I know I come off like an old ball coach here. Turnovers are the name of the game and stuff like that. But it really comes down to turnovers.

Starting point is 00:16:16 Right now the Colts are minus six in the turnover differential department this season, which is second worst in the NFL, just behind the New Orleans Saints. They have the second most turnovers in general this year, and they're not taking the ball away very much. I think they only have two takeaways on defense this season. They want to see that change going forward. And I think, again, this is a good opportunity against Denver Broncos team, where their starting running back has four fumbles this season. You know, Russell Wilson has not been, you know, super, super productive throughout his whole career. So I do think that the Indianapolis Colts need to bounce back in a lot of ways. But I think with the turnover differential, that's going to be the biggest thing, because the Colts have had some close games this season, a tie in week one.

Starting point is 00:16:58 They lost this past week by seven to the Tennessee Titans. That big difference has been turnovers. The Colts defense has been put into short fields, and the teams have been converting. I think I put out a stat the other day that the Colts have given up more points off turnovers this year than just points on all the other drives combined with their defense. That is what is killing this Indianapolis Colts defense,

Starting point is 00:17:19 and the only reason why this defense isn't a top unit like the Broncos defense right now. So you really want to see just that turnover differential kind of skewed towards the Colts. And if they want to have a chance to win this game, they have to come out and not turn the ball over on offense and take the ball away on defense. I know that is such a, you know, do this very obvious thing if you want to win. But it's something that the Colts have been failing at so far this season. So I really do think this is the perfect chance to turn around. It's going to be an ugly game. It's a Thursday game with a lot of injuries. These games are never, never pretty. Like you guys mentioned

Starting point is 00:17:52 that Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos game last year on Thursday night football, kind of an ugly game. And that's just kind of how these games go. So if you want to win ugly, you have to win the turnover battle. And I think that's something the Colts really have to do for the first time this year. Spot on there. I mean, we agree with you in that sense too, because it's hard to go play a game on Sunday and the physicality standpoint because your body's still recovering from the physicality that you sustain. So you have to try to get your body as right as possible and you don't get as

Starting point is 00:18:19 much on-field practice time. Everything that we've seen so far this week for the Broncos has been walk through base, like no physical elements. They'll do a little bit of a physical walkthrough on Wednesday, but that's still tough when you consider just the nature of having to play another game. But those are good keys. And obviously, like for me, I'm a football guy in the sense I think of it as a ball coach as well. So I definitely understand where you're coming from. Sarah, from a lockdown Broncos perspective, if the Broncos are going to try to find some semblance here and rebound after a disappointing loss last week to the Raiders, what do they need to do to get a win against the Indianapolis Colts? Well, I know it does sound simple, right?

Starting point is 00:18:56 A lot of these keys to victory, but I mean, that really, it boils down to two teams that kind of need to do the simple things better, right? And that's exactly what we don't expect necessarily to see from a Thursday night game. You know, when you have a quick turnaround, you got injuries, things like that. You got to win sloppy to me, Cody. I think if the Broncos are going to win this game against the Indianapolis Colts, who, by the way, for Broncos fans listening, like we were rooting for the Colts just a couple of weeks ago as they beat the Kansas city chiefs. So we know that they have a pretty darn good team here that this is no slouch they're going up against. You got to do the simple things well. And to me, that means that you got to stop the run defensively. You got to force the Colts into obvious passing situations, kind of put the ball in Matt Ryan's hands. I mean, 10 years ago when

Starting point is 00:19:39 Peyton Manning was taking on the Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan, I would have said the exact opposite, but times are different now. And Matt Ryan, you want to put the ball in his hands and force the, that's really forcing into the Broncos defensive strength, right? Their pass rush and their past defense. So it has less to do with Matt Ryan and more to do with that. But offensively, I think you have to find balance. The Broncos just haven't found any real balance. And like Zach said, in segment one with the Colts, the Broncos have had success moving the ball this season. It's just a matter of consistency and finishing some drive. So got to find balance offensively. And I think you got to force the ball into Matt Ryan's hands on the other side. It's a great point there. And one thing I would say

Starting point is 00:20:17 that the Broncos need to avoid in this game specifically, I mean, Zach was talking about how the Colts and their defensive line, they've been struggling to really get home. That was the story with the Raiders before they played the Denver Broncos. I mean, Max Crosby came through twice clean and sacked Russell Wilson. Nate Hobbs blitzed off the nickel clean and got to Russell Wilson. The Broncos offensive line has struggled with consistency. Cam Fleming, Graham Glasgow to the point where they had to add extra tight end help to that side to try to negate that. I think that when you look at this Colts defensive line with Yannick Ngakwe,

Starting point is 00:20:47 DeForest Buckner being one of those guys, one of those other force members there, I mean, they have a pretty strong defensive line here, and you can't let them get right against the Denver Broncos. So my key, if the Broncos are going to win this game, they have to avoid long field situations on offense, which for some reason they've seemingly faced that every single week, second and 15, third and 15. Heck, there was a first and 30 that they faced against the Las Vegas Raiders, but they were able to score on that drive, which is wild to think about. So you know what? The NFL is weird. It is wild. But if the Broncos can find a way to stop going

Starting point is 00:21:19 backwards on offense and finding themselves in long field situations, I think they have a better chance to play because one thing I don't think you can do against the Colts. If you get sacked and let's say it's like second and 16, or let's say it's third and 15, you can't necessarily throw it down deep because you have guys like Stefan Gilmore, who's playing pretty well right now for the Colts defensively. That is a huge key.

Starting point is 00:21:40 And I think one way to do that, find a way to run the football on the offensive side of the ball. You're going to have to trust Melvin Gordon, Mike Boone, maybe Devina Zigbo. Will we see Latavius Murray make his debut on a short week turnaround? We have no idea at this point. But if the Broncos can do that, I think they have a good chance at winning if they can take care of the things that have been hindering them all throughout the four weeks of the NFL season. Can they avoid it in week five? That is a huge question.

Starting point is 00:22:02 But I just want to say thank you so much to everybody. If you're a Broncos fan listening or you're an Indianapolis Colts fan listening, thank you for tuning into this crossover Thursday production here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Preview the game. Break it down. All the key matchups, the storylines, and everything you need to know leading up into kickoff Thursday night football. I'm Cody Rourke of Locked On Broncos speaking for Sarah Benger, co-host of Locked On Broncos, and Zach Hicks, the host of the Lockdown Colts podcast. Make sure you check out our podcast.

Starting point is 00:22:27 Available free and available everywhere you get your audio format podcast or on YouTube as well. Make sure you hit that follow that subscribe button so you never miss out on a day's worth of content. We have you covered every single day. Lockdown Broncos Lockdown Colts. We'll see you after kickoff.

Your Ad Here

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Crossover: Keys to Victory Over Denver Broncos

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.