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INDIANAPOLIS — Colts kicker Spencer Shrader drained a 45 yard field goal as time expired in the 4th quarter to give Indianapolis a 29-28 win over the Denver Broncos.
Shrader missed a 60 yard field goal with 3 seconds left in regulation, but a 15 yard penalty was called on Denver that gave the Colts life and another chance. Shrader made the Broncos pay.
Bo Nix threw for 3 touchdowns and Troy Franklin had 8 receptions for 89 yards and 1 touchdown.
J.K. Dobbins led the Broncos with 76 yards rushing and 1 touchdown.
Daniel Jones completed 23 of 34 passes for 316 yards and 1 touchdown.
Here’s what stood out throughout the game.
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Bo Nix bounces back in a big way
After one of his worst games in the NFL to start the season, Bo Nix bounced back incredibly well against the Colts.
In the first half, Nix had three touchdowns and a 133.8 passer rating, including a wide-open touchdown to Adam Trautman.
Nix picked up where he left off, starting the second half with a touchdown drive.
Picture perfect start
A week after a slow start for the Broncos’ offense, Sean Payton dialed up nearly a perfect first drive. After picking up 28 yards on three-straight runs from J.K. Dobbins, Bo Nix finished off the drive with three-straight completions.
Nix threw a perfect 23-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. for a Broncos touchdown.
The Broncos’ touchdown drive was perfectly balanced with three runs and three passes.
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Committed to the ground game
In Week 1, Payton almost forgot the running game existed. In the Broncos’ first 17 plays, Payton only dialed up three runs.
That wasn’t the case against the Colts.
Payton’s first three plays of the game were all runs to J.K. Dobbins. Payton was rewarded by committing to the run game. On the first play, Dobbins ran for 18 yards.
To start the second half, J.K. Dobbins punched in a touchdown on the ground.
Bend-but-don’t-break defense
The Broncos’ defense allowed an NFL-best 133 yards to the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. Ten minutes into Week 2’s game against the Colts, Daniel Jones and the Colts had 101 yards.
But despite allowing the Colts to drive down the field on both of their first two drives, Denver’s defense stopped them in the red zone both times, holding them to field goals.
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After the Colts scored a touchdown on their third drive, Denver responded by holding Indianapolis to their first non-scoring drive of the entire season with a fantastic stop on fourth down at midfield.
However, Denver allowed 272 yards in the first half.
But they came up big when it mattered the most, including holding the Colts to 0-for-2 on fourth down and 2-for-6 in the red zone.
Troy Franklin has arrived
Troy Franklin made his presence felt in Indianapolis. On one drive, Franklin hauled in four passes for 58 yards, including a touchdown and a 42-yard catch.
Payton rewarded Franklin by calling a jet sweep to start the next drive. Franklin picked up a first down on the 11-yard run.
After the first drive of the second half, Franklin already had a career high in catches (7) and targets (8) while adding 74 receiving yards and a touchdown.
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