Recap: Defensive penalties doom Denver in 24-27 loss to Indianapolis Colts

Sometimes, being too aggressive can be a downfall of a defense.

Denver’s defense is undoubtedly the No. 1 in the league, but dumb penalties during the end of the game were the Broncos demise n the end. With the Broncos trailing 24-27, Aqib Talib poked a Colts player in the eye and gave Indianapolis a free first down. After the defense somehow came up with another stop, a defensive holding call was made on Danny Trevathan during the Indy field goal attempt. After the penalty, the Colts knelt the ball and won the game.

RUNDOWN

This game had everything; huge plays, sacks, a punt return touchdown and one player poking another in the eye.

The Colts started out hot and the Broncos were completely flat to begin. Indy started by taking the 17-0 lead; Frank Gore ran up the middle seven yards for a score, Adam Vinatieri booted a 43-yard field goal and Luck hit Jack Doyle for another touchdown.

Omar Bolden was the player which jump-started the scoring, returning a punt 83-yards to the house for a touchdown to bring the game to 17-7 Colts at the half.

Denver kept the pressure on to start the second half; the defense forced a punt and then on the offense’s third play of the half, Manning found Emmanuel Sanders for a 64-yard touchdown, bringing the Broncos to within three points.

Then, Denver had the ball again and the drive stalled so Brandon McManus booted the game-tying field goal at 17-17.

The Colts struck back quickly with Ahmad Bradshaw scoring the eight-yard receiving touchdown to take the 24-17 lead mid-way through the fourth quarter. Manning then led his offense down the field for another game-tying touchdown, a pass to Owen Daniels and Denver looked to possibly win the game.

But, when the Colts got the ball back with six minutes to play, they held it and salted away the win. That victory was helped by Aqib Talib‘s idiotic eye poke as well as a defensive holding penalty on Indy’s field goal attempt; defense won so many games to start the season but forgot how to win Sunday.

STAR OF THE GAME

Owen Daniels was the Broncos star of the game. He led all receivers in the contest with six receptions for 101 yards and that game-tying touchdown, though Denver lost the game in the end. Daniels has come alive in recent weeks and the addition of the tight ends to the offense has helped mightily.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The play of the game was the Broncos holding penalty on the field goal attempt. If the Colts were allowed to make the kick, they would’ve led 30-24 with 25 seconds to play. The chance of winning would have been small, but at least Manning and the offense would have had an opportunity.

TURNING POINT

Bolden’s 83-yard punt return touchdown was definitely the turning point in the game. It started a 17-straight point swing by the Broncos who tied the game up at 17 in the third quarter before losing 27-24.

BY THE NUMBERS

Bolden’s play, at 83 yards, was the seventh-longest in Denver Broncos history. It was also only the second return touchdown to end a half since 1985.

DeMarcus Ware’s sack of Andrew Luck in the second quarter was his 133.5 of his career, making him tied for No. 10 all-time in NFL history.

The Colts ran the ball for 120 yards compared to 35 for the Broncos.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“We were in a tight spot at that time in the game and I had some room in front of me so I wanted to take a chance,” Omar Bolden said of deciding to return the punt he had for a touchdown.

LASTING IMPACT

Tonight’s game represents the Broncos first loss of the season. They now fall to 7-1 on the season. It also means Peyton Manning is 1-3 all-time against his former team, the Colts. And the Broncos missed out on their opportunity to exact revenge on Indy for last year’s playoff loss.

WHAT’S NEXT

Next week, the Broncos host the 3-5 Kansas City Chiefs with a 2:25 p.m. MT scheduled kickoff.

More Broncos vs. Colts stories 

• Recap: Defensive penalties doom Denver in 24-27 loss to Indianapolis Colts
• Broncos Kubiak opens up about Aqib Talib: “He has to keep his composure out there”
• “We were just out of whack:” Colts are still Denver’s Achilles heel
• Denver Broncos safety T.J. Ward sounds off on NFL about officials
• Ed McCaffrey, Shannon Sharpe drop knowledge about losing
• Watch Emmanuel Sanders score a 64-yard touchdown
• Watch DeMarcus Ware’s sack which makes him No. 10 all-time
• Watch Owen Daniels’ game-tying touchdown catch
• WATCH: Omar Bolden’s 83-yard punt return touchdown