Mile High Roundtable: Broncos at Colts | Week 8 | Predictions & Picks
Khalid Alshami (@KhalidHAlshami) 5-2: Who would have thought that years after Peyton Manning chose to join the Denver Broncos after being dumped by Indianapolis, that Jim Irsay would become the model owner of organizational stability? Even after surprisingly losing Andrew Luck to retirement, the Colts look like a legitimate playoff contender and now boast a roster with the depth to allow them to thrive without Luck at the helm. Sadly, this is bad news for Denver, an organization that has been mired in dysfunction since Manning hung up his cleats. The results on the field will follow as such.
Pick: Colts 27, Broncos 15
Josh Carney (@JCarney_Sports) 4-3: The last time we saw the 2019 version of the Broncos, it was a dumpster fire. More than a week has passed, yet the Broncos mostly remain the same, sans a trade of Emmanuel Sanders to San Francisco. This week, it's another tough road trip to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the tough Colts in their own home. Jacoby Brissett is playing at a high level, making WR Zach Pascal look like a future star, while the offensive line continues to dominate. The weakness of the Colts is the defense right now, but the Broncos can't seem to block anyone upfront, so it could be another mess.
Bold Prediction: Courtland Sutton hauls in seven passes for 150-plus yards and two touchdowns.
Pick: Colts 23, Broncos 13
Keith Cummings (@KeithC_NFL): Looking to pick the winner is sadly predictable. It's the Colts for me in this one all the way. Indianapolis has more talent and better coaching.
Verdict. Colts
Pick: Colts 28, Broncos 14
Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 2-5: The Colts are one of the best-run organizations in football right now from the front office to that of their coaching staff. It shows up every week on the field in how disciplined and prepared the Colts are no matter the opponent. I don’t see Indy running away with this one as the Broncos defense will keep this close, but in the end, the Colts will come away with a victory as they force a couple of big turnovers leading to easy points.
Pick: Colts 23, Broncos 13
Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 4-3: After the embarrassment of a performance the Broncos put on the field last week, it is tough to have any optimism that they can go into Indianapolis and beat the Colts. The Colts are one of the best teams in the AFC right now and their offensive line will manhandle the Broncos front seven. This will most likely be another long and agonizing game for Broncos fans as the Colts control it for the full 60 minutes.
Pick: Colts 24, Broncos 6
Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 1-6: Last week's debacle on Thursday Night Football was a cold, hard reality check for me as an analyst covering this team. No longer am I willing to let Joe Flacco's experience and the talent on the defensive side of the ball fool me into thinking the Broncos can win on Sundays. The Colts are yet another tough opponent on a brutal, unrelenting schedule and Jacoby Brissett will feast, as will the Colts O-line. Von Miller has been unable to climb out of his almost season-long slump and it'll take a few games for Courtland Sutton to adjust to not having Emmanuel Sanders out on the field running decoy routes to get him open. This game at Lucas Oil Stadium is going to be an ugly one for the Broncos. The Broncos averaged 16 points per game with Sanders in the lineup. What do you honestly expect to happen without him?
Pick: Colts 24, Broncos 9
Trevor Judge (@TrevorJudge) 2-5: Okay, so I may have been a little too optimistic last week in thinking the Broncos could hang with the Chiefs. In fact, I've probably been too optimistic this entire season on the Broncos, as evidenced by my record. Time to mix it up. This Broncos offense, led by 'Joe Cool' is a nightmare. As if they haven't played poorly enough already this season, the Broncos just lost one of their primary weapons in Emmanuel Sanders. What's honestly stopping the Colts from double-teaming Sutton all game and forcing the Broncos offense to funnel their passing game through an injured Noah Fant and DaeSean Hamilton? I just don't see Denver scoring enough points to come out on top here.
Pick: Colts 27, Broncos 10
Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 2-5: I, personally, am looking to see how the Broncos respond to their embarrassing loss to Kansas City, the departure of Emmanuel Sanders, and an overarching narrative that now, finally, Denver is entering a rebuild. What I'm not expecting to see? A Broncos win. The Colts are too technically-sound, too well-coached, and boast a home-field advantage that relegates victory to a remote possibility. As always, the defense should do its job decently, but the offense will fall way short against a speedy, aggressive, play-making Colts defense.
Pick: Colts 26, Broncos 16
Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 3-4: The Broncos are a team spinning on ice. With issues on the offensive line, at quarterback, offensive play-calling, and a defense not as good as it once was, and a schedule that won’t let up, the light is far from the end of the tunnel. Things don’t get easier this week as the Broncos head to Indianapolis to play the Colts who are coming off wins against the Chiefs and Texans. With a great coach and offensive line and a defense that doesn’t make many mistakes, this one could get ugly. Anything can happen in the NFL, but it would be a surprise to see Denver win at Indy.
Pick: Colts 27, Broncos 13
Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 3-4: The Broncos are reeling after their worst game of the season against the Chiefs. They’ve had a few extra days to prepare for the Colts, but they are facing a well-coached team that has an offense that’s better than people think and a defense that isn’t as good as people think. But while the defense tends to give up a lot of points, the Colts offense has been able to counter that most weeks. The Broncos, meanwhile, haven’t had the offensive production to counteract what opponents put up. We’ll find out if the Broncos can at least do a better job of moving the ball this week, but this offense simply can’t match up with offenses that are capable of scoring regularly. The defense should put up a fight, but unless they play complementary football, the Broncos aren’t going to get it done. Right now, I don’t trust the offense to play complementary football.
Pick: Colts 24, Broncos 14
Lance Sanderson (@SandersonMHH) 4-3: One of the biggest revelations of the NFL season this far has been the competitive play from the Indianapolis Colts, despite starting Jacoby Brissett at quarterback after Andrew Luck's stunning retirement. But Brissett has been calm, cool, collected and careful with the football and has his team headed towards the playoffs. Oh, and their defense is playing really well too of late. Indianapolis might be one of the most well-rounded teams in football at this point, and they find ways to win games regardless of the situation. This is gonna be ugly guys.
Pick: Colts 31, Broncos 10
Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 2-5: The Colts are a solid team that is well-balanced in all phases of the game. While I think the defense will have a solid game, there is no way I can trust Joe Flacco, the offensive line or OC Rich Scangarello and his play-calling.
Pick: Colts 17, Broncos 9
Follow MHH on Twitter @MileHighHuddle.
