The Indianapolis Colts were the only team to pull an upset in the divisional round, and it’s worth a closer look to see how they did it.
The Colts did a great job changing things up on offense against the Denver Broncos, their defense baited Peyton Manning and Denver's offense into doing things they weren't comfortable with. And of course, quarterback Andrew Luck played very well.
To start, let’s look at what the Colts offense did to beat Denver’s defense. The Colts had a good mix of “11” personnel (one back and one tight end) and multiple-tight end personnel, both “12” and “13.” Tight end Coby Fleener continued to align all over the formation. The Broncos mixed and matched personnel, trying to find the right matchups with Indianapolis. The Colts did a nice job keeping them off balance.
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Indianapolis also mixed in some up-tempo offense, with Luck snapping the ball right away. And they had a better run/pass ratio balance than they did the week before against Cincinnati.
All of these things only matter if the players execute. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo was asked to block DeMarcus Ware one-on-one (the Colts rarely slid protection to help him) and he was up to that challenge. The Colts’ offensive line as a whole was excellent from the beginning of the game. The Broncos were not able to get any consistent pressure on Luck, and Luck also did an excellent job taking short throws to keep the rush quiet.
The Colts also showed a semblance of a run game. They at least showed some commitment to it, and for a second week in a row Zurlon Tipton flashed some downhill decisiveness and power.
And then, Luck made some big plays.
In the second quarter, Luck hit Donte Moncrief for 22 yards. It came against man coverage and demanded anticipation and pocket toughness by Luck, as defensive tackle Terrance Knighton got inside pressure, and precise ball location. This is the kind of throw that is demanded in a playoff game.
Dwayne Allen caught a 3-yard touchdown on another great throw by Luck. Cornerback Aqib Talib was all over Allen on his inside pivot route, and Luck threw it early with anticipation and precise ball location. That was the only spot he could throw it for a touchdown.
An 18-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton on second and 9 early in the fourth quarter was another example of Luck being outstanding in the face of pressure. The Broncos ran a “man free blitz” out of the “double A gap” alignment. Luck had subtle pocket movement and never took his eyes off his downfield focus, so he could guide the ball to Hilton with accuracy. It was high-level quarterbacking.
The Colts were very good on the other side of the ball too.
Early on it was evident the Broncos game plan featured a lot of their six-offensive line sets and blocking tight end Virgil Green as Denver used the running game and C.J. Anderson. The Colts played it well, and the Broncos abandoned the run game early. We did not see the six-offensive line set with Green after the first quarter.
That left the Colts to take away the passing game, and they did that too. As the game progressed the Colts played more man-to-man coverage, with corners Vontae Davis and Greg Toler playing press man. Manning threw more deep balls than you usually see because the Colts’ man coverage was presenting those throws to him, but he did not connect on any of them. Manning also took some deep shots when the coverage dictated otherwise (like a bailed corner) and he missed some short-to-intermediate results as a result.
Manning was not a comfortable quarterback. At times he looked like he was hurrying himself and playing fast. There was no rhythm to the passing game. That’s not all on Manning. The Broncos receivers couldn’t consistently create separation against Indianapolis’ corners. They struggled to get open, and at times the Colts corners looked like they ran the routes for the Broncos receivers. The Broncos got in the red zone just once.
To pull off an upset in the playoffs, you need a lot of components clicking together. Everything went pretty well for the Colts in Denver.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
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