Defense, special teams help Broncos pull away from Colts in the fourth quarter for 3113 win
Dec 15, 2024
The Denver Broncos pulled away from the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter, on the backs of their defense and special teams, for a critical win Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.With the win, the Broncos all but secured a playoff berth.Entering the fourth quarter down 13-10, Denver scored 14 points in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the frame. Linebacker Nik Bonitto spoiled a Colts trick play, intercepting a double pass by wideout Adonai Mitchell which goes down in the box score as a fumble because it was behind the line of scrimmage and taking it 50 yards to the house to put the Broncos up by two scores. It was Bonittos second defensive score in two weeks.The go-ahead score just five plays earlier, a Bo Nix touchdown pass to fullback Nate Adkins, was set up by a 60-yard Marvin Mims Jr. punt return.Patrick Surtain II intercepted Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson later in the fourth, giving Denver a short field for an insurance touchdown with 5:48 to play.The crunch-time burst came after a sluggish first three quarters for the Broncos. Nix threw three interceptions and Denver mustered just 140 yars of offense through the first 45 minutes.It remained a tight game, though, thanks in part to a Colts blunder. Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor broke away for what should have been a 41-yard touchdown run to put the Colts up 20-7, but Taylor dropped the ball just before crossing the goal line for a turnover.Nix finished with 130 yards and three touchdowns, adding another 23 yards on the ground to lead a Denver offense that struggled to get its ground game going. Denver mustered just 193 yards of total offense.The Broncos moved into the No. 6 seed in the AFC thanks to a loss by the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, and now has about a 90% chance to make the playoffs, according to NFL.com.The loss was devastating to Indianapoliss playoff chances. The Colts, who hold the No. 8 seed in the AFC, now have less than a 10% chance to make the postseason, according to NFL.com.Call the Denver7 Broncos Voicemail Hotline at 303-832-0111 and voice your opinion.Just leave your name and tell us where you are calling from then let us have it. Then look for your message on the Denver7 Facebook page, in one of our newscasts or on any of Denver7s streaming apps.