3 Potential Catastrophes Broncos' Film vs. Colts Revealed

The Denver Broncos have to improve on these issues before the season opener.

Aug 11, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton stands near the bench before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Even in victory, there are things the Denver Broncos can improve upon, especially in a preseason win. The Broncos emerged from Week 1 of the preseason with a 34-30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

There were a lot of positives to come out of the game, both individually and collectively. But from a team perspective, there were aspects the Broncos will want to improve on, as these mistakes can cost games. 

After studying the Broncos-Colts tape multiple times, there are three areas that Denver needs to commit to improving. If not, it'll lead to catastrophe in 2024.

With the Broncos' dedication and hard work, we can expect to see significant progress in these areas in their next preseason game. 

Ball Security

In the regular season, it is difficult to lose the turnover battle and still walk out with the win. That's why the Broncos' four fumbles (with a fifth reversed) and one interception have to be cut out of the offense.

Each turnover, even the close call, was caused by a different player. It wasn’t one player making multiple mistakes. Thus, it's a more troubling team trend.

The interception was hardly on Jarrett Stidham. Not all interceptions are the quarterback's fault.

Stidham threw a good pass to Samaje Perine, which the running back bobbled and popped up right to a defender for an easy interception. It was one of two drops by the Broncos, both by a running back. Ball security can include drops as well. 

The fumbles were a focal point at the Broncos' Wednesday practice, and rightfully so. Putting the ball on the ground four times is unacceptable.

While the Broncos only had two of the four fumbles recovered by the Colts, one led directly to a touchdown with a fumble return. The other fumble was fortunately followed by an interception to give the Broncos the ball back immediately. 

The Colts scored 10 points off takeaways. Fortunately, the Broncos also had some takeaways and turned them into 10 points.

In the regular season, those turnovers and the points allowed off them can turn wins into losses. Broncos fans should be well aware of this after their historic run with defensive takeaways in the 2023 season. 

What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Penalties

The Broncos ended the game with one less penalty than the Colts. The Broncos were hit with six penalties for 60 yards, which isn’t terrible.

However, the issue with the Broncos' penalties was the timing of some of them. The Broncos can’t shoot themselves in the foot, like they did on the first drive, and expect to win games in the regular season. 

On the first play of the game, Stidham completed a pass to Courtland Sutton for 13 yards and the first new set of downs. It was a good start, especially when the Broncos were starting on their 44-yard line, which meant 56 yards to go for a touchdown. What followed was the end result of self-inflicted wounds.

A Stidham pass to Tim Patrick went for 14 yards, but he got called for a taunting penalty that brought the Broncos back 15 yards for a net loss of one yard. So, instead of 1st-&-10 at the Colts’ 29-yard line, it was a 1st-&-10 at the Colts' 44-yard line.

Then a false start brought the Broncos back five more yards. Atwo-yard run, and an incomplete pass later, and Denver went from having 1st-&-10 on the 44 to a 3rd-&-13 on the 47-yard line.

Nope. Another false start, and it is 3rd-&-18 on the Broncos' 48-yard line — five plays, three penalties for 25 yards, and two plays that picked up two yards. 

A five-yard catch on 3rd-&-18 led to a punt and a missed opportunity to start the game hot. You can’t have half your penalties and almost half of your penalty yards on the first drive. In the regular season, there will be games you want to start hot and can’t afford to miss out on great opportunities, like starting with excellent field position. 

So, the Broncos need to keep the penalty count down, but the more significant issue from this game is not wasting good opportunities with penalties. 

Rushing Efficiency

The Broncos ran the ball well, right? No, they didn’t, actually, despite 131 team rushing yards.

The Broncos had a 3.4-yard average per rush, which was 25th for the first week of the preseason, and three running backs under 4.0 yards per carry. When you remove the quarterbacks' rushing stats, Denver's 3.4 average turns to 3.6, taking the team from 25th to 22nd. 

If the Broncos are going to be a run-first team, they need to improve their efficiency. Again, three of their running backs averaged under four yards, and all three are expected to make the roster — Javonte Willams (3.8), Audric Estime (3.1 and a fumble), and Blake Watson (2.9).

Jaleel McLaughlin was the only back expected to make the roster with a four-yard average (4.3). Tyler Badie led the way with a 6.5 average on two rushing attempts. 

Is this a major concern after one preseason game? No, but it is something to work on to improve.

If you’re going to be a run-first team, you must have your backs be successful and efficient. If this is still a concern after the final preseason game, maybe the trend carries over into the regular season, but right now, things are being kept simple and evaluated.

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!