The Denver Broncos did not necessarily struggle at the end of the regular season, but they did leave a lot to be desired in the final few games. The offense sputtered while injuries took over some of the biggest names on the team which rightfully has some fans concerned heading into the divisional matchup with the Indianapolis Colts who appear to be operating on all cylinders. With plenty of rest under their belts, the Broncos are stressing they are healthy and ready to play.
Julius Thomas is expected to be a big x-factor for the Broncos in this game after dominating the Colts in Week 1, putting up 104 yards and three touchdowns off seven catches. However, while he began the season on fire he certainly did not end it that way. He ended up missing three games while suffering from an array of injuries including an ankle injury and finished the final three weeks with just three catches for 66 yards. The Broncos need Thomas to be healthy and according to the tight end the bye week did wonders on his body.
"It was a big week for me," Thomas said, via ESPN.com. "It was good to get some rest. Every doctor will tell you the most important thing is rest, but it's tough to do in the middle of the season. So I got a little bit of time to stay off it and get some treatment on it. It went well. I'm just excited about playing in the playoffs. It's a great opportunity. It's something that you can't take for granted. To go out there and play and give your team a chance to possibly get back to the Super Bowl is great. I was able to have a lot of success against them in that first game. I would imagine they will do some things a little bit differently."
The biggest question mark for the Denver Broncos remains the health of Peyton Manning. The quarterback has not looked himself at times this season and while he continues to downplay things in the media, it is obvious health is an issue. In his past five games, the quarterback completed just 60.6 percent of his passes for an average of 233.8 yards per game. That is down from his typical 295.4 yards per game. According to former head coach Tony Dungy, if Manning is struggling from some kind of injury, the Colts game will show it.
"I don't think it's his arm," Dungy said, via the Dan Patrick Show. "It could be the thigh. It could be just the season taking a toll. I think you're going to see the real Peyton Manning, whatever that is, this weekend. You get down to the final eight, final four, Super Bowl, they're going to have to throw to win."
The Broncos will once again rely heavily on CJ Anderson to keep the ground game moving and take pressure off Manning. Ronnie Hillman will also be available for the playoff game since getting injury Nov. 9. He got a little bit of action in the regular-season finale which should give him momentum for the postseason.