The Denver Broncos fell short against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday for their first defeat of the season and now the team is 7-1 following the loss. Peyton Manning missed setting the all-time passing yards record by three yards, Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson struggled, while Aqib Talib was called for a penalty late for an eye poke against Dwayne Allen.
The Broncos were down in the game at halftime and Manning helped rally the team back, but Denver fell short for their first loss of the year. Manning was close to passing Brett Favre for the all-time passing yards record, but he fell three yards short. The Colts won 27-24 and the game ended soon aftr Aqib Talib was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following an eye poke on Allen. That penalty allowed the Colts to run out the clock.
Manning threw a touchdown to Owen Daniels in the third quarter to get the game to 24-24, but the Colts ended up winning after an Adam Vinatieri field goal. Manning had a solid game with 281 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions and now the team will have a divisional game against the Chiefs. Manning has nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions this season and it hasn't hurt the Broncos too much, as the team only suffered its first loss this week.
Manning did not get much help from Vernon Davis in his first game for the team, as Davis was only on the field for six snaps in the matchup. Davis was not expected to play a full workload in his first game for Denver and next week he should end up playing more snaps for the team. Owen Daniels stepped up with six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in the game.
The Broncos rushing attack did not get much done against the Colts, as Ronnie Hillman had one yard, while Anderson had 34 yards. The two players ended up with the same amount of touches in the game and in recent weeks Hillman and Anderson have been splitting carries. The Broncos have the Chiefs next week and fantasy owners should keep an eye on who gets the work with the first team offense heading into Week 10.
The Broncos saw DeMarcus Ware leave the game on Sunday with an injury to his back. According to Pro Football Talk, Ware left in the third quarter and he previously missed one game for the team before the bye week with another back injury. Ware had to be carted off from that game and Jason Cole reports that Ware could miss time with the injury. Shaq Barrett came in and played well for Ware and he likely would start if he misses time.
