Three Keys for the Colts vs. Broncos

Aug 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back

(34) runs with the ball against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Ground Game Must Get Going

The Colts’ biggest issue last season was the inability to figure out the rushing attack to help relive some pressure from Luck. They acquired Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns, but he was unable to do anything during his first season. Donald Brown ended up taking the main role towards the end of the year, but was still inconsistent.

This season, the Colts are giving Richardson another chance to prove himself to the team before they replace him with either Ahmad Bradshaw or Dan “Boom” Herron. Indianapolis simply doesn’t have the time to wait on Richardson to figure things out, and need the ground game to step up tonight in order to have a chance at a win. Luck isn’t going to be able to do everything by himself against a great Denver pass rush and improved secondary.

If the Colts are unable to get the rushing attack going, they are going to be in for a long night. Luck is a great quarterback, but even the best players in the league make mistakes under pressure against good opponents. Denver made some big additions to their defense this past offseason, and those additions are going to make things much more difficult that the Colts had to deal with last year.