The Denver Broncos secured a crucial 31-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, strengthening their grip on an AFC wild-card spot with a dominant defensive performance.
The Colts started strong, jumping out to a 10-0 lead, but ultimately squandered a key opportunity to stay in the playoff race. A costly third-quarter mistake saw running back Jonathan Taylor drop the ball just before crossing the goal line on what would have been a 41-yard touchdown. Instead of extending their lead to 20-7, the ball rolled into the end zone for a touchback, leaving Indianapolis clinging to a 6-point lead.
From that point, the Colts unraveled, unable to recover as the Broncos capitalized on five forced turnovers.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at noon ET.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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HIGHEST-GRADED PLAYERS
- Edge Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos (91.8)
- DI John Franklin-Myers, Denver Broncos (90.3)
- S Nick Cross, Indianapolis Colts (85.4)
Note: Follow along with PFF's in-game grading as our analysts evaluate every player on every play in real time! Grades will then be relocked 90 minutes after the final whistle as our first-run analysis is reviewed.
Click here to see PFF's initial grades from this game!
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Linebacker Nik Bonitto sealed the game by intercepting a lateral pass from Adonai Mitchell intended for quarterback Anthony Richardson and returning it 50 yards for a touchdown. Beyond that splash play, Bonitto made his presence felt in the pass rush, recording one sack, two hurries and two additional pass-rush wins that didn’t result in pressure, all from 25 pass-rush snaps. He also contributed a defensive stop against the run, capping off a solid all-around performance.
ADVANCED BOX SCORE
| Colts | Broncos | |
| Total points | 13 | 31 |
| Total offensive plays | 71 | 61 |
| Average EPA per play | -0.482 | -0.354 |
| Total net yards | 255 | 193 |
| Avg yards per play | 3.6 | 3.2 |
| Total first downs | 18 | 12 |
| Rushing first downs | 7 | 3 |
| Passing first downs | 8 | 7 |
| Penalty first downs | 3 | 2 |
| Third-down efficiency | 27% | 35% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 18% | 0% |
| Possessions | 15 | 15 |
| Avg plays per drive | 5.2 | 4.9 |
| Avg yards per drive | 15.9 | 12.1 |
| Avg points per drive | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Red-zone possessions | 2 | 3 |
| Red-zone plays | 3 | 5 |
| Red-zone TDs | 0 | 3 |
| Red-zone FGs | 1 | 0 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 50% | 100% |
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