Broncos vs. Colts: Live updates and highlights from the NFL Week 15 game

Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver hosts the Colts at Empower Field at Mile High.

Live updates

Second-quarter updates

Field goal, Colts (2:56 p.m.): Matt Gay nails the 37-yard field goal for Indianapolis to cap a 14-play, 52-yard drive. Colts 10, Broncos 0 with 14:49 to go in the second quarter. — Nguyen

Broncos hold the Colts to a field goal with a rare third-down stop. It’s 10-0 Indy early in the second quarter, and the Broncos have an uphill climb. — Schubert

14 plays, 52 yards and 7:17 (!!) off the clock for Indy on that field goal drive. — Gabriel

First-quarter analysis — Colts 7, Broncos 0

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: This game the whole way set up as one determined by the run game and turnover battle.

So far:

• Broncos -1 in turnovers.
• Colts have a 83-17 edge on the ground.

Denver in danger of falling behind by two scores

Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Denver’s defense was completely outmatched in the opening quarter. If they don’t clean up their execution on third down, this could be a long afternoon for the Broncos.

Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Take it away! The Broncos are 1-4 this season when giving up 100 rushing yards or more in a game. The Colts have 83. After a quarter. Mercy.

Troy Renck, sports columnist: Broncos getting mauled after one quarter, trailing 7-0. Colts have 122 yards, 83 on the ground and 45 from Taylor. They have converted 4-of-5 third downs, including a third-and-10 and third-and-9 on basic run plays. Broncos need to get physical or it is going to be a long, disappointing day.

Matt Schubert, sports editor: The Broncos defense needs to start sending some pressure. Because what they are doing right now ain’t working. One quarter and one possession for the Denver offense. Denver is going to have to earn this one.

First-quarter updates

Another one (2:51 p.m.): Another third-and-long converted by Jonathan Taylor. Make that 4 for 5 on third down.

Take away Jameis Winston’s three interceptions, and it’s been a rough five quarters for the Broncos defense. — Schubert

Colts 4/5 on third down and 1/1 on fourth down. — Gabriel

Taylor converts on third-and-9 and third-and-10. … Broncos getting absolutely gashed on the ground. Not good. … That’s inexcusable on basic run play. … Not controlling edge or middle. — Renck

Fourth-down conversion (2:49 p.m.): A 5-yard gain by Jonathan Taylor keeps Indy’s offense on the field. — Nguyen

Colts are now 3 for 4 on third down and 1 for 1 on fourth down. Broncos defense cannot get off the field right now. — Schubert

Third-down conversion (2:46 p.m.): Another third-down conversion for the Colts. A 17-yard gain caught by Michael Pittman Jr. — Nguyen

That’s two straight Colts drives where Anthony Richardson, not exactly noted for his accuracy, burns the Broncos on third down over the middle. — Schubert

That is Anthony Richardson Experience: Throw absolute dart for first down. Then overthrow open receiver by 10 yards. — Renck

Run, Bo, run (2:41 p.m.): On third-and-5, Bo Nix scrambles for a 16-yard gain. … And then throws a pick. — Nguyen

Bo Nix showing all the tools early. Solid throw on third-and-4 to Sutton. Big scramble for a first down on third down. Then … an ill-advised throw to Lil’Jordan Huymphrey for a pick. That’s interception No. 3 in the last five quarters for Nix. — Schubert

Bo Nix’s legs provide first sdown and it follows it up with one of his worst passes of the season. He didn’t get set, threw unnecessarily off balance for an an easy INT for Colts. … Ugly start for Broncos. Nix knows better. Gotta have better mechanics than that. — Renck

That’s a bad pick from Bo nix. And just one play after he ran for 16 to convert a third-down, too. — Gabriel

Another one (2:40 p.m.): Courtland Sutton with back-to-back snags on in-breakers. The big fella is already off to a good start. — Schubert

Third-down conversion (2:39 p.m.): Nice and easy short gain to Courtland Sutton for the third-down conversion. — Nguyen

RBs (2:38 p.m.): Jaleel McLaughlin gets the first carry on offense. And promptly leaves the game. — Schubert

Debut (2:38 p.m.): Drew Sanders made his season debut on the Broncos’ kickoff. The second-year linebacker is all the way back after tearing his Achilles back in April. — Gabriel

Big runs (2:37 p.m.): Indianapolis had 48 rushing yards during its scoring drive. — McFadden

Only way Broncos lose this game, IMHO, is if they don’t stop the run. Of the Colts’ 70 yards on opening drive, 48 came on the ground with Taylor and Richardson. Colts lead 7-0 with 10:52 left in first. — Renck

Broncos came into Week 15 averaging 4.2 points allowed per first quarter, 12th in the NFL. Dropping a 7-spot to Indy after one drive ain’t a good sign, especially when you’re giving up 9.6 yards per carry. — Keeler

Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor on the first drive: Five carries for 48 and the TD.

Colts converted a pair of third-and-10s along the way. — Gabriel

Touchdown, Colts (2:33 p.m.): Oh, crud. — Keeler

That was too easy. … Anthony Richardson fakes dive and sweeps right for 23-yard TD. That is exactly what Broncos can’t do… Get gashed on the ground. — Renck

Uh oh. About the worst possible start you could envision for the Broncos. Richardson completes a third-and-long, Jonathan Taylor breaks tackles for a third-and-10 conversion, and then Richardson burns the Broncos on a zone read. Broncos had multiple opportunities to get off the field. — Schubert

DB alignment (2:32 p.m.): Looks like it’s Mathis outside in the base and Abrams-Draine outside when Denver’s in nickel. — Gabriel

Another third-down completion (2:32 p.m.): The Colts path to an upset is simple. Running the football. Brutal play where Broncos allow Taylor 15-yard run on third-and-10. — Renck

Two missed tackles from the Broncos on Jonathon Taylor and the Colts are in business. Gotta make that stop. — Schubert

Third-down completion (2:29 p.m.): Anthony Richardson looking surprisingly confident on a downfield throw to Josh Downs. —Schubert

Brock’s back (2:28 p.m.): Brock Osweiler planted the Broncos flag before the game. Brock back in the building. Broncos don’t reach Super Bowl 50 without his 5-2 regular season mark. — Renck

Riley Dixon’s replacement (2:27 p.m.): Kris Abrams-Draine playing at outside cornerback on the opening drive. — McFadden

It’s the ol’ switcheroo at CB. Broncos put Mathis with the first team in warmups and announced him as the starter and then Abrams-Draine gets the first crack at it.

Now Mathis is in there, though. — Gabriel

Coin toss (2:25 p.m.): Denver wins the toss and defers. Indy will start with the ball. — Nguyen

Pre-game updates

Full circle (2:24 p.m.): Peyton Manning was talking with Bo Nix in the pregame. Could be a full circle moment. The last big win at the stadium was led by Manning in the AFC Championship victory over the Patriots, advancing Broncos to Super Bowl 50. Win today and Broncos will be one win from clinching their first playoff berth since that season. — Renck

Undercard (2:22 p.m.): As big as this game is, it remains the undercard on the national landscape. The network broadcasting this game, CBS, sent its studio crew to Detroit for Bill-Lions like its College Gameday. — Schubert

Bills-Lions: The Super Bowl We’ll Never Get, Because Mahomes. — Keeler

Windy (2:17 p.m.): Weather will be in the 40s for this one. Winds 15-20 mph with gusts up to 35… It sets up as a day to run the heck out of the football. — Renck

A little help (2:11 p.m.): The Broncos’ playoff hopes just got a big boost with the Texans taking down the Dolphins in Miami. The number of AFC teams that can finish with 10 wins is now down to eight — including the Broncos and Colts. So, yeah, this still remains a very big game for the Broncos. Win, and you’re pretty much in (barring a massive late-season collapse). — Schubert

A Broncos win today moves Denver’s magic number to one, to use a baseball term. If Denver wins today, they can clinch Thursday night at the Chargers (or by winning either of the two games after that).

Win today, and you’re thinking about getting greedy from a seeding perspective. — Gabriel

Broncos inactives (12:59 p.m.): CB Levi Wallace, CB Riley Moss, T Frank Crum, G Nick Gargiulo, DL Eyioma Uwazurike, LB Levelle Bailey and QB Zach Wilson (emergency third quarterback).

Wallace is sidelined after allowing 151 receiving yards vs. Browns. LB Drew Sanders will make his season debut. — McFadden

Popular jerseys (12:04 p.m.): Walking through tailgaters in parking lot always features wide variety of jersey. Most popular I have seen for each team: Broncos Bo Nix’s No. 10. Colts Quenton Nelson’s No. 56. — Renck

Injury update (11:41 a.m.): Broncos CB Riley Moss, who missed the Week 13 game against Cleveland with a right MCL injury sustained at Las Vegas Nov. 24, won’t play today but he’s down on the field going through a workout with training staff currently. Definitely not full speed, but he’s working on lateral shuffling, backpedaling and changing direction. It’ll be a challenge for him to get back by Thursday night at Los Angeles given the short week of preparation. — Gabriel

Good morning from Empower Field (11:40 a.m.): It’s a beautiful, sunny day for a big one between the Broncos and Colts. The wind, however, could have an impact today. It’s gusting and looks to be swirling a bit down on the field about 2:45 before kickoff. — Gabriel

Scouting report (10 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Colts in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.

Game predictions

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 27, Colts 20

Sean Payton’s team has won the games it’s supposed to this year. The best team by record they’ve beaten is 7-6 Tampa Bay. The worst team they’ve lost to by record? A three-team tie at 8-5. The Colts are 6-7. The Broncos are favored by 4. An eight-year playoff drought is on the line. At long last, it’s time for the breakthrough.

Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Colts 17

The Broncos understand what’s at stake on Sunday, and their performance will reflect that. Denver will take advantage of a struggling Colts defense and don’t be surprised if it relies on the run game to do so. Expect Anthony Richardson to try to create some explosive plays in the passing game. However, he will fall victim to the turnover bug, which will play a big part in the outcome.

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 27, Colts 20

Sean Payton’s team has won the games it’s supposed to this year. The best team by record they’ve beaten is 7-6 Tampa Bay. The worst team they’ve lost to by record? A three-team tie at 8-5. The Colts are 6-7. The Broncos are favored by 4. An eight-year playoff drought is on the line. At long last, it’s time for the breakthrough.

Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Colts 17

The Broncos understand what’s at stake on Sunday, and their performance will reflect that. Denver will take advantage of a struggling Colts defense and don’t be surprised if it relies on the run game to do so. Expect Anthony Richardson to try to create some explosive plays in the passing game. However, he will fall victim to the turnover bug, which will play a big part in the outcome.

Broncos-Colts NFL Week 15: Must-reads

Renck: Broncos will beat the Colts because they finally have head coach who can win a big game

This has been the hardest thing to admit for eight years, and now it is the easiest thing for Broncos Country to read. It is obvious. There remains no reason to deny it.

The Broncos finally have a coach who can win a big game. Thank you, Sean Payton.

It’s OK to say it aloud. Tell a friend. And it will feel even better when the Broncos beat the Colts on Sunday. Payton will meet the moment.

It was not true last season when Payton’s in-game acumen required WD-40. But it is undeniably true now. No game this weekend has more at stake. Read Troy Renck’s column.

Sean Payton’s heavy emphasis on red zone efficiency bearing fruit for Bo Nix, Broncos

Adam Trautman has been around Sean Payton long enough to understand his meticulous game planning. But whenever Payton gets into the red zone period of practice, Denver’s tight end notices an added level of focus.

Last year, Payton was animated about Denver’s struggles in the red zone and goal-to-go situations. And for good reason: Denver scored a touchdown on 50.85% of their red zone trips (20th in NFL) and had a conversion rate of 53.33% on goal-to-go opportunities.

But throughout this season, Denver has steadily improved its production in the red area, which has helped put Payton’s team in the middle of the playoff race with four weeks left in the regular season. Read Ryan McFadden’s story.

Broncos’ Sean Payton: LT Garett Bolles is “one of the premier pass-blockers in our league”

Sean Payton knows Garett Bolles’ game well at this point. He just didn’t know his age.

That, of course, was no hindrance to Denver signing the left tackle to a four-year extension worth $82 million on Thursday. Payton, though, insisted he didn’t realize Bolles was already in his 30s.

Payton, naturally, pays close attention to his offensive line’s production. He’s a believer in a team being built from the inside out. And Denver now has a key piece secured. Read Parker Gabriel’s story.

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