Indianapolis-Denver: Five Things We Learned

The NFL Divisional Playoff Round had been holding to some form with the top seeded home teams all winning in the previous three games – New England upending Baltimore, Seattle outscoring Carolina and Green Bay holding off Dallas.  In the final game of the weekend, the Denver Broncos were hoping to avenge the frustration of a 2014 Super Bowl loss and some late season struggles that saw them drop from the top seed in the AFC to second in hosting the Indianapolis Colts, Wild Card winners from the previous weekend over the Cincinnati Bengals.  With Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning playing his former team, Denver jumped out to a quick lead on their first drive and it appeared the pattern of the weekend might hold.  However, the Colts found a way to not only stay close to Denver but take control of the game with precision on all aspects of their play.  Denver did have several chances to get back into the affair, but in the end, they just couldn’t overcome their lackadaisical play and lost to the Colts 24 to 13.  Indianapolis now advances from the Wild Card Round to battle New England for the AFC berth in the upcoming Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona while the defeat will now open several questions about the future for Denver – will Manning return next season to be the team’s quarterback? Will Coach John Fox keep his job after the one and out playoff run for the Broncos, and if he stays, how many coaches will he need to replace? Will the Broncos keep the core of their team together for another run at bringing a Super Bowl win to Colorado?  Here are three things that we learned about both teams after this intense battle.