With the Denver Broncos falling to 2-2 five days ago in an ugly performance on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, we have a good mix of optimism and despair from our Mile High Report staff this week. The score predictions for this Thursday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts are all over the place. From easy wins to losses and even one tie.
Collectively, we think Denver will come out of this with a 21-19 win over Matt Ryan and the Colts. A win would be just what we need and the team needs heading into a mini-bye ahead of Week 6.
Anyway, here is how we see things playing out individually.
Broncos 27, Colts 17
Are the Broncos fixed? Nah. But they are in better shape than Matt Ryan and the Colts right now. Plus they’ll be at home in front of a rowdy Mile High crowd. I think they come away with a win here and a late Matt Ryan pick six will seal the deal! - Tim Lynch
Broncos 27, Colts 21
It’s tough to be optimistic about a win after the injury-riddled, mistake-prone loss at Las Vegas, but the Colts are just not very good. They will also be beat up, as RB Jonathan Taylor, OLB Shaq Leonard, and DB Stephon Gilmore are all questionable to see the field, and if they do, they won’t be at full strength. Confidence level on this pick is just north of 50%, but the matchup favors Denver here, and I’ll also take Russell Wilson over Matt Ryan. - Nick Burch
Broncos 23, Colts 20
The Broncos are a good team at home, and that matters more on Thursday nights. The home team is 3-1 on Thursday night this season, with the only road win belonging to the Bills on opening night. The Broncos will surely miss Javonte Williams and Randy Gregory, in addition to Justin Simmons, but the Colts aren’t exactly healthy either. it’s a blessing that the Broncos won’t see Jonathan Taylor running downhill at them after Josh Jacobs gashed them on a Sunday. Matt Ryan hasn’t been very good this season and particularly struggles under pressure. It might not be pretty, but I think Denver can force Ryan into some mistakes and make just enough plays on offense to pull it out. - Chad Workman
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Broncos 24, Colts 12
The Colts are banged up. The Broncos are banged up. The Broncos are at home. The Colts have Matt Ryan. The Broncos have Russell Wilson. The Broncos offense seemed to find a little something in the loss to the Raiders. It’s a win on Thursday night. - Adam Malnati
Colts 24, Broncos 10
I’ll believe in this team when they give me a reason. It’s been empty promises and rah-rah talks with little results on the field. Do something. Oh, and Courtland can’t do it all. But he’s trying. - Mike DeCicco
Broncos 19, Colts 17
I have no idea what we will see from the Broncos or Hackett. You would think the defense plays better after being embarrassed by the Raiders, but who knows? At least for now, expectations are dicey until the team and, especially, Hackett prove they can hack it. Playing at home is the advantage on a short week ... I think? - Ian St. Clair
Broncos 23, Colts 20
The Broncos matched their amazing offensive achievement of scoring two touchdowns in one game, and it will barely be enough to take out the Colts. The only hope the Broncos seemingly have is that they’re undefeated at home so far this year. Time for this defense to get after an aging Matt Ryan and get back over .500. - Ross Allen
Broncos 17, Colts 17
In a Thursday night battle of the NFL’s two most dysfunctional (on the field) franchises, I feel like a tie would be almost poetic. There’ll be ups and downs, 3 and outs to go with some long bombs, and plenty of high blood pressure and frustration all around as both teams skid into overtime and the offenses spin their wheels for another 15 minutes. - Taylor Kothe
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