NFC Wild Card: Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (RCA Dome), the bracket opens here. Kickoff time: 4:42pm. Winner advances to the divisional round. Loser starts the offseason early.
Wild card weekend is the most chaotic football the calendar produces. Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts at RCA Dome is the kind of game that decides whether a season was a long buildup or a quick exit. These are the games where the second-tier playoff teams have to prove they belong. Most don't. The few who do define the rest of January.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in RCA Dome shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Denver Broncos versus Indianapolis Colts in the NFC Wild Card. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Denver Broncos-Indianapolis Colts cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 14-2 | W12 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 12-4 | W3 |
| Houston Texans | 5-11 | L4 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 13-3 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 12-4 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-6 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 | L3 |
| New York Giants | 4-12 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-6 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | W2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3331010 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 14 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 1431414141 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Brandon Stokley 31 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) | 0-7 |
| Broncos | Jason Elam 49 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Colts | Marvin Harrison 46 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) | 3-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Marvin Harrison 23 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) | 3-21 |
| Colts | Brandon Stokley 87 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) | 3-28 |
| Colts | Mike Vanderjagt 27 yard field goal | 3-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Reggie Wayne 7 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) | 3-38 |
| Colts | Mike Vanderjagt 20 yard field goal | 3-41 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Rod Smith 7 yard pass from Jake Plummer ( Jason Elam kick) | 10-41 |
| Broncos | Colts | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 20 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 322 | 479 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 23/30 | 26/31 |
| Pass yards | 181 | 394 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 5 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 5 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 176 | 394 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 26 | 23 |
| Rush yards | 146 | 85 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 55 | 40 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | |||||
| Jake Plummer | 23/30 | 181 | 1 | 2 | |
| IND | |||||
| Peyton Manning | 22/26 | 377 | 5 | 0 | |
| Brock Huard | 4/5 | 17 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | ||||
| Clinton Portis | 17 | 68 | 0 | 11 |
| Quentin Griffin | 6 | 60 | 0 | 19 |
| Jake Plummer | 3 | 18 | 0 | 10 |
| IND | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 17 | 78 | 0 | 11 |
| Dominic Rhodes | 4 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Peyton Manning | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ricky Williams | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | ||||
| Rod Smith | 5 | 66 | 1 | 34 |
| Shannon Sharpe | 5 | 31 | 0 | 9 |
| Reuben Droughns | 5 | 19 | 0 | 10 |
| Quentin Griffin | 2 | 18 | 0 | 11 |
| Charlie Adams | 2 | 18 | 0 | 14 |
| Dwayne Carswell | 2 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Clinton Portis | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Ashley Lelie | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| IND | ||||
| Brandon Stokley | 4 | 144 | 2 | 87 |
| Marvin Harrison | 7 | 133 | 2 | 46 |
| Reggie Wayne | 5 | 43 | 1 | 16 |
| Edgerrin James | 5 | 37 | 0 | 13 |
| Marcus Pollard | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Joe Davenport | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Troy Walters | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Indianapolis Colts defeated Denver Broncos 41-10 at RCA Dome in the NFC Wild Card. The final scoring play was Broncos: Rod Smith 7 yard pass from Jake Plummer ( Jason Elam kick). The 31-point margin made it a one-sided afternoon. Top line of the day: Peyton Manning: 377 pass yards on 22-of-26, 5 TD, 0 INT. Indianapolis Colts advance to the divisional round.
Indianapolis Colts walked out of RCA Dome as the team that survived an NFC Wild Card Denver Broncos will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 41-10. This was a 31-point margin, which is unusual for this round of the postseason and tells a story about which staff out-prepared the other from the opening series. The final scoring play came from Broncos: Rod Smith 7 yard pass from Jake Plummer ( Jason Elam kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Indianapolis Colts advance to the divisional round.
Indianapolis Colts 41, Denver Broncos 10. Round: NFC Wild Card. Attendance: 56586. Q1: 3 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Peyton Manning: 377 pass yards on 22-of-26, 5 TD, 0 INT - Edgerrin James: 78 rush yards on 17 carries - Brandon Stokley: 4 catches for 144 yards
NFC Wild Card, played at RCA Dome. Final: Denver Broncos 10, Indianapolis Colts 41, with Indianapolis Colts taking the result by 31. **First quarter**
- Colts: Brandon Stokley 31 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) - Broncos: Jason Elam 49 yard field goal - Colts: Marvin Harrison 46 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick)
**Second quarter**
- Colts: Marvin Harrison 23 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) - Colts: Brandon Stokley 87 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) - Colts: Mike Vanderjagt 27 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Colts: Reggie Wayne 7 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) - Colts: Mike Vanderjagt 20 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Broncos: Rod Smith 7 yard pass from Jake Plummer ( Jason Elam kick)
**Top performers**
- Peyton Manning: 377 pass yards on 22-of-26, 5 TD, 0 INT - Edgerrin James: 78 rush yards on 17 carries - Brandon Stokley: 4 catches for 144 yards
The 31-point margin says most of what needs saying about how the day went; the box score is the rest.