The numbers are so starkly contrary, they could scream.
Led by quarterback Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts are very good on offense, ranking second in the 32-team NFL in passing yards (261.8 yards per game) and fifth in points (28.5).
The Colts are not so great on defense and horrific at stopping the run, ranking 31st in the league by allowing 158.0 yards rushing a game.
Hear that, Tatum Bell? The stats say the best way for the Broncos to beat the Colts on Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High is to run the ball.
“When you can run the ball on them, you keep Peyton off the field,” said Mike Ditka, the former NFL coach who works as an ESPN analyst.
Apparently, turning theory into application isn’t so simple. No one’s done it, yet. The Colts are 6-0.
“To beat a team like this, you have to be very consistent,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “That’s offense, defense and special teams. You don’t beat a team like Indy if you don’t play well in all three areas. On defense, we have to play at another level because we’re playing a quarterback that’s played very consistent and has played very well.”
A shootout doesn’t figure to be the Broncos’ kind of game. The Broncos are 5-1, thanks to a defense that has surrendered a league-low 7.3 points per game but no thanks to an offense ranked 31st by averaging only 13.2 points.
Can the Broncos engage the high-powered Colts in a 13-7 game? If so, it’s not likely the Broncos’ game plan will call on quarterback Jake Plummer to throw 41 passes, as he did in the wind Sunday at Cleveland.
Instead, Bell figures to be the key. He had his third 100-yard rushing game of the season in Cleveland despite suffering turf toe injuries on both feet. Bell missed enough time for rookie backup Mike Bell to get 10 carries, but for only 25 yards.
Shanahan said he expects Tatum Bell to be fine for the game against the Colts.
Long-limbed Elvis
The five sacks in the past two games by Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil are the most by an NFL rookie since Cincinnati’s Justin Smith in 2001.
Not bad for a guy who lasted until the fourth round in the NFL draft because, at 5-feet-11, Dumervil was considered undersized as a defensive lineman. Shanahan said what helps Dumervil compensate is his arm length that he says measures 33 to 33 1/2 inches.
“Usually guys with that length of arms are about 6-7,” Shanahan said.
Food drive
The annual Broncos wives’ food drive, which benefits the homeless and local food banks, is this week at several metro sites and Sunday at Invesco Field.
Canned goods and cash donations can be dropped off at King Soopers, U.S. Bank and Rocky Mountain Ford locations. Wives of the Broncos’ coaches and players will be stationed at Invesco Field gates from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday to accept donations.
Footnotes
Shanahan not only coached Manning during the Pro Bowl week last February in Hawaii, they golfed and dined together. “He was exactly what I thought he would be,” Shana- han said. “He just loves the game. You can see why he’s so successful. He lives it, breathes it. He wants to be the best that’s ever played.” …
Shanahan said the secret to satisfying his offensive skill- position players is in the number of plays. In their previous two games against Oakland and Baltimore, the Broncos ran only 51 and 53 plays, respectively. Broncos wide receiver Javon Walker implied after the Oakland game he wanted the ball thrown his way more often. Against the Browns, the Broncos ran 80 plays, enough for Walker and Rod Smith to have 15 combined receptions, Tatum Bell to rush for 115 yards and Plummer to pass for 209 yards.
EYE ON … The Colts
INDIANAPOLIS at DENVER, 2:15 p.m., Sunday
For the record: After posting the NFL’s best regular-season record last year at 14-2, the Colts already have a three-game lead in the AFC South this year with a 6-0 mark that ties the NFC’s Chicago Bears for the league’s best start.
Last game: Coming off a bye, the Colts whipped the Washington Redskins 36-22 on Sunday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
Streaking: The Colts started 13-0 last year and are 28-3 going back to the halfway point of the 2004 season.
Who’s hot: Even by his lofty standards, Peyton Manning is coming off an impressive four-touchdown, no-interception performance against the Redskins. It was the 14th four-TD passing game of his career. Only Dan Marino (21), Bart Starr (19) and Johnny Unitas (17) had more. Manning’s two top receivers, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, are each on pace for more than 1,300 yards. Rookie running back Joseph Addai is on pace for 1,100-plus combined rushing and receiving yards, and linebacker Cato June ranks second in the NFL with 61 tackles.
Who’s not: Bothered by an injured leg muscle, defensive end Dwight Freeney does not have a sack this year. He averaged 12 3/4 sacks the previous four years. The Colts’ defense ranks 31st in the NFL against the run, allowing 158.0 yards per game.
Key stat: The Colts are one of just nine NFL teams to start 6-0 in back-to-back seasons. The Rams were the most recent team, starting 6-0 three consecutive seasons from 1999-2001. In each of those seasons, the Rams lost Game 7.
FYI: Yes, the Colts walloped the Broncos in back-to-back playoff games by scores of 41-10 and 49-24 in 2003 and 2004, respectively. However, in the regular season, the Broncos have won the past two meetings, 33-14 in 2004 and 31-17 in 2003.
Injury report: Starting defensive tackle Montae Reagor, a former Bronco, is out. He was hit by another motorist while driving to the Colts’ game Sunday. Strong safety Mike Doss is out after suffering a sprained knee ligament Sunday, but safety Bob Sanders is expected back after missing the past four games following arthroscopic knee surgery.
Line: Broncos by 2 1/2 points.
Coachspeak: “He’s a little tougher than people give him credit for. We don’t like to find out how tough he is, but he’s been hit in the five years I’ve been here.” – Colts coach Tony Dungy, on Manning after the quarterback was high-lowed by two Washington defenders in the second quarter, then came back to lead his team from a 14-10 deficit to a 33-14 lead
