The Broncos’ defense watched not one, but two animal-attacking films this week.
“Playoff edition,” defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. “It was pretty spectacular. I kinda want to hold it in. It’s good stuff. It was very strong. We added in clips of a great player and then got a couple of different animals in and they were attacking things, and so it was a very, very good film. That’s all I’m going to give you.”
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To outsiders it may seem all for laughs. But Terrance Knighton believes it has an impact on the Broncos’ play.
“The good thing is, when they show the animal and then they show previous plays we made during the week, it looks similar — how we attack the ball, how physical we are. We just want to have that animal instinct when we’re on the field.”
The Broncos’ weekly tradition has been taken up a notch because it’s “win or go home now.” And Denver isn’t looking to be the one packing its bags.
But as Del Rio said, with each “new season” — preseason, regular season, postseason — the competition gets tougher and the stakes get higher. And although Denver defeated the Colts, 31-24, in Week 1, Sunday’s matchup in a divisional playoff game is of no comparison.
In some ways, the Colts look and sound much like the Broncos did early in the season:
An offense that relies primarily on its elite quarterback, Andrew Luck.
A public admission by their coach that “it’s been hard to get the run game going.”
An acknowledgment that offensive balance is always a goal, but that a victory, no matter how it’s achieved, is the real desire.
But with the loss of Ahmad Bradshaw in Week 11 (fractured leg) and the lackluster play of Trent Richardson, the Colts have become one-dimensional.
“I think the biggest thing is that even when they’re one-dimensional, they’re not one-dimensional because (Luck) will take off and run,” Del Rio said. “I guess they’re getting their run game that way.”
Del Rio said he looks to the Colts’ wild-card victory over the Chiefs last year as proof of what Luck is capable of doing to a team. He rallied the Colts from a 28-point third-quarter deficit by throwing three of his four touchdowns in the second half, scoring on a fumble return and throwing a 64-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton to give Indianapolis a 45-44 win.
Luck finished that game with 443 yards, the highest yardage total in franchise history for a playoff game.
“This is not a 30-minute game. (Luck) is one of those type of quarterbacks where you can’t sit back if you’re 24-0 or if you’re 14-0, it really doesn’t matter,” Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware told reporters Thursday. “He’ll find some way to score points because that’s what he does best. So you have to make sure you play a consistent game throughout the 60 minutes and never let your foot off the pedal.
And then you factor in his size and versatility: 6-foot-4, and 240 pounds with a strong arm and quick legs.
“He’s a fine football player,” Del Rio said. “He’s a guy that came into the league playing a high level, and he’s just gotten better. He’s a big, strong, talented guy. … Yeah, he’s a challenge.”
Footnotes: All 53 players practiced for the Broncos on Thursday, but linebacker Brandon Marshall (foot), defensive end Quanterus Smith (knee) and defensive tackle Mitch Unrein (knee) were limited.
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or at twitter.com/nickijhabvala
