INDIANAPOLIS — The Broncos (7-0) put their perfect record on the line when they take on Andrew Luck and the Colts (3-5) at Lucas Oil Stadium in a Week 9 matchup ripe with storylines. Here’s what you need to know for Sunday’s game:
INACTIVES
Broncos: Receiver Jordan Norwood (hamstring), outside linebacker Shane Ray (knee), quarterback Trevor Siemian, cornerback Lorenzo Doss, tight end Richard Gordon, defensive tackle Darius Kilgo and guard Shelley Smith.
Colts: Receiver Phillip Dorsett (ankle), running back Josh Robinson, cornerback Josh Thomas, inside linebacker Nate Irving (knee), offensive tackle Denzelle Good, guard Todd Herremans and defensive tackle Billy Winn.
STORYLINES
More Manning records. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is on the brink of history. Again.
In what could be his final game at Indianapolis, Manning has a chance to seal his legacy in the stadium he helped build. A Broncos victory and 284 passing yards would move him past Brett Favre for the most regular-season wins by a starting quarterback and most passing yards in NFL history.
He could achieve both against the team who felt he wasn’t worth keeping around after multiple neck surgeries.
How rich.
“It means a lot, and for him to do it there, I think that would be crazy,” linebacker Brandon Marshall said. “I’m excited for this opportunity for us to get this win.”
Manning silenced his critics after a 340-yard performance in a victory against Green Bay in Week 8. But the memory of Weeks 1-7 hasn’t been erased, and the approaching records may give critics more reason to gripe.
Say he gets his 284 yards, but the Broncos take their first loss of the season. The cries of record-chasing and returning at the expense of his team surely would be heard.
Welcome to the life of Peyton Manning.
Vernon Davis’ Broncos debut. The newest Bronco on the field, even if it’s limited. Davis, who was traded to Denver after spending nine-plus seasons in San Francisco, will be active and play, coach Gary Kubiak said Friday.
Davis will be relying on his experience and limited knowledge of the playbook after less than a week of practice with the Broncos. But his gives Manning another deep-passing threat, and Kubiak the option of using multiple-tight-end packages with fellow tight ends Owen Daniels and Virgil Green.
“We’re trying to isolate on what we think gives us the best chance with him this weekend, which he’s very comfortable with,” Kubiak said of Davis. “It will get very isolated, but he’ll be a part of what we’re doing. He’s worked hard. He knows some of the verbiage and some of the things we’re doing, but we’ve just got to make sure we don’t overload him where it has the opposite effect.”
Revenge game for Broncos’ D? The Broncos’ defense no longer is underrated. Its league-low 261.1 yards allowed, its 17 takeaways, its league-high 29 sacks — has turned heads.
In Week 8, it held the Packers to 77 passing yards and 90 rushing yards.
But the defense — cornerback Chris Harris especially — has been waiting for this rematch with Indianapolis since Jan. 11, when its 2014 postseason ended early with a 24-13 loss.
“We’re playing a team that beat us out last year in the playoffs,” said Harris, who has been vocal about his displeasure in not covering T.Y. Hilton in the defeat. “”It’s a game that we definitely want to win badly.”
Much has changed since that meeting, with most of the changes working in the Broncos’ favor this time around.
Andrew Luck had been dealing with lingering rib and shoulder injuries, and he was limited in Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury. He leads the league with 12 interceptions and his team collectively has 19 giveaways.
His offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, was replaced on Monday by Rob Chudzinski.
His teammates called a players-only meeting to try to restore order and boost morale amid all the changes and criticism.
And the team that sped past the Broncos in the AFC championship game 10 months ago now is a club in turmoil.
But one of the Colts’ biggest questions could post one of their biggest threats to the Broncos’ defense. The arrival of Chudzinski just days before the game adds unknowns into the game plan.
“You don’t know if they can change everything, but there are going to be some things changed,” Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. “I think Chud was helping them with the offense some. I see some of the things that they ran at Carolina and some of the things that we ran at San Diego that they were running. I think he’ll just go with the things that he’s comfortable with. I think some of those things they’ve been doing already.”
RELATED READS
• Manning and Luck: (Troy Renck, The Denver Post)
• Woody Paige: Wade Phillips (The Denver Post)
• Colts players try to (Stephen Holder, Indianapolis Star)
• Troy Renck: Broncos’ defense (The Denver Post)
• VIDEO: Broncos vs. Colts (The Denver Post)
• The (Nicki Jhabvala, The Denver Post)
• Mailbag: Talking Vernon Davis, , more (Troy Renck, The Denver Post)
• , more Broncos notes (Nicki Jhabvala, The Denver Post)
• Demaryius Thomas used bye week to ” ” (Cameron Wolfe, The Denver Post)
• Gregg Doyel: Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Star)
HOW TO WATCH
Broncos (7-0) vs. Colts (3-5)
Lucas Oil Stadium, 2:25 p.m.
TV: CBS (KCNC) — Jim Nantz, play-by-play; Phil Simms, color; Tracy Wolfson, sideline.
Radio: KOA (850 AM), The Fox 103.5 (FM)
Gametracker:
SERIES HISTORY
Meetings: 21
Broncos’ record: 12-9-0 (home: 7-3-0; away: 5-6-0)
Last game: Indianapolis 24 @ Denver 13 — Jan. 11, 2015 (AFC divisional playoff)
Broncos’ Manning era record: 1-2
CONNECTIONS
• Broncos general manager John Elway and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck graduated from Stanford and make up half of the school’s No. 1 overall NFL draft selections.
• Broncos tight end Vernon Davis is the older brother of Colts cornerback Vontae Davis.
• Peyton Manning and Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck are two of the three remaining players from the 1998 NFL draft class.
• Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips coached with Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky in San Diego for three seasons (2004-06) and Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for two (2005-06). Broncos safety T.J. Ward was coached by Chudzinski in Cleveland in 2013. And Broncos guard Louis Vasquez was coached by Chudzinski in San Diego in 2006.
• Colts inside linebacker Nate Irving played in Denver from 2011-14.
• Colts cornerback Tony Carter played in Denver in 2009 and from 2011-14.
• Colts coach Chuck Pagano is from Boulder and attended Fairview High.
NUMBERS TO WATCH
1: Victories needed by Manning to surpass Brett Favre (186) for the most regular-season wins by a starting quarterback in NFL history.
284: Passing yards needed by Manning to surpass Favre (71,838) for the most in NFL history.
100: Receiving yards needed by Demaryius Thomas to pass Rod Smith (31) for the most 100-yard receiving games in Broncos history (regular and postseason combined).
1: Sack needed by DeMarcus Ware to tie John Abraham (133.5) for 10th place on the NFL’s all-time sack list.
NEXT UP
Sun., Nov. 15 vs. Kansas City, Sports Authority Field, 2:25 p.m., CBS
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala
