Colts grind out ugly OT win over Broncos in touchdown-less game

Stephon Gilmore batted away Russell Wilson’s cross to Courtland Sutton ultimately zone on fourth-and-one from the five-yard line to offer the Indianapolis Colts a 12-9 additional time victory over the Denver Broncos on Thursday night time.

“That is the definition of a big-time participant making huge performs within the second,” Colts coach Frank Reich mentioned of Gilmore, who additionally intercepted Wilson’s cross within the fourth quarter to assist arrange Chase McLauglin’s tying subject aim.

“Is not it superior you’ll be able to have a sport like that and nonetheless win,” Reich mentioned.

The Broncos (2-3) determined towards a tying chip-shot subject aim by Brandon McManus or perhaps a first-down play on fourth-and-less-and-a-yard from the 5, and Wilson lined up within the shotgun subsequent to working again Melvin Gordon, then threw incomplete over the center.

“We wished to win the sport,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett mentioned. “We hadn’t moved the ball very effectively the entire night time and I although we had a spectacular drive to get all the best way down there.”

Huge open and uncovered — however unseen by Wilson — was KJ Hamler, who tore off his helmet and slammed it to the bottom after Wilson’s remaining cross was batted away, sending the Broncos and their terrible offence to their second loss in 4 days.

“There’s going to be a bunch of what-ifs,” Broncos guard Dalton Risner mentioned. “You realize what, if we rating that landing, everybody thinks it is the very best name on this planet.”

Matt Ryan grinded out the victory regardless of throwing two interceptions into the fingers of security Caden Sterns, fumbling for the tenth time this season and getting sacked six instances, giving him 21 to this point.

Though there have been a half dozen fumbles within the sport, none had been recovered by the defence.

McLaughlin despatched it to additional time with a 31-yarder with 5 seconds left in regulation after Gilmore intercepted Wilson’s cross to Jerry Jeudy ultimately zone on third-and-four from the 13-yard line.

That kick capped the Colts’ longest drive of the night time, 68 yards in 10 performs.

The Colts gained the additional time coin toss and Ryan drove them into field-goal vary once more.

Many followers had been questioning if this sport could be certainly one of revenge — Phillip Lindsay returning to his hometown to beat the Broncos — or redemption — Gordon atoning for his huge fumble Sunday that was returned 68 yards for a landing by the Raiders.

It turned out to be neither.

Lindsay ran for 40 yards on 11 carries advert Gordon had 54 yards on 15 carries, however he was flipped by security Rodney McLoyd Jr. on the 6 on his technique to the tip zone when it appeared he had an open path to the successful landing.

Sterns picked off two of Ryan’s passes, the second resulting in a 45-yard subject aim and a 9-6 lead with 3:19 left within the third quarter. However the boobirds had been out once more at Empower Subject after Andrew Beck dropped a landing cross two performs after Sterns’ second interception.

Key starters lacking

The prime-time sport was a streaming snooze-fest pitting veteran quarterbacks scuffling with their new groups, each of whom had been lacking their greatest working again and a number of other key defenders.

It appeared like neither group practiced a lot in the course of the week as a result of neither group did as they labored in new working backs and changed key defenders on a brief work week.

And as is widespread on Thursday nights, there was a rash of accidents with essentially the most severe to Indy’s Kwity Payne (leg) and Denver’s Garett Bolles (proper knee), each of whom had been carted oft.

McLaughlin’s 51-yarder tied it within the third quarter, and Grover Stewart preserved the tie by blocking McManus’ try from 34 yards after Courtland Sutton’s 51-yard catch during which he wrested the ball from teammate Montrell Washington.

With reigning NFL champion Jonathan Taylor (ankle, toe) out for Indy and the Broncos lamenting the lack of Javonte Williams to a shredded proper knee, the grind-it-out nature of the sport was fully anticipated.

The Colts got here in averaging 14.3 factors a sport, the bottom in Ryan’s 16-year profession, and the Broncos entered the night time avearging 16.5 factors, the worst in Wilson’s 11-year profession.

Nyheim Hines acquired the beginning for Indy, however he went out with a head damage after his third snap when D.J. Jones knocked him down and Hines’ helmet bounced on the bottom. He wobbled as he tried to go away the sector on his personal and needed to be guided to the sideline, the place he was evaluated for a concussion.