NFL
BRONCOS 25, COLTS 13
INDIANAPOLIS -- Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler played like a relaxed reliever on Thursday.
He couldn't have picked a better time.
With Paxton Lynch inactive and Trevor Siemian out after two series, Osweiler trotted onto the field, ran for one touchdown and threw for two more to lead the Broncos past Indianapolis 25-13 for their first road victory of the season.
"I was just a little kid having fun tonight," Osweiler said. "That's really what it was. I've been on a little bit of a rollercoaster ride for about two years. Just to go out there, Thursday Night Football, with my teammates, I was just having fun."
The difference was obvious.
Osweiler played more like the guy Denver (5-9) took in the second round of the 2012 draft and the guy Broncos fans remember filling in for the injured Peyton Manning during the 2015 Super Bowl season.
He wound up 12 of 17 with 194 yards and no turnovers and ran for an 18-yard TD, too. C.J. Anderson ran 30 times for a season-high 158 yards.
Denver may need Osweiler to keep playing this way a couple more times after Siemian was diagnosed with a sprained left shoulder. Coach Vance Joseph couldn't say whether he'd have his starting quarterback against Washington.
If Siemian can't go, Osweiler may get another shot.
"He played with great poise," Joseph said. "He played great, clean football and it led to a win."
That's two victories in five days -- and the Broncos' first outside the Mile High City since Dec. 4, 2016. The victory assures Denver of avoiding its first winless season on the road since 1964.
But it sure wasn't easy, and at times, it was downright rugged.
Siemian was taken to the locker room after being driven into the ground by Colts linebacker Barkevious Mingo late in the first quarter.
A much scarier scene played out with 14:01 left in the second when Denver linebacker Deiontrez Mount appeared to make helmet-to-helmet contact with Colts tight end Brandon Williams on punt protection. Williams was knocked over backward and stayed on the ground as trainers and doctors strap him to a backboard and removed his face mask.
When Williams was lifted onto a cart, his teammates came over to offer support.
Coach Chuck Pagano said Williams had a concussion and had returned to the team's training room after initially being taken to a local hospital.
"We erred on the side of caution and, rightfully so, taking care of him," Pagano said. "But he's back here, he's doing well."
Indianapolis' struggles continue, though. The Colts (3-11) have lost five consecutive, the longest skid in Pagano's six-year tenure, and will post their first losing season at home since 2011.
The game pretty much went as expected.
Jacoby Brissett scored on a 7-yard run and Adam Vinatieri gave Indy a 10-0 lead with a 45-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. All Indy could muster the rest of the night was a 39-yard field goal early in the third.
Osweiler, meanwhile, rallied the Broncos.
His touchdown run just before halftime made it 10-7. He gave Denver the lead with a 22-yard TD pass to Cody Latimer with 4:16 left in the third and then added a 54-yard TD strike to Jeff Heuerman to make it 22-13 following a 2-point conversion toss to Latimer.
"We had a really good rhythm offensively and we were able to mix the run and the pass," Osweiler said. "I was going to lay it all out there."
Colts running back Frank Gore added to his milestone career on a night it looked like he might not even finish.
The 34-year-old running back left during the second quarter with a knee injury.
When he returned for the start of the second half, he quickly became the second player in league history to post 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 12 consecutive seasons. Only Emmitt Smith (13) has more.
Gore finished with 10 carries for 31 yards and remains fifth on the NFL's career rushing list.
Osweiler's TD pass to Heuerman ended an 18-game regular-season Broncos streak without a 50-yard completion and a 13-game regular season streak without a TD pass of 40 or more yards. Emanuel Sanders had 7 catches for 68 yards and Demaryius Thomas had 5 catches for 69 yards.
Brissett was 17 of 30 with 158 yards for the Colts. T.Y. Hilton caught five passes for 41 yards. Indianapolis had 228 yards in offense.
Indy fell to 2-5 at home and will have its first losing season at home in Pagano's tenure.
Sports on 12/15/2017