The Denver Broncos will be looking to get out to a 2-0 start to the 2025 season, but a road test against the Indianapolis Colts stands in the way. This game seems much harder than it did when the schedule was released after the Colts looked terrific with Daniel Jones last week against the Miami Dolphins.
It's easy to scoff at that and say that it was just the Dolphins, but the Broncos didn't exactly look good against the Tennessee Titans, needing their defense to make some big plays in order to get past the Titans.
An upset could be brewing at Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Broncos will need to play much better than they did in the season opener to get the victory. How do the experts see this one shaking out?
Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts Week 2 predictions
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Broncos 28, Colts 21
"The Broncos had four turnovers in the opener, but the defense will travel to Indianapolis. Six different Denver players had a sack in Week 1. Daniel Jones had a 75.9% completion percentage in the opener – which ranked third in the NFL. Denver will make him far-less efficient."
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Broncos 20, Colts 17
"Bo Nix was terrible for the Broncos, but his burden is limited with the defense being so dominant from top to bottom. Plus, the running game is much-improved with RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins. Daniel Jones will get a home reality check against a much tougher defense."
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Broncos 23, Colts 20
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Colts 24, Broncos 23
"Denver is out on the road for the first time against a Colts team that dominated the Dolphins last week. Daniel Jones played well in that game. But this is a much tougher challenge in the Denver defense.
Bo Nix wasn't great last week, so he needs to get back on track. I think the Colts will find a way to win this one late."
John Breech, CBS Sports: Colts 19, Broncos 16
"I don't want to say that we were all wrong about Daniel Jones, but we might have all been wrong about Daniel Jones. You know how sometimes people are way better off after a breakup? Well, that's Jones leaving the Giants. Apparently, all he needed was a chance to play for any team besides them.
In his first game with in Indianapolis, the Colts had the ball seven times and they scored on all seven possessions making Jones the first quarterback since at least 1978 to pull that off.
Peyton Manning spent 14 seasons with the Colts and he didn't accomplish that a single time. Am I saying that Daniel Jones is better than Peyton Manning? Maybe. OK, I'm not, but I do think that Shane Steichen is the perfect coach to unlock him. Starting against Miami in Week 1 was perfect for Jones, because the Dolphins were so bad that it was like a practice game.
Jones made smart, quick decisions while throwing for 272 yards and a touchdown. I mean, just look at the throw below: Jones threaded the needle between two defenders for a 36-yard gain to Alex Pierce.
OH MY ALEC PIERCE.
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
MIAvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Kkc968cK3R
Where was that during his time in New York? Never mind. I don't want to know.
On the Broncos' end, I have no idea what to make of them. I predicted that they would make the playoffs this year, but that prediction was made under the assumption that Bo Nix would be taking a step forward this year, and I'm not sure what he was doing in Week 1, but he definitely didn't take a step forward.
Nix threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, but the Titans were so bad that the Broncos still won.
I predicted that the Colts would be a surprise this year by finishing second place in the AFC South and beating the Broncos would definitely count as a surprise. In somewhat related news, I think we all need to agree to fully embrace the Indiana Jones nickname. Danny Dimes was fun for awhile, but he lives in Indiana now and his last name is Jones, so we just need to roll with it. And once we all agree to call him Indiana Jones, we can start referring to the Colts' home stadium as the Temple of Doom. And now that I've gotten that off my chest, um, I'm not picking against Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom."
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