Broncos at Colts grades: Denver’s offense wakes up but defense and special teams falter

The Broncos fell to 1-1 after a 29-28 final-second loss to the Colts on Sunday in Indianapolis. Here are the grades for the defeat:

Offense

After a week full of questions, the Broncos offense came to play against the Colts. Quarterback Bo Nix rebounded with three touchdown passes, but threw a costly interception with the Broncos in field-goal range. J.K. Dobbins got going on the ground with 76 yards and a touchdown. The real offensive star of the game was wide receiver Troy Franklin with eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Grade: B+

Defense

The vaunted Denver defense did not force one punt in the loss. They did hold the Colts to five field goals, including a game-winner as time expired. After six sacks against the Titans, Denver didn’t put much pressure on quarterback Daniel Jones as he threw for 316 yards. Two fourth-down stops were key for the defense, but overall, it was a tough performance. Especially when the offense puts up 28 points.

Grade: D

Special teams

The last 3 minutes of the game were not shining moments for the Broncos’ special teams. First, kicker Wil Lutz missed 42-yard field goal that would have put Denver up five with 3 minutes to go. The Colts offense got one first down and decided to settle for a 60-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader that he missed. But Broncos defensive lineman Dondrea Tillman was called for a 15-yard leverage penalty, which gave Shrader another shot that he hit for the game-winner.

Grade: F

Coaching

Sean Payton’s play-calling was more effective than Week 1. A big concern was Vance Joseph’s defense, as Denver didn’t seem to adjust to what the Colts were doing on offense. And an even bigger concern was that Denver seemed undisciplined at critical times in the game. The Broncos had eight penalties for 83 yards, including a big one on the second-to-last play.

Grade: C-