It’s not always ideal to open up your season on the road against the defending AFC Champions. Especially after that Peyton Manning led Broncos are more determined than ever after being humiliated in the Super Bowl by the Seattle Seahawks last year. Add that to the many offseason acquisitions by the Denver Broncos and a four game suspension to Robert Mathis, you’d expect the Colts to be blown out, but that’s not what happened.

Sure, the Colts did lose 31-24 and struggled mightily in the first half, being down 24-0 late in the second quarter, but Indianapolis was able to stage a comeback in the second half, showing some positive signs. The offense was able to move the ball, Andrew Luck was protected, and the defense stopped Peyton Manning. And without some unlucky errors like a delay of game penalty that negated a potential field goal, two deflected interceptions off Andrew Luck, and a late fumble by Denver TE Julius Thomas that was recovered by the Broncos against all odds, the Colts may have even won.

But it wasn’t meant to be, depriving Andrew Luck from yet another 4^th quarter comeback win. Here are some takeaways from the Colts’ week one game…

1. No Pass Rush. A big reason why the Broncos were able to jump out to such a big lead in the first half was because Peyton Manning never felt the pressure. Manning will pick apart a defense when he has time, and that’s exactly what he did. Despite bringing different blitz packages throughout the night, the Colts were only able to register one sack. Without Robert Mathis for three more games, the Colts have to some guys step up the pass rush especially if they want to defeat the pass heavy Philadelphia Eagles next week. Look for a combination of guys to attempt to fill Robert Mathis’ place, whether it’s last year’s number one pick Bjoern Werner, veteran Erik Walden, or rookie Jonathan Newsome.

2. Run Game Ineffective. Granted the Colts took to the air quite frequently after they dug themselves a big whole in the first half, Trent Richardson didn’t have a great game, but he didn’t have a bad one either. At this point all Colts fans have given up on a weekly 100 plus yard rusher from Richardson, as he gained just 20 yards on 6 carries. Ahmad Bradshaw was much more of a threat than Richardson both on the ground and as a receiver, as he was the main running back for the second half while the Colts were staging a comeback. Bradshaw had 15 yards on 3 carries but added 70 yards receiving. It’s clear that patience will be thing on Richardson this season. If he doesn’t improve soon, expect to see a whole lot more of Bradshaw.

3. Colts can be Potent in the Air. The Colts began the game with a power run offense, but once they found themselves down big, they took to the air with Andrew Luck. Luck threw for 370 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. The 2 interceptions are a bit deceiving though as they were both off deflected passes, not necessarily the fault of Andrew Luck’s. Reggie Wayne returning was huge; you could see his veteran presence on the field as Luck’s safety blanket, having 98 yards receiving on 9 receptions. TY Hilton and Hakeem Nicks both struggled to get involved in the game early, but they were both effective in the second half, with Nicks catching his first touchdown as a Colt late in the fourth quarter. Dwayne Allen’s return was also welcomed, receiving for 64 yards, most of which came on a 41 yards touchdown. Allen and fellow tight end Coby Fleener will both be instrumental in this year’s offense. The Colts’ have plenty of weapons on offense to succeed through the air. It’s just up to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and head coach Chuck Pagano open up the offense and shift away from the power run offense that they have been so stubbornly implementing.