DENVER (AP) — Von Miller gave the Denver fans a reminder of his Super Bowl 50 MVP performance, sweeping in for the sack-strip of Andrew Luck that sealed the Broncos' 34-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
With the Broncos clinging to a six-point lead with 1:51 remaining, Miller burst past right tackle Joe Reitz and swiped the ball from Luck's grasp. Fellow linebacker Shane Ray scooped up the ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
Miller added a sack on the last play as the Broncos (2-0) sent the banged-up Colts limping to their third consecutive 0-2 start.
They did it by rattling Luck, who started 5 for 18 before he engineered a couple of second-half touchdown drives. Luck completed just 21 of 40 passes for 197 yards and was sacked five times.
Trevor Siemian outshone Luck, just as he did Cam Newton in the opener. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards.
Final for #INDvsDEN pic.twitter.com/si72OtNITU
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 18, 2016
Cornerback Aqib Talib returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, giving Denver a 23-13 lead.
Talib stepped in front of wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to snag Luck's pass, which he returned through traffic down Denver's jubilant sideline. His ninth career pick-6 was his fifth for Denver, a franchise record.
Luck threw a 7-yard TD pass to Frank Gore with 4:02 remaining, pulling the Colts to 23-20. The drive was kept alive by safety Darian Stewart's roughing penalty for smacking the quarterback in the helmet as he slid for the first down on a third-and-1 scramble at his own 30.
After today's game, Frank Gore has the 13th most rushing yards in NFL history.
?: https://t.co/o3aYMJA0sE pic.twitter.com/wzXvlEZXgs
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 19, 2016
Stewart was fined $18,231 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Newton in the opener and can expect another fine this week.
D'Qwell Jackson stuffed C.J. Anderson on third-and-1 from the Colts 17 and Brandon McManus's 35-yard field goal made it 26-20 with 1:51 left.
After a touchdown, Luck lined up and took the snap.
In a split-second, the ball was on the ground, and Luck watched helplessly as Ray scooped it up and scored.
THIN AIR: One week after Panthers punter Andy Lee had a 76-yard kick in Denver's mile-high air, Pat McAfee had a 72-yarder for the Colts that was nearly blocked but ended up bouncing into the north end zone for a touchback.
HONORING GREATS: The Broncos unveiled signs in the south end zone before the game honoring the players with retired numbers: Hall of Famers John Elway (7) and Floyd Little (44) and the No. 18 for Frank Tripucka, the first QB in franchise history. Tripucka's sign included a mention of Peyton Manning . Tripucka, who played from 1960-63, gave his blessing for Manning to wear the number when he was with the Broncos from 2012-15.
INJURY UPDATE:
Colts: CB Antonio Cromartie (shoulder) got hurt when he smacked into Emmanuel Sanders on the game's second snap, but returned in the second quarter. WR Donte Moncrief left in the second quarter with a head and neck injury. CB Rashaan Melvin left in the third quarter with cramps. RG Denzelle Good left in the fourth quarter with a back injury. Indianapolis began the day without three starters from their secondary in cornerback Vontae Davis (ankle) and Patrick Robinson (concussion) and safety T.J. Green (knee).
Broncos: RT Donald Stephenson went out in the first quarter with a calf injury and was replaced by Darrion Weems. OLB DeMarcus Ware injured his right elbow in the third quarter and didn't return. He shared a sack with Derek Wolfe.
Horse Play airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on theindychannel.com, the RTV6 app and on Facebook Live.
