"Understanding fully that Passing Peyton cannot be defeated at his own game, the Broncos developed a plan this week that focused on deficit reduction. Don "Wink" Martindale, the Broncos' defensive coordinator, first focused on taking away Indianapolis' running game. The idea: Force Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts into a single-dimension offense. Colts runners were held to 1.8 yards per carry. Check. Next, Martindale wanted to take away Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, the two most lethal of Manning's four targets. Champ Bailey took care of Wayne, who, with an oft-double-covered Clark, combined for 109 yards receiving, or a pedestrian average of 54.5. Check. That left Manning pretty much isolated to defeat the Broncos by himself. Check? No check. Some tasks are easier to complete than others. Mostly because when it comes to passing, nobody outpasses Manning, the Colts beat the Broncos 27-13 on a spectacularly sunny and warm Sunday afternoon at Invesco Field at Mile High. "There's a reason why he does Gatorade commercials," Martindale said. "And it's not his looks." Between Passing Peyton and Air Orton, this was the most prolific passing game in the young NFL season. Combined, the teams accounted for 797 yards passing and 87 yards rushing. The old motto of 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust has been replaced by the 800-80 rule. "People say it's a passing league and all that," Manning said. "I'm not one to have a full analysis of the league. All I know is what we do as an offense and we try to be balanced." There were good reasons for Manning and Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton to hand over the game to their running backs. The Colts dressed only three receivers for Manning to target, one of whom was undrafted rookie Blair White, who was just called up from the practice squad." http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_16179805
