Broncos vs. Colts: Bradley Roby Comes Up Huge in Debut

Aug 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Arceto Clark (14) runs with the football as Denver Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby (29) gives chase during the fourth quarter of a preseason game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Seahawks 21-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos eased some pain for Denver Broncos fans on Sunday Night Football against the Colts with a 31-24 victory, but the scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story of what turned out to be a dangerously close game for Denver, one that they could have put away much, much sooner.

The Broncos led 31-10 all the way up until midway through the fourth quarter before the Colts started scoring their ‘desperation’ touchdowns. It was merely a desperation touchdown until Julius Thomas couldn’t handle an onside kick, the Colts got the ball back, and promptly scored again.

A stalled Broncos offensive drive got the Colts the ball back with plenty of time left on the clock, and it came down to a 4th-and-6 in Broncos territory to essentially decide if the Colts would live another down or if the Broncos would take over and be able to set up their victory formation.

Rookie cornerback Bradley Roby was lined up in the slot against veteran Reggie Wayne, a matchup the Colts had been trying to exploit all night if they could. Wayne faked to the inside part of the field, cut outside, and would have been in place for a first down, but Broncos first round pick Bradley Roby closed on the ball like a seasoned veteran, coming up underneath Wayne, swatting the ball away and cementing the victory for the Broncos.

It was a huge game for Roby, who had his ups and downs to be sure, but he made arguably the two biggest plays defensively of the game for the Broncos including that game-sealing pass deflection.

Earlier in the game, with the Colts down by 17, Andrew Luck fired a pass to Hakeem Nicks on a slant at the one yard line (on third down) and Nicks was immediately hit by Roby, pushing him backward. Quinton Carter came in and cleaned the play up to help prevent Nicks from pushing into the end zone, but the initial hit and push came from Roby. The Broncos stuffed the Colts on fourth down, and were able to flip field position after the offense had yet another drive stall.

Roby finished his first game with seven tackles and three pass deflections. As could have been expected, the Colts tried to target Roby in situations and it worked for them at times, but Roby had the last laugh and played really well in the later stages of the game. He missed a tackle on Ahmad Bradshaw in the open field, so there are obviously things to work on, but Roby’s first game as a Bronco was pretty much a perfect microcosm of his career at Ohio State. He was leaving you scratching your head or throwing your drink at the TV one second, and the next he was making a huge play.

Roby has been showing great signs of improvement throughout camp, so much so that the Broncos demoted Kayvon Webster, a third round pick in 2013, for this game.