'Hard To Make Case For Broncos,' Says SportsLine's Larry Hartstein On Colts Matchup
(CBS Denver) -- This isn't quite the Broncos team Denver hoped for when they started the season under new coach Vic Fangio and new quarterback Joe Flacco. They're 2-5 in a competitive AFC West. Their stale offense can't keep pace with a still formidable defense. And going into a Week 8 matchup with the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts, things will likely get worse before they get better. Management seems to have accepted this fact.
This past week the Broncos traded away top wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the San Francisco 49ers for multiple future draft picks. The trade also suggests that the team intends to be sellers in the time leading up to the trade deadline. Is there a mega-deal for linebacker Von Miller in the offing? What about some of the other viable players on this losing team?
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Minds seem to be somewhere other than on this week's opponent. As SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein said, "so much distraction around Denver. They traded their best receiver, Emmanuel Sanders. He called out the play-calling. A lot of turmoil in the locker room. Is Chris Harris going to get moved? Is Derek Wolfe going to get moved? What's the future of this team?"
The immediate future, sadly, is another loss. The Colts, at 4-2, come in as one of this season's more surprising teams. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, picking up for the retiring Andrew Luck, has his team in the hunt. Brissett is coming off a 326-yard, four-touchdown performance in a win over the Houston Texans. The Colts took down the Kansas City Chiefs in the week prior, limiting Patrick Mahomes to just one touchdown.
The stalled Broncos offense is averaging just 16 points and 317.4 yards per game, both among the NFL's worst. And they're in for another long day against the unit that limited the dynamic Chiefs. It gets worse. As Hartstein notes, "you look at the Colts, healthy on defense. They could have their starting defensive unit in place for the first time all year."
The Broncos may be very active as the trade deadline approaches, which would provide some hope for the future. But this season doesn't appear to be going anywhere. As Hartstein points out, "it's so hard to make a case for the Broncos, 3-8 against the number in the last 11 overall, 4-9 in their last 13 against winning teams."
"This is going to be one of my plays on SportsLine.com," says Hartstein. "I'm laying the points, 5.5, with the Colts."
The Broncos play the Colts Sunday @ 11 MT on CBS.
