With high expectations from last year’s success, Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts opened their season against an old friend. Traveling to Denver, the Colts prepared to open the ‘14-’15 season against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

In the first half, Luck and the Colts’ offense struggled to get anything going. The Colts went three and out multiple times, leaving the game up to Indianapolis’ defense. Peyton Manning came ready to play, connecting with with his tight end, Julius Thomas, for seven passes including three touchdowns.

Near the end of the second quarter, the Broncos had built a 24-0 lead until Andrew Luck drove his team down the field and rushed in for a score right before halftime.

The third quarter was almost scoreless for both teams, but Indianapolis was able to grab three points from a 25 yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri. Down 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter, Indianapolis hurried to get something going. The Broncos, on the other hand, were able to start off the final quarter strong with a touchdown rush from Montee Ball extending their lead to 31-10. With seven minutes of game time left, Luck was able to connect a 41 yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Allen. After a defensive stop and the score at 31-17, the Colts once again put together one last scoring drive with a nine yard touchdown pass from Luck to Hakeem Nicks. The Colts, unfortunately, came up short because Denver was able to run out the final three minutes on offense. The final score was a close one, but proclaimed Denver on top in a 31-24 battle.

Even though the Colts suffered a week one loss, head coach Chuck Pagano can’t be too disappointed in the effort.