Broncos hold off Colts rally, win season opener 31-24

11:50: The Colts got the ball back with just under 3 minutes to go, but they stalled on downs, leaving the Broncos with a 31-24 win.

11:35: Andrew Luck hits Hakeem Nicks for a 9-yard TD with 3:26 remaining, cutting the Colts' deficit to 31-24. Indy goes five plays and 45 yards over just 49 seconds for the score. Luck has 340 yards passing, Reggie Wayne has 98 receiving.

11:30: Colts' Andy Studebaker recovers an onside kick, but the ensuing drive ends when a pass goes through Coby Fleener's hands and is intercepted by Denver's Rahim Moore with 5:36 remaining.

11:20: Dwayne Allen catches a ball near the right sideline, gets a block from Ahmad Bradshaw to clear an alley, and Allen finishes a 41-yard touchdown with 7:46 to go. The Colts trail 31-17 after a seven-play, 80-yard drive that takes 2:08.

Andrew Luck is 25-of 36 for 266 yards.

11:10: Montee Ball bounces off a couple of tacklers and scores from 3 yards with 9:54 remaining, giving the Broncos a 31-10 lead. Denver goes six plays and 48 yards over 3:31.

11:00: Griff Whalen doesn't hear a whistle so he keeps running for an apparent 90-yard punt return TD. However, replays show he was down. The Colts go three plays and out afterward. The Broncos have the ball in Colts territory with 13 minutes to go.

10:45: Adam Vinatieri kicks a 25-yard field goal with 1:31 remaining in the third quarter, cutting the Colts' deficit to 24-10. Indianapolis went 11 plays and 60 yards over 5:58.

Andrew Luck is 21-of-27 for 186 yards and has been sacked three times. Reggie Wayne has seven catches for 73 yards.

10:30: The Colts drove to the Denver 1-yard line, but Andrew Luck was stuffed on a fourth-down sneak and the Broncos took over with 10:22 to go in the third quarter.

Halftime update: Andrew Luck is 11-of-15 passing for 118 yards and an interception. He has been sacked twice and is tied with Trent Richardson with 14 rushing yards. Reggie Wayne has four catches for 59 yards. Montee Ball has 41 rushing yards for Denver, Julius Thomas has 90 receiving yards and Emmanuel Sanders has 68 receiving yards and a carry for 11 yards.

10:00: Andrew Luck scrambles for a 9-yard touchdown run. He had been ruled out of bounds, but the play was reviewed and ruled a TD. The Colts went 80 yards on eight plays over 1:38. They trail the Broncos 24-7.

9:45: Julius Thomas makes it three TDs in the first half, on a 5-yard catch from Peyton Manning. It's 24-0 Broncos with 1:57 to go in the first half. The Drive took seven plays, 71 yards and 3:13. Manning is 16-of-22 for 199 yards.

9:30: Peyton Manning hits Julius Thomas across the middle, and Thomas completes the 35-yard touchdown with 6:41 to go in the first half. The drive takes nine plays, 83 yards and 5:24. Broncos lead 17-0. Manning is 13-of-19 for 151 yards and two scores.

Injury note: Colts linebacker Cam Johnson is out for the night with an elbow issue.

9:15: Peyton Manning hits Julius Thomas for a 3-yard touchdown with 14:14 to go in the second quarter, capping a 54-yard drive that took eight plays and 4 minutes. Denver 10, Colts 0.

9:00: Rahim Moore intercepts a deflected pass intended for Dwayne Allen. Broncos take over at their 46-yard line with 3:14 to go in the first quarter.

8:50: Denver drive stalls inside the 5-yard line with three straight incompletions by Peyton Manning. Brandon McManus kicks a 21-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Broncos. Denver used 17 plays and 77 yards over 6:35 on the drive.

QB comparison: Peyton Manning is 5-of-10 for 44 yards. Andrew Luck is 3-of-4 for 39 yards.

8:40: A delay of game penalty wipes out what would have been a missed 55-yard field goal try by Adam Vinatieri, whose kick hit the left upright. Pat McAfee's subsequent punt goes into the end zone, and the Broncos will get the ball at the 20. 11:49 to go in the first quarter.

On the first play from scrimmage, Andrew Luck hits Reggie Wayne for 22 yards. Wayne missed much of last season after suffering a torn ACL. Wayne sets a franchise record with at least one catch in 191 games.

Colts inactives

DENVER – As expected, quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts head into the regular season against the Denver Broncos minus their starting center.

Khaled Holmes is one of the team's seven pregame inactives. The 2013 fourth-round draft pick suffered an injury to his left ankle in the preseason opener and saw limited practice time this past week.

A.Q. Shipley, claimed off waivers from Baltimore last week, starts in place of Holmes.

The Colts' other inactives are wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers, running back Zurlon Tipton, safety Sergio Brown, linebacker Henoc Muamba, offensive lineman Joe Reitz and defensive lineman Montori Hughes.

Going with Shipley represents the better scenario for coach Chuck Pagano. His other option would have been undrafted rookie Jonotthan Harrison.

Shipley saw extensive work with the starting unit this week and started five games at center with the Colts in 2012. He was traded to Baltimore last offseason and saw action in 16 games, nine as a starter at guard.

The ability of Luck and Shipley to work together will be critical tonight. The sellout crowd at Sports Authority Field at Mile High always makes it difficult for offenses to operate.

Moreover, Denver's defense features the pass-rush tandem of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.

Mike Chappell

Remember Week 1 in 2013?

Remember last season's Indianapolis Colts opener? What was predicted to be a blowout against the Oakland Raiders turned into a 21-17 nail-biter as the Colts had trouble dealing with Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

The Colts scored on their first two drives, with Andrew Luck hitting Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen for touchdowns. Oakland rallied and scored 17 straight points, taking a 17-14 lead on a Danarius Moore 5-yard TD catch from Pryor early in the fourth quarter.

Luck ran in the winning score from 19 yards with 5:20 to go. Safety Antoine Bethea intercepted Pryor with 31 seconds to go to seal the win.

What changed after that opener?

Allen, Wayne (eight catches for 96 yards) and leading rusher Vick Ballard (63 yards) went down with season-ending injuries. Luck went on to a Pro Bowl season, passing for 3,822 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Pryor, who passed for 217 yards and rushed for 112 in that game, is a free agent, having been let go by the Raiders and Seahawks.

Trent Richardson, then playing for the Cleveland Browns, had 13 carries for 47 yards and two receptions for 30 yards in a 23-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Two weeks later he was a Colt.

Sunday night's Colts opponents, the Denver Broncos, beat the Baltimore Ravens 49-27 in Week 1 last year as Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown passes.