DENVER – The Broncos defeated the Colts, 34-20, but the score is deceptive. The Broncos dominated Indy in every category but the score.

Prime reasons for the victory:

One – The defense was magnificent and opportunistic.

Aqib Talib is a controversial figure.

He’s also one of the NFL’s finest defensive backs. He closed on Andrew Luck’s fourth down pass with astonishing speed and then rambled to the end zone. The score seemed to clinch the victory, but Luck and the Colts rose from the ruins.

But only for a moment.

With the Broncos leading 26-20 with 1:51 left, Luck still had a shot.

That shot ended when Von Miller burst around the corner and in a virtual replay of his historic sack of Cam Newton ripped the ball from Luck’s hands. Shane Ray scored, and the Colts finally were vanquished.

Two – Quarterback Trevor Siemian displayed accuracy and composure. He didn’t try to do too much. He dissected the Colts secondary, although the dissecting tended to fizzle in the red zone.

And he’s 2-0 as a starter. You can’t argue with those numbers.

Three – Good fortune.

Siemian’s lone major mistake was almost a highly costly one. Darius Butler picked off Siemian’s pass midway through the second half and had nothing between him in the end zone.

Butler crumpled to the ground after suffering a hamstring injury. A sure touchdown turned into a field goal for the Colts.