DENVER (AP) — When Colts owner Jim Irsay scans the field Sunday, he'll see in the Denver Broncos the kind of team he admittedly couldn't surround Peyton Manning with nearly enough during their 14 years together in Indianapolis.

Equilibrium on offense, dominance on defense — a team that doesn't necessarily have to ride Superman's cape in its Super Bowl quest.

Remember Irsay's comments preceding Manning's emotional homecoming in 2013 about giving up the old Indy offense's “Star Wars” numbers in a quest for more Super Bowl rings? It raised a lot of eyebrows, but his point was this: he thinks the formula for winning more championships is better balance.

John Elway thinks so, too, and that's precisely what the Broncos (12-4) have as they host the Colts (12-5), who again have a star QB covering up deficiencies elsewhere.

After the record-shattering Broncos were demolished in the Super Bowl, Elway bolstered his defense by signing Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware and T.J. Ward to a guaranteed $60 million. He also replaced Eric Decker with Emmanuel Sanders and drafted Bradley Roby.