Football Sports

Peyton Manning was in a class of his own on Sunday, rallying the Colts from an 11-point deficit in the first half to beat the Jets 30-17. Against the best defence in the NFL, the four-time MVP threw for 377…

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Peyton Manning was in a class of his own on Sunday, rallying the Colts from an 11-point deficit in the first half to beat the Jets 30-17.

Against the best defence in the NFL, the four-time MVP threw for 377 yards – his seventh 300-yard postseason game – breaking a tie with Kurt Warner and Joe Montana for most in NFL history. Some of those passes were staggering, consistently dropping over the fingertips of defenders with almost poetic precision.

For the first time all season, the Jets allowed 3 touchdown passes in a game.

But it was by no means an easy ride for the Colts, who struggled uncharacteristically in the early going, and were forced to settle for field goals on their first two trips to the red zone.

New York, meanwhile, began the game in explosive fashion. Mark Sanchez found Braylon Edwards open deep, and fired an 80 yard strike down the sideline to take an early 7-3 lead. The Jets made their name this season with the league’s best running game, but it was trickery and the sharp passing of their rookie quarterback that caught the Colts off-
guard in the first half.

Mark Sanchez seemed a different player in his first two playoff appearances, demonstrating incredible patience and a rare ability to keep the play alive even with the pocket breaking down around him. And here, in the biggest game of his life, he wowed onlookers with his resilience and his toughness. With time ticking away in the second quarter and the Jets threatening inside the 10-yard line, Sanchez stepped up into the pocket and found tight end Dustin Keller to extend the lead to two scores – but he took a devastating hit after getting the ball away. Instantly he was up on his feet, jumping around like a kid on a sugar rush, even as the commentators marvelled at his poise under pressure.

With Darrelle Revis blanketing Reggie Wayne, and the New York defence toughening up in the red zone, the Jets cruised to a 17-6 lead.

But then, with half time looming, Peyton Manning led the Colts 80 yards in just 45 seconds: a four-play, high-octane drive that culminated with an arcing touchdown pass to Austin Collie, and gave them the momentum heading into the third quarter.

From there, it was no looking back.

With running back Shonn Greene injured in the second half and Mark Sanchez limited by the aggressive Colts defence, the Jets put no more points on the board. Whilst Manning, unfazed by Rex Ryan’s increasingly desperate blitzes, continued to dismantle the Jets. With his top target out of the picture, 18 of his 26 completions were distributed between Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon, who made a mockery of anyone not named Darrelle Revis, combining for 274 yards. Manning found his young wideouts again and again as the Colts surged to 24 unanswered points.

The victory propels the Colts to the their fourth Super Bowl, their second in four years, and it is Jim Caldwell, rather than Rex Ryan, who is the fifth rookie head coach to make the big game. Ryan’s team schedule – which included a Super Bowl victory parade – will be discarded along with the team memorabilia proclaiming them AFC Champions.

Caldwell said, after the game: “Peyton had an outstanding game. He’s one of those guys that can adjust to different situations. A real champion.”

The talismanic #18 will look to add to his legacy in two weeks time, when the Colts play the New Orleans Saints in Miami. Interestingly, all three of their previous appearances have all been in the Sunshine State, and they have won their last two trips there.

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