Posted on 01/16/2005 5:54:15 PM PST by bikepacker67
FOXBORO, Mass. Jan 16, 2005 — The New England Patriots are a game away from their third Super Bowl trip in four years, thanks to a stifling defense that shut down Peyton Manning and his receivers. Corey Dillon and New England's ball-control offense rushed for more than 200 yards Sunday and kept the NFL's MVP on the sidelines as the Patriots rolled to a 20-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots will be in Pittsburgh for next week's AFC title game.
Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest and coach Bill Belichick's defense frustrated Manning on all but a couple of drives. Manning was 27 for 42 for 238 yards, but the Colts could only fashion a field goal.
Manning is now 0-7 in Foxboro, where he lost his second straight playoff game in the snow. In the Patriots' 24-14 win over the Colts in last year's AFC championship game, Manning was helpless in even whiter conditions, throwing four interceptions.
The main beneficiary was Dillon, who rushed for 144 yards in his first NFL playoff game in his eight seasons.
Tom Brady threw for one touchdown, ran for another and completed 18 passes in 27 attempts for 144 yards as he improved to 7-0 in playoff games.
New England (15-2) led 6-0 on Adam Vinatieri's field goals of 24 and 31 yards in the second quarter with the first one capping a 16-play, 78-yard march that lasted 9 minutes, 7 seconds.
The only points Indianapolis (13-5) scored came on Mike Vanderjagt's 23-yard field goal on the last play of the first half.
When Brady threw a 5-yard scoring pass to David Givens to cap a third-quarter drive that lasted 8:16, Manning had to make his remaining possessions count against the hard-hitting defense.
He didn't and Brady followed with a drive 94-yard drive that ended with his 1-yard touchdown run.
Facing a 20-3 deficit with 7:10 left, even Manning couldn't do much.
The Patriots proved once again they could win without their best defenders. Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour was sidelined with a knee injury and starting cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole are on injured reserve.
They did it against a team that had the fifth highest scoring season in NFL history then led Denver 35-3 at halftime of a 49-24 divisional playoff win a week earlier in Indianapolis.
And the season ended for the Colts where it started. They lost the season opener there 27-24 when Vanderjagt missed a 48-yard field goal attempt in the final minute.
For a lot of people who are paid to think deep thoughts, this was a referendum game, the kind of game that would tell us whether Manning was a champion or simply a regular-season superstar with big numbers. For a lot of people -- again, the deep thoughts people -- this will be a game when Manning failed that referendum by a landslide. And there will be no dancing around the truth here.OUCH! ;-)He got buried by the Patriots and the snow. The entire team got buried, beaten by a team that was more physical and ornery and designed to win these kinds of games in these kinds of conditions. For those who view this as a soft, fair-weather, dome team, have at it. After this game, the Colts have no room to argue.
Here's some advice Indy Fan - make that new stadium DOMELESS, and then you can become a REAL football team!
I think an overlooked part of the game is how well the Patriots defensive line did against the run. Granted that Colt offensive line isn't exactly what I'd call a smashmouth group but the Pats D-line played great.
TB was bound and determined to strip that ball away. He didn't obviously, but man the whole time you could see him swiping at the ball not content with "merely" tackling him. Rodney finished the deal!
Here we go insurance adjusters, here we go!!
I live down here in Atlanta Falcons territory, but I am boldly getting behind the Pats and picking them to hoist another Lombardi trophy in downtown Boston in a few Mondays from now. I am confident that after watching that defensive dismantling of the over-hyped Colts offense and the Pats' offensive textbook time-consuming drives, they will take control of the Steelers and dismantle either Atlanta or Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
The problem with Manning is he still has yet to show the poise needed for an NFL Quarterback in pressure-cooker situations, like up in Foxboro during the playoffs. Mr. Manning could learn a lesson or two from Tom Brady on how to handle pressure situations and come through in the clutch (Result: Two Super Bowl Rings for him). For example, look how Joe Montana always handled pressure situations during his days in the NFL. Meanwhile, Peyton still at times looks like a nervous schoolboy on his first date with the physical jitters, especially when he plays the Pats in the playoffs. Unfortunately for him, facing Bill Belichick has been akin to facing Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators during his days at UT, meaning he has been unable to win "the big game".
It was very fitting that Rodney Harrison was the person who intercepted Peyton's final pass yesterday in the 4th quarter, since it was Mr. Harrison himself who responded to Mr. Vanderjerk's comments on how NE was ripe for the picking by the Colts (ie. Dolts) this year.
Yes, glad to see that hit! I loved it even more when Mr. Harrison stood over him and trash-talked over down to him after putting him down on the ground.
I haven't followed football much since the 70s, but I am amazed at how much folks here hate Peyton Manning.
Do ya'll hate Eli and Archie too?
Maybe the mom as well.
Anybody care to explain?
Cut that meat! Cut that meat!
The Patriots did to the Indy receivers what the Broncos only said they were going to do them.
Personally I have nothing against Peyton or any other member of the Manning family. My anger is directed at the media which created this image of Manning and the Colts as this unstoppable machine that would easily take care of the Patriots.
Figger God signed on as goalkeeper for the rest of the season, I take it?
Looks like I missed in my prediction of a Patriot blowout. I figured that Manning would at least test the Pat defense newbies a bit and make the Patriots turn on their offense.
comprendo..thanks
Do ya'll hate Eli and Archie too?
Maybe the mom as well.
Anybody care to explain?
I don't hate Peyton at all, but I have grown tired of the pro-Colts hype that has surrounded them since he's been their QB. Most Pats fans, like myself, have seen our team beat him 6 straight times in Foxboro and 7 games overall yet before virtually every game we have to hear how there is no way the Patriots can slow down the Indy offense. In the weeks preceeding the game, I didn't hear more than a handful of comments about Tom Brady. It was all Manning all the time.
Archie I respect and Mrs. Manning is a fine woman I'm sure. I would love to see Eli fail and fail miserably after dissing San Diego (who made the playoffs) and going to the Giants (who didn't). It's the same reason I've never liked John Elway. Go where you're drafted and shut up. When you get to free-agency, then go where you think the pastures are greener.
Manning couldn't test them because his receivers wouldn't go down the field. Why? That's where Rodney Harrison lurks.
Hopefully this loss will stall talks of a $500 million taxpayer funded stadium. The Irsays are holding this city hostage. If the statists in LA are buying, the Colts should pick up and move there. We don't need them here draining our economy.
Tell the Irsay's that Bob Kraft paid for his own stadium.
The VERY reason I was elated that the Pats didn't come to Hartford even though I'd only be a 15 minute drive away! Rowland was about to practically give Kraft control of the state to get him to come here, somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 million + infrastructure improvements, on a virtually unworkable location. I'm glad they stayed where they did, in a more or less central location in relation to the population centers of New England, and that Kraft put up his own money.
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