12/21/24
January 09, 2005
Colts Stomp Broncos, 49-24: In the playoff game between the Young Male Horses of Indianapolis and the Unbroken Wild Horses of Denver, an interception of a Peyton Manning pass by Kelly Herndon (of the Canton Herndons) was the only thing that kept Manning from a perfect 158.33 quarterback rating. With 476 yards, 27-of-33 completions, four touchdowns, and one pick, he settled for 142.90.
I don't exactly fear for the Pats. If they were given to overconfidence, I would be. But one of the things I love most about the Pats is their humility. They may well lose, but if they do, it will be a good team losing to another good team that played better that day. It won't be a bunch of cocky, arrogant punks getting their comeuppance and embarrassing the hell out of their fans in the process. And, as much as I love the Pats, I would still cheer with the loudest if the Colts made it to the Big Show. They would have mightily earned it.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 06:54 PM on January 09, 2005
Dammit! I was off by three.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 07:19 PM on January 09, 2005
I'm not sure where all the Pats fans fear is coming from. Yes, the 2ndary is weak and Ty Law is out. However, if there's a team that can play Indy right, it's this one: great coaching that will keep Indy guessing; great defensive players that certainly won't let Peyton sit in the pocket (sure he'll score but he'll have to work for it); an offense that can run, eat clock and keep Peyton off the field (which oddly few teams are able to do against a not-so-great Indy defense). It'll be a close game (like all of the Indy/Pats games), but the Pats should pull it out (unless Brady has a mental meltdown game like the Steelers or the Dolphins).
posted by kokaku at 09:32 PM on January 09, 2005
Five dollars says Adam Vinatieri wins the game for the Pats. I know it's hackneyed, but I still think it's going to happen.
posted by Samsonov14 at 05:32 AM on January 10, 2005
I want to watch this game right now. And then again on Sunday. What a fantastic match-up. I like the Pats - edge on defence (though Indy played good defence against Denver with a couple spectacular plays) and special teams. $5 says Brady has one of those games where he only throws 16 - 27 for 161 yards, 1 TD and still manages to be the MVP. Could two superstar quarterbacks be any more different?
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:29 AM on January 10, 2005
I didn't understand Shanahan's logic of kicking a field goal with short yardage near the goal line when Denver was down 21-0 (which was too conservative), then trying an onside kick (trying it was risky and the outcome was disastrous). I would've done the opposite: go for the touchdown and play defense.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:57 AM on January 10, 2005
Let's not forget Peyton, besides setting the season TD mark, also set a new season QB Rating of over 121, something like 9 points higher than the previous record. Still, I thought the second half, when Denver scored some TDs and played some defense, gave some useful input for Belicheck's software to analyze. And I am looking forward to seeing Troy Brown pick one off and run it back for the score.
posted by billsaysthis at 01:04 AM on January 11, 2005
colts is goin to win their offense is high their defense got stronger we saw that against the broncos and even though im not a big colts fan im a dungy fan and he deserves his ring he made the buccaneers they way they r they just fire him b/c hes black and they want to give the credit to gruden and plus gruden was raider coach he knows all the weakness so lets root for dungy and i hope pats get wat they really deserve from the colts
posted by dhdefrag3x at 06:33 PM on January 13, 2005
I fear for my Patriots. It will certainly make for a decent week's worth of coverage. Here's hoping it ends up in a decent game too.