421 yards and 5 touchdowns.
That’s what it would have taken to beat the Patriots yesterday.
The post game talk seems to center on Manning’s final interception, and I can understand why. It was a shocking, deflating play. After all, 17 point comebacks happen all the time for Colts fans. We’ve come to treat them as commonplace, a sort of birthright. Get us down double digits on the road? Good. That’s just the way we like it.
However for a third straight road game, the Colts have rallied only to fall agonizingly short.
The final throws for each quarterback summed up the night. Tom Brady, who played far and away his best game against the Colts in a long time, hit Tyjuan Hagler in the face with his 26th throw and it fell incomplete. Peyton Manning threw his 52nd throw with a man in his face, and Sanders pulls off the man he’s doubled and makes a nice leaping catch to end the game.
That’s football.
I’m in no mood to take solace from anything, though there is plenty to take. Ironically, there is still a real chance that if these teams meet again, it will be in Indianapolis.
Yesterday, the Colts defense put the offense in a position where they had to be perfect to win. Manning responded time and again with spectacular throws on the run. For the final quarter, Tom Brady paced nervously on the sideline. He knew. He knew a 17 point lead with 8 minutes to play might not hold up.
421 yards and 5 touchdowns.
All Manning could give us was 396 and 4.
What a choker.
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