Manning leads Colts back from 15 point deficit.

huevonkiller · Sep 15, 2008

Manning leads Colts back to beat Vikings 18-15

By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 54 minutes ago

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—The Indianapolis Colts were overwhelmed at the line of scrimmage again, and the swarming Minnesota defense frequently pounded Peyton Manning into the Metrodome turf.

But the Colts put the Manning touch on another impressive rally, thanks to a handful of clutch completions near the end by their stalwart quarterback, and reminded the Vikings it’s just not possible to win without throwing the ball.

Manning passed for 311 yards and moved Adam Vinatieri in position for the winning field goal with 3 seconds left, leading Indianapolis to an 18-15 victory on Sunday after Minnesota led 15-0 late in the third quarter.

“We played a lot of man, got in their face, got a lot of pressure, but it wasn’t enough,” said Antoine Winfield, who had one of Manning’s two interceptions. “He’s been around. He’s seen it all. You can never rattle him, I don’t think.”

Not since his rookie season in 1998 had Manning and the Colts started a season 0-2.

“That’s one of the most satisfying wins I’ve had, definitely, since I’ve been in Indianapolis,” coach Tony Dungy said. “It wasn’t the most artistic, and I told the team we’ve got a lot of glass-half-empty-glass-half-full stuff, but I was very, very proud of our effort.”

The Vikings (0-2) wasted more dominant defense, done in by a handful of critical lapses and repeated failure to figure out that pesky old forward pass. Adrian Peterson rushed for 118 of his 160 yards in the first half, and Minnesota was across midfield on its first eight possessions.

The prize for that? Five field goals by Ryan Longwell and three punts.

“It’s real frustrating,” said wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who had no catches. “It’s kind of embarrassing, actually, to go out there and just have field goals all day. We’re moving the ball up and down the field, really, at will. … The defense played their hearts out today. They did everything they could. I mean, they really handed us the game and we blew it.”

Outgained on the ground 183 to 53 yards in last week’s 29-13 loss to Chicago, the Colts were outrushed this time 180-25. Three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday (knee) sat out again, tight end Dallas Clark (knee) didn’t play, and left tackle Tony Ugoh (groin) was also lost to injury. The defense lost star safety Bob Sanders (ankle), too.

Manning hasn’t looked all that sharp since coming back from summer knee surgery, but he’s clearly still one of the NFL’s best. He finished 26-for-42 and was sacked by Jared Allen and E.J. Henderson.

“Our running game is—it’s hard to call it a running game right now,” Manning said. “We don’t have much of that. We have a pretty one-dimensional team.”

That didn’t matter.

The last of Longwell’s field goals—he later missed from 48 yards, his leg perhaps tired from scoring all the points himself—sliced through with 4:13 left in the third quarter.

On the next possession, Manning found a wide-open Anthony Gonzalez for a 58-yard completion on third-and-6 at his own 24. Gonzalez lateraled to Reggie Wayne as he went down, and the ball was eventually spotted at the 1. Joseph Addai, held to 20 yards on 15 carries, barely got in on third down after an unsuccessful challenge by Minnesota coach Brad Childress to cut the lead to 15-7.

In the fourth, Manning moved the Colts from their 39 to the end zone with passes of 17, 12 and 32 yards—the last a touchdown to Wayne. Dominic Rhodes sneaked through the pile on a 2-point conversion to tie it at 15 with 5:54 left.
Indianapolis Colts' Robert Mathis, right, puts a rush on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tavaris Jackson on a third-down incomplete in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, in Minneapolis. Tavaris completed 14 of 24 passes for 130 yards. The Colts won 18-15.

To finish it in the final minute, Manning zinged a pass up the middle to Wayne on third-and-9. Vinatieri, who missed a 30-yarder earlier, made a 47-yard kick with 3 seconds on the clock to seal the victory.

“I know the Vikings feel just as sick as we felt last week in that locker room,” Manning said. “A couple plays here and there. and we’re feeling sick in this locker room.”

Two possessions in the final six minutes both resulted in three-and-outs for the Vikings, each time bringing boos from the frustrated crowd. Tarvaris Jackson, who finished 14-for-24 for 130 yards and one lost fumble, tried to go deep on third-and-6 from the 35 to Berrian but watched it fall incomplete as Berrian tripped in tight coverage with 4 1/2 minutes left.

“You can get mad, throw a chair, whatever. It really doesn’t matter,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to go out there and execute.”

Notes

The Vikings lost WR Sidney Rice to an injured right knee. … The last time the Colts played here was 1997, a 39-28 loss that clinched the first overall draft pick they used on Manning the following spring. That was also the last game time the Vikings had a local TV blackout for a shortage of advance ticket sales.
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Source: Associated Press

huevonkiller · Sep 14, 2008

IIRC, the Vikings were 109-0 at home when up by 15 points.

Great win by Indy/Peyton.

Mamba · Sep 14, 2008

So much for Minnesota being the team to beat in the NFC North. Green Bay and Chicago look to be the cream of the crop again. Adrian Peterson's season is quickly going to go to waste if Tavaris Jackson can't become a NFL caliber game manager.

huevonkiller · Sep 15, 2008

The Vikings should have easily put these Colts out to pasture. But Manning and the replacements came through.

By MARK CRAIG, Star Tribune

Last update: September 15, 2008 - 1:28 AM

No elite NFL team has ever been more ripe for a beating than the Colts were at the Metrodome on Sunday.

Troubled defensive tackle Ed Johnson was booted off the team Wednesday. No. 1 tight end Dallas Clark (knee) was de-activated Sunday. And missing for the second consecutive game were the starting trio of center Jeff Saturday and guards Ryan Lilja and Mike Pollack.

Then things got ugly.

After the Vikings celebrated the second of five Ryan Longwell field goals, Colts left tackle Tony Ugoh suffered a groin injury with 4 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first half. The Colts trailed 6-0 and should have lost, but somehow won 18-15 with one regular starting offensive lineman, no running game and a pathetic defensive-tackle rotation that was mainly responsible for Adrian Peterson averaging 8.4 yards on 14 first-half carries.

Left guard Charlie Johnson replaced Ugoh. Rookie Steve Justice, a sixth-round draft pick who played center at Wake Forest, stepped in at left guard, making his NFL debut next to center Jeremy Richard, a rookie seventh-round draft pick.

"I got a few snaps at guard this preseason, but nothing much," Justice said. "The last time I played guard was my freshman year. But [offensive line] Coach [Howard] Mudd told me if something happened, I was next up. The way things have been going, something did happen."

The Colts' bad luck continued when safety Bob Sanders, their best run-stopper, was carted off the field because of an ankle injury with 10:46 left in the game and the Vikings leading 15-7. And yet Peterson gained only 27 of his 160 yards on seven attempts (3.9) with Sanders in the locker room.
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Source: Star Tribune

Vintage · Sep 15, 2008

The red zone offense for the Vikes was pathetic. Shiancoe dropped a TD pass. The Vikes need to find a real TE.

Nice job by the Colts though. The Vikes were in scoring opportunities numerous times... and each time, walked away with a field goal. But the Colts run defense was porous in the first half.

huevonkiller · Sep 15, 2008

The Colts need to patch up that running game, but if they can set up the pass earlier that should be fine too. I liked the Rhodes draw on the 2 point conversion at least.

Vintage · Sep 15, 2008

To be fair, you were going against probably the best run defense in the NFL... with an OL consisting of backups (due to injuries).

Certaintly, they need to run the ball better. But...

huevonkiller · Sep 15, 2008

I was watching important clips from the game, and Reggie Wayne in the slot was a brilliant strategic move in the second half.

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Manning leads Colts back from 15 point deficit.

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Vintage Defeating Communism...

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