With Manning Pointing Way, the Colts Click

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —  When it became clear that this AFC divisional game would not be a memorable day for the defenses, Peyton Manning knew what his job would be.

Score. A lot. Maybe every time the Indianapolis Colts got the ball.

“We kind of talked about it among ourselves after the third series,” Manning said sheepishly, as if trying not to embarrass his defensive teammates.

“You trust, you feed off each other. And I thought the first series of the game was huge when the defense held them without a touchdown. We talked about not self-destructing on offense.”

At least the Colts’ defense can say this: It was better than Kansas City’s as Indianapolis beat the Chiefs, 38-31, Sunday to earn a date in the AFC championship game at New England.

Manning can say another thing: He took another step in proving himself the best quarterback in the NFL.

“Peyton is just playing phenomenal,” said Colt Coach Tony Dungy, master of the understatement.

For the second week in a row, Manning had a stunning playoff game. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns for the AFC South champions. His passer rating of 138.8 was not as high as the maximum 158.3 he hit in last week’s wild-card victory over Denver, when he threw five touchdown passes.

His playoff stats are something for the Patriots to ponder: 44 for 56, 681 yards, eight touchdowns, zero interceptions.

Manning provided a sudden end to the Chiefs’ season. The AFC West champions started 9-0 but went out in their first playoff game despite the help of 79,159 sets of vocal cords.

“Our fans did everything they could to help us prevent Peyton from doing what he does so well,” Chief Coach Dick Vermeil said. “I’ve never seen a guy do it better.”

Manning did what the great quarterbacks do. He managed the clock expertly and converted eight of 11 third downs. For the second week in a row, the Colts didn’t punt, though neither did the Chiefs.

What’s more, the Indianapolis offense didn’t draw a single penalty, and the team had only one.

If one play summed up the game, it came late in the third quarter with the Colts leading, 24-17, and facing third and two at the Kansas City 19. Not liking what he saw, Manning looked to offensive coordinator Tom Moore, who changed the play. Manning executed perfectly, lobbing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne.

But the two-touchdown lead didn’t last. Dante Hall returned the next kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown that pulled the Chiefs back to within seven points at 31-24. Once again, the Colt offense had to answer.

“If we didn’t, I’d be back in South Florida,” said running back Edgerrin James, a University of Miami product who rushed for 125 yards and capped the ensuing 81-yard drive with a one-yard run for his second score of the day.

The Chiefs’ Priest Holmes ran for 176 yards and two touchdowns, including a one-yarder that pulled with Chiefs within 38-31 with 4 minutes 22 seconds to play.

But Holmes was responsible for the game’s only turnover. On the second play of the second half, he ran up the middle for 48 yards, but cornerback David Macklin stripped the ball and recovered at the Colts’ 22.

It was an example of the Colts’ ability to make key plays, which the Chiefs didn’t do. After the fumble, Indianapolis drove for Mike Vanderjagt’s 45-yard field goal, against a 13-mph wind.

The Chiefs had their chances in the first half. Trent Green hit tight end Tony Gonzalez for an apparent 28-yard touchdown, which would have brought Kansas City to within four points at 21-17. But Gonzalez was called for pass interference.

“I felt it was questionable,” Vermeil said. “But in this league officials don’t make mistakes until Tuesday or Wednesday. I thought it was ridiculous, but what’s the difference?”

In a game in which both teams knew every scoring opportunity might be irreplaceable, the Chiefs also came up short on their first possession. Even though Holmes had gained 53 yards in six carries, the Chiefs tried to pass on second and goal from the three. Marc Boerigter couldn’t come up with Green’s lob, Holmes was stopped for a one-yard loss and the Chiefs settled for a field goal and a 7-3 deficit.

Manning and the Colts are not making such mistakes, much like a jump shooter who’s in a zone.

“That whole ‘zone’ thing is deep for me,” Manning said. “Michael Jordan made that popular. I’m just a football player. I’m hot -- excuse me for saying that. We as an offense are hot right now.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

No Pat Answers

Peyton Manning has not had much success against the New England Patriots, the team his Colts play next week for the AFC title. He is 2-7 against the Patriots, 0-4 at Foxboro, Mass. A look:

*--* Date Result Comp Att Yds Comp% TD Int Rtg Sept. 13, at N.E. 29, 21 33 188 63.6 1 3 51.1 1998 Ind. 6 Nov. 1, N.E. 21, at 30 52 278 57.7 2 2 69.5 1998 Ind. 16 Sept. 19, at N.E. 31, 18 30 223 60.0 3 2 88.6 1999 Ind. 28 Dec. 12, at Ind. 20, 15 27 186 55.5 2 0 101.8 1999 N.E. 15 Oct. 8, at N.E. 24, 31 54 334 57.4 1 3 58.7 2000 Ind. 16 Oct. 22, at Ind. 30, 16 20 268 80.0 3 0 158.3 2000 N.E. 23 Sept. 30, at N.E. 44, 20 34 196 58.8 1 3 48.2 2001 Ind. 13 Oct. 21, N.E. 38, at 22 34 335 64.7 1 0 106.9 2001 Ind. 17 Nov. 30, N.E. 38, at 29 48 278 60.4 4 1 95.7 2003 Ind. 34 Totals 2-7 202 332 2,286 60.8 18 14 82.0

*--*

A look at Manning’s two playoff games this season:

*--* Date Result Comp Att Yds Comp% TD Int Rtg Jan. 4, at Ind. 41, Denver 22 26 377 84.6 5 0 158.3 2004 10 Jan. 18, Ind. 38, at K.C. 31 22 30 304 73.3 3 0 138.8 2004 Totals 2-0 44 56 681 78.6 8 0 156.9

*--*