INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts accepted Jim Caldwell’s plan.
With Manning and a handful of other key players standing on the sideline hoping to save the Colts (14-1) from yet another second-half deficit Sunday, Caldwell never gave them a chance.
The New York Jets ended the Colts’ pursuit of perfection and their NFL-record 23-game winning streak with a 29-15 victory that had fans serenading Lucas Oil Stadium with boos, and three-time MVP Manning offering support for his coach’s decision.
“Until any player in here is the head coach, you follow orders and you follow them with all of your heart,” Manning said. “That’s what we’ve done as players. We follow orders.”
The victory was more significant to the Jets (8-7), who took control of their playoff destiny with the victory and would make the postseason for the first time since 2006 with a win next week at home against AFC North champion Cincinnati.
But for the Colts, it marked the end to a historic quest they had insisted was not a priority.
Only one other team — the 2007 New England Patriots — had gone 15-0 in the regular season. Only two other teams, the Patriots and 1972 Miami Dolphins had ever gone into the playoffs with a perfect record.
Manning was 14-of-21 for 192 yards, playing long enough to join Brett Favre, Dan Marino and John Elway as the only members of the 50,000-yard club.
Caldwell pulled Manning and Co. with a 15-10 lead and 5:36 left in the third quarter.
Jets coach Rex Ryan, who joked last week that he hoped the Colts rested their starters, got his wish.
“Indianapolis earned the right to do whatever they want,” he said. “That’s a heck of a football team.”
The Jets sealed the victory with two fourth-quarter scores — Jay Feely’s 43-yard field goal and Thomas Jones’ 1-yard TD run — and the fans who stuck around booed loudly again at the end as players shook hands.
It was an odd response for a team that wrapped up home- field advantage in the playoffs, won more games in this decade than any team in any decade (115), broke the Patriots’ previous record for longest winning streak (21) and had won a franchise-record 13 straight home games.
“I don’t blame them a bit, man,” three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday said. “I probably would have booed, too. They pay to come see us win games, and we didn’t get it done.”
