INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts are back in the playoffs.
And they look like they’re ready to defend their AFC championship too.
Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes, the defense limited Chris Johnson to 39 yards rushing and always-clutch Adam Vinatieri kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired Sunday to give the Colts a 23-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Colts earned their seventh — and most improbable — AFC South title in eight seasons.
“We know what they were up against and how difficult it was, and to overcome all that and win the division is extra special,” said Colts owner Jim Irsay.
The Colts (10-6) had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
They tied the Dallas Cowboys’ NFL record of nine consecutive playoff appearances, set from 1975-83.
Manning broke Gene Upshaw’s long-standing record for most consecutive starts to open a career (208) and then set a record for completions in a season (450), established just a few hours earlier by Drew Brees. Manning, a four-time league MVP, threw the 398th and 399th touchdown passes of his career, falling one short of joining Brett Favre and Dan Marino as the only members of the 400 club.
Reggie Wayne caught nine passes for 68 yards and one TD, moving past Hall of Famer Raymond Berry into second place in Colts history with his 69th career touchdown reception.
Indy became only the third team since 2000 to lose a Super Bowl and return to the playoffs the following year.
Plus, the Colts did all that despite having 17 players on injured reserve.
The reward: a Saturday night showdown with the New York Jets in a rematch of last year’s AFC title game.
“I’ll wait until Tuesday to get into that (the Jets),” Manning said. “We just kind of found out what time we’re playing and who we’re playing and get going on them starting this week.”
Yes, the Colts were fortunate.
After losing to Dallas on Dec. 5, they were 6-6 and in serious jeopardy of missing the postseason for the first time since 2001. So coach Jim Caldwell told his players they needed four straight wins to make it back.
They did it, barely, and got a little help along the way.
Moments after Dominic Rhodes lost a fumble and Tennessee (6-10) ran it back to the Colts’ 37, Houston’s 34-17 win over Jacksonville went final — ensuring the Colts of the division crown. Still, they needed to win to avoid a possible second-round game at New England.
Two plays later, Kerry Collins fumbled the snap and Robert Mathis recovered at the Colts’ 38. Manning needed only five plays to get the Colts into Vinatieri’s range, then waited patiently next to the official as the clock ticked down. He called a timeout with three seconds left.
Vinatieri, the best clutch kicker in league history, wasted no time in adding another line to his legacy, raising his arms after the 43-yarder went through the uprights.
“They’re never the same. You never take them lightly,” said Vinatieri, who was 3-for-3 and matched a season long with a 48-yarder during the first quarter. “We’ll take it.”
