You cannot say enough about the absolutely monster games played by Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Colts tight Dallas Clark. Marshall, who could have caught howitzer shells if they were shot at him from a cannon, set an NFL record with 21 catches for 200 yards and 2 TDs in one game. If you had this man on your fantasy team this week, God bless you. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Dallas Clark (aka, the best tight end in football) had 5 catches today. Three of those five were touchdowns. BIG touchdowns; the last TD by Clark being the biggest.
When the Broncos regained momentum after a dreadful first half for them, which saw the Colts jump out to a 21-0 lead, the Broncos scored a TD to cut the Colts lead 21-16. However, the Broncos were unable to convert the two-point conversation, keeping the Colts lead at 5 points. The Colts offense was awful in the third quarter, with Peyton Manning throwing three INTs on the day, two off deflections. The Colts offense took over, and then went on one of their foot-to-the-throat drives to kill an opponent.
On a HUGE third down completion to Austin Collie, Peyton Manning was able to charge life into Indy's dead second half offense. With some hard running by Mike Hart and some key first downs by Joseph Addai and Collie, the Colts orchestrated an 80 yard drive that consumed over 7 minutes of clock, culminating in Clark's third TD of the day from Manning.
The Clark TD iced the game, which was an absolutely huge win against a very good Denver Broncos team. This is the first the Colts won a game with Peyton Manning throwing three INTs. If there was ever a statement that this team has a legit defense, that's it. This defense can overcome a rather sub par performance from Peyton.
- The win locks up homefield advantage for the Colts throughout the AFC playoffs.
- The win also breaks the NFL record for most consecutive regular seasons, which the Colts entered the game tied with the New England Patriots at 21. By beating the Broncos, the streak now belongs to the Colts at 22.
- The win also breaks the total wins for a decade, held by the great Joe Montana-led San Francisco 49ers teams of the 1980s.
This is what it is all about folks!
Big, BIG props to the Denver Broncos. They are a good football team, and I would not be surprised to see them later in the playoffs. While the community at Mile High Report is likely upset with the loss, they can take comfort in the Jaguars losing to the Dolphins, making it a little easier for their team to get in the playoffs.
Enjoy the win, everybody. This was a great win for a great franchise.
Go Colts!