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Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning's Top 10 late-game/overtime comebacks
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Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning (AP Photo)
In the wake of the Indianapolis Colts' 27-23 come-from-behind victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football earlier this week, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser examines the Top 10 most-memorable comebacks of Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning . . .
He has done it before, perhaps not enough to make it routine, but more than enough that you knew this past Monday when the Miami Dophins took a three-point lead with 10 seconds less than four minutes remaining, they were something less than guaranteed a victory.
And if it's technically incorrect to say the Indianapolis Colts had the game won when Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano curiously played it safe and settled for a field goal with 3:50 remaining Monday, it's not incorrect to say the strategy may have been deeply flawed.
It's a noble thing to believe in your defense.
It's not necessarily a prudent thing when Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning has possession, a deficit of less than seven points and more than a minute or two remaining.
Manning, NFL fans know by now, indeed brought the Colts back, driving the offense 80 yards in a ridiculously easy-looking 32 seconds, giving Indianapolis a 27-23 lead when he audibled, then threw a quick screen that second-year WR Pierre Garcon turned into a 48-yard yard, catch-and-run game-winning touchdown.
It was Manning's 37th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overime, ranking him second on that list to Brett Favre among active quarterbacks, and while -- to be fair -- that 37 includes some not-so-memorable moments, it includes more than its share of critical, dramatic, unlikely ones, too.
Which got me to thinking . . .
Just where did the comeback rank among Manning's late-game dramatics? I'd rank it in the Top 10, at least, for the main reason that rarely in Manning's career have the Colts' offense been under quite the pressure they were Monday. The Dolphins held possession for 45:07, meaning the Colts held it 14:53. Only three times did the Colts possess the ball in the second half. Once, they drove 79 yards for a game-tying touchdown and once they drove 80 for the game-winner.
So, just where does it rank? Here's my list of Manning's Top 10 come-from-behind victories:
10) Colts 24, New York Jets 23 / 1998 regular season. The first come-from-behind victory of Manning's career wouldn't be the last time the Jets made the list.
9) Colts 37, Miami Dolphins 34 / 1999 regular season. Long before the New England Patriots were Indianapolis' biggest rivals, it was the Dolphins. This game was critical en route to the Colts' first division title in 12 years.
8) Colts, 23, Denver 20 (OT) / 2002 regular season. This is the Mike Vanderjagt game, in which Vanderjagt hit 50-plus-yard field goals to tie the game in regulation and win the game in overtime. But this was before the Colts had Denver's number and the game was played in heavy snow in Denver. This was a big step toward establishing Manning as a big-time fourth-quarter quarterback.
7) Colts 18, Minnesota Vikings 15 / 2008 regular season. Playing on essentially one leg after offseason knee surgery, Manning struggled in the first three quarters, after which Indianapolis trailed 15-0. In danger of slipping to 0-2, the Colts rallied and Manning's fourth-quarter pass to WR Reggie Wayne was one of the best clutch passes of Manning's 12 seasons.
6) Indianapolis Colts 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35 / 2003 regular season. I wouldn't argue people who want this higher -- the Colts did become the first NFL team to win a game after trailing by 21 points with less than four minutes remaining -- but while Manning played big late in this game, many, many things had to go right and many players had to make big plays. Manning was good in this game, but a lot of other things went right, too.
- DON'T FORGET: Here's Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser's Spring 2009 series chronicling Peyton Manning Top 10 underrated moments.
5) Colts 27, Dolphins 23. The pressure on each series made this one memorable this past Monday.
4) Colts 31, New York Jets 28 / 2006 regular season. Twice in the last seven minutes Manning drove the Colts for touchdowns. He passed two yards to TE Bryan Fletcher with 2:34 remaining for a 24-21 lead and after the Jets returned the ensuing kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, Manning drove Indianapolis 61 yards, sneaking it from the 1-yard line for the victory.
3) Colts 34, San Diego Chargers 31 / 2004 regular season. No one forgets that this was the game in which Manning set the then-single-season record for passing touchdowns with 49. What some might forget is the Colts rallied from a 31-16 fourth-quarter deficit to do it.
2) Colts 34, Denver 31 / 2006 regular season. This game had some similarities to the Monday Night victory over Miami. The Colts couldn't stop the Broncos' running game, but over and over again, Manning rallied the Colts. They trailed by eight points at halftime and five points in the fourth quarter, but Manning -- who completed 32 of 39 passes for 345 yards against a defense that allowed 41 points in the first six games -- drove the Colts for a late field goal by Adam Vinaieri, who converted for the victory.
1) Colts 38, New England Patriots 34 / 2006 AFC Championship Game. Short of a comeback in the Super Bowl, this will always be No. 1. The Colts trailed 21-3 in the first half and 34-31 late, but after years of playoff frustration, Manning got the Colts where some wondered if they ever would go.
*** READ COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S NEXT-MORNING LOOK AT THE COLTS-DOLPHINS GAME HERE
*** WHAT DO THE COLTS HAVE TO DO TO WIN THE AFC SOUTH? READ IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S FIVE KEYS HERE
*** COLTS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL SAYS MORE TO LATE-GAME COMEBACKS THAN JUST QB PEYTON MANNING HERE
*** A LOOK AT WHAT COLTS PRESIDENT BILL POLIAN HAD TO SAY THE DAY AFTER COLTS-DOLPHINS HERE
RECENT COLTS NEWS
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MAGNIFICENT SEVENS: WEEKLY COLTS THOUGHTS . . .
Magnificent Seven I: Seven training camp thoughts and observations
Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne
Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line
Magnificent Seven IV: On the Colts' offense, OG Ryan Lilja and WR Anthony Gonzalez
Magnificent Seven V: On S Melvin Bullitt and QB Peyton Manning
Magnificent Seven VI: On RB Donald Brown and the start of the season . . . at last
Magnificent Seven VII: On WR Reggie Wayne, the OL and blitzing
EXAMINER SERIES: TWENTY PRE-TRAINING CAMP QUESTIONS WITH THE COLTS . . .
1) Will Jim Sorgi be the backup quarterback?
2) Will Special Teams be Special?
3) Who will be the Colts' breakout player in 2009?
4) Will loss of former Head Coach Tony Dungy hurt in 2009?
5) What will defense look like in 2009?
6) Will DT Ed Johnson impact the defense in 2009?
7) How important is the return of OG Ryan Lilja in 2009?
8) Will K Adam Vinatieri be ready in 2009?
9) Will WRs be improved in 2009?
11) Will S Bob Sanders be healthy in 2009?
12) Will secondary be one of NFL's best in 2009?
13) Who will start at RB in 2009?
14) What roles will Tom Moore and Howard Mudd play in 2009?
15) Can QB Peyton Manning improve again in 2009?
16) Will the Colts be OK at LB in 2009?
17) Will CB Kelvin Hayden make the Pro Bowl in 2009?
18) Can TE Dallas Clark make the Pro Bowl in 2009?
19) Can OT Tony Ugoh develop into franchise-level LT?
20) Can the Colts win the Super Bowl in 2009?
THE POSITION-BY-POSITION PRE-TRAINING CAMP SERIES:
- The QUARTERBACKS
- The RUNNING BACKS
- The TIGHT ENDS
- The WIDE RECEIVERS
- The OFFENSIVE TACKLES
- The OFFENSIVE GUARDS
- The CENTERS
- The DEFENSIVE ENDS
- The DEFENSIVE TACKLES
- The LINEBACKERS
- The CORNERBACKS
- The SAFETIES
OTHER EXAMINER COLTS TOPICS . . .
- Colts QB Peyton Manning on Steve McNair
- Steve McNair's career often intertwined with the Colts
- QB Peyton Manning omitted from ESPN.com's All-Decade team
- The best of the Indianapolis Colts blogosphere . . .
- Manning: Influence of Tony Dungy still felt around Colts
- Mudd, Moore return inevitable, happy end to long story
- Colts to allow sponsors on practice uniforms
- Why Colts QB Peyton Manning is primed for another big season
- Re-signing DT Ed Johnson makes DT situation even better
- SERIES: Peyton Manning Top 10 underrated moments.
- Breaking Down the 2009 Colts Schedule
- A recap of the Colts' 2009 NFL Draft
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