Six picks thrown by the good Manning typify Colts’ night

By Anthony Bialy  |   Tuesday, November 13, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

Indianapolis Colts
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Arguably the best quarterback ever threw too many picks to count on one hand, the best field goal kicker ever missed two key attempts, the Colts huddled: What happened here? All things considered, the Indianapolis letdown against San Diego in Week 10 wasn't that surprising, although the Colts' 14 fourth-quarter points may have shocked viewers who wrote the game off early as an inevitable defeat. An astounding number of injuries and the previous week's thoroughly discussed loss to New England aside, this still evolved into a crushing lost chance for the Colts to maintain a cushion on their second-best-in-the-conference status.

For most of the night, this game was eerily similar to an earlier prime-time contest this season: It looked like Dallas getting stomped by the Bills on Monday night because of exceptional special teams play along with an abundance of interceptions thrown by a usually superior quarterback until the opponent's dysfunctional offense surrendered a key turnover, all leading to an improbable comeback topped by a late field goal opportunity which would have propelled the elite team of the two into the lead. . . um, it's getting Lincoln/Kennedy-style coincidentally creepier the more I think about it.

The only difference is the way the script played out, as Adam Vinatieri doubled his number of missed kicks for the season to four total. He was hurried into a miss at the half and lacks an excuse for pushing a try that would have put his team up by a single point near game's end. Recall an additional crucial miss against the Patriots, and we're seeing a kicker who's currently dealing with a cold sweat because of the fact his veins are seeping ice water.

At the same time, Peyton Manning's laborious struggles to force a victory in turn led to an unequaled blemish on his career. Statistics of course don't tell everything, but one can look at his dreadful 49.4 passer rating in San Diego and know instantly that this turned into an all-time tough game for him.

His previous low this season, 80.8 against Jacksonville, was itself well below his career average of 94.2. But there's a reason: Every stat from Sunday for Manning reflects a leader trying everything to will his team to success despite a hobbled running back, missing top receiver and tight end, and patchwork line.

Excuses are naturally less satisfying than wins, but the tremendous number of injuries to vital components such as offensive tackle Tony Ugoh, tight end/indispensable receiver Dallas Clark, and in-game loss Dwight Freeney simply wore on the Colts. This is a team renowned for depth throughout the roster as much as for its unparalleled starting talent, but too many missing faces from the latter group eventually takes a toll even on a team that does an impressive job of inserting the occasional anonymous jersey into the lineup.

While Manning's aberrant performance is encapsulated by the passer rating, some other numbers belie what a tough fall this was for Indianapolis: The Colts held the ball for over 36 minutes while forcing the Chargers to commit three turnovers.

But, whoops, an uncharacteristic number of Colt mistakes paired with the great equalizer that is special teams overwhelmed the laudable efforts of players like Reggie Wayne, whose 10 receptions totaling 140 yards of ground reflected an ultimately vain accomplishment. He single-handedly worked to overcome the dearth of weapons available on his side because of injury, but through no fault of his own it still wasn't enough.

Managing to pull frustratingly close in the final quarter won't provide a particularly enormous amount of comfort, either; the only positive for Indianapolis is that a loss with several rotten components can't take away the fact it's still in decent shape at 7-2. Keeping in mind the overall picture is the easiest way to distract from an apparent blowout that developed into a heartbreaker.
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