Synchronous Colts gain divisional supremacy

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, December 03, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Indianapolis Colts
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If you can't stop him outright, the best way to beat a hot quarterback is to have an even hotter quarterback on your own roster. Jacksonville's David Garrard performed about as well as could be hoped or expected in a challenging road game, but that was irrelevant to the Colts' Peyton Manning, who got himself 288 yards and more importantly got his team to 28 points when the opposition mustered 25. Playing well on his own merits and also in response to the opposition helped Manning lead his side to clamping down on the AFC South against the team that had the best chance to overcome them.

The most impressive aspect of Sunday's contest was the way Manning synced with his receivers. For example, both of tight end Dallas Clark's touchdown receptions were ideally placed where only he could grab them in confined space. On the other hand, timing a ball perfectly in stride to Reggie Wayne as he ran along a straight line allowed him to dart for a score without slowing, a different kind of throw that was equally efficient. Further, Manning shoveled one to Luke Lawton that was less elegant and more simply effective as the reserve back took it 1 yard for six points.

Wayne was essentially unstoppable as he totaled 158 yards on his eight grabs, while Clark's two touchdowns were mixed within his seven catches for a solid contribution of 60 yards. Ben Utecht added 47 yards as Manning completed three throws to him, too, as the offense utilized the best available weapons on a day Joseph Addai was restricted to 3.2 yards per rush. A rolling passing game made the unproductive rushing attack irrelevant.

Most of all, Manning responded to and exceeded the respectable outing put forth by his positional rival on the Jaguars. The game became like an eBay auction for Manning, and he wasn't going to let some sucker sneak up and knock him out of the competition for a prize he truly desired. It's not to take away from Garrard's effort; besides the fact that "sucker" is actually an online auction technical term, the truth is there's not much he did wrong.

He only missed on five of his 29 attempts, gaining 257 aerial yards in the process of a proficient display. The biggest disadvantage for Garrard was that Manning wasn't going to be outmatched.

On top of that, each of the pair of occasions when Garrard made errors proved to be enormously costly. Specifically, his fumble while being sacked in the first quarter set up the Colts to get in the end zone three plays later for the game's crucial first score. The only thing worse than taking a sack on a third and 7 that starts at one's own 12 is losing the ball on the same play, and Indianapolis made it a point to first be aggressive on defense and then coldly execute on offense.

Also, Garrard's interception with a bit under seven minutes left in the game hindered and ultimately sabotaged the Jaguar attempt to gain the lead. Granted, the Colts went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, but it killed time and forced the visitors to start over at their own 22. They then managed a touchdown, but it was too late: The Colts got the ball back with under three minutes left and finished off the clock.

The important fact accompanying the win was that the Colts were fantastic passing the ball without their prime target, a player I've heard has missed some time to injury. They competed brilliantly as Marvin Harrison once again watched, which means that he'll be able to rejoin a receiving corps that showed itself capable of being relentlessly overpowering in his absence. They can win without him, and they're of course better with him, and that's a nice situation for any franchise.

That's the best news for the Colts aside from the directly positive reality that their closest foe would now need to make up a three-game deficit counting the tiebreaker to claim the division's crown with only four games to do so. Sweeping the series against a Jacksonville squad that has looked ominous against most non-Colts teams is evidence that Indianapolis is moving past its losses and uninspiring wins as it gradually accelerates into the final quarter of the season.
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