Colts clinch playoff berth
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Peyton Manning's knee injury. A disappointing 3-4 start. Playing without safety Bob Sanders, running back Joseph Addai, linebacker Gary Brackett and receiver Marvin Harrison.
Given everything the Indianapolis Colts have overcome this season, it's no surprise how easily they handled whatever emotion the Jacksonville Jaguars got from Richard Collier's return Thursday night.
It certainly helped that Manning was nearly perfect.
Manning completed his first 17 passes, picked apart Jacksonville's secondary and led the Colts to their eighth consecutive win and seventh straight postseason berth. He finished 29-for-34 for a season-high 364 yards and three touchdowns, and the Colts secured the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 31-24 victory over the Jaguars.
Actually, Manning was better than usual.
He led the Colts back from deficits of 14-0 and 24-14, spreading the ball around the field with pinpoint passes. He set up Adam Vinatieri's 45-yard field goal that tied the game at 24 late in the fourth before the Colts (11-4) won it with two big defensive plays.
Keiwan Ratliff intercepted a pass from David Garrard and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with 4:48 remaining, and Dwight Freeney sacked Garrard on the final play after the Jaguars got to the Colts 7-yard line. Coach Jack Del Rio said the Jaguars (5-10), would have attempted a 2-point conversion to win it had they scored.
Here's more good news for Indy: The victory will allow coach Tony Dungy to rest many starters next week against Tennessee, giving them as many as 17 days of rest heading into the playoffs.
Collier, a 6-foot-7 offensive linemen paralyzed from the waist down following a shooting in early September, returned to the field for the first time and was recognized during pregame ceremonies. He was an honorary team captain for the coin toss.
