AFC Championship: Colts 30, Jets 17

PREGAME
Now we go to Karma Bowl 2010, where the Colts have their Super Bowl aspirations blocked by the Jets team they let into the playoffs in the first place. Peyton Manning shouldn't expect a thank-you card from Rex Ryan, though.

Ryan has an intriguing day ahead of him. Planet Earth expects him to try to blitz Peyton's head off. What a challenge, though, firing blitzes at one of the best QBs against the blitz ever, against the best team in the NFL at picking up the blitz. And who should you try to make beat you in the most important game of the year, anyway: Peyton Manning, or Joseph Addai and the rest of the lame Colts RBs? Worst rushing team in the league. 1.7 yards per carry last week! Make 'em run, Rex! Ryan's usual strategy may still work - blitzing plus Darrelle Revis was certainly enough to cool off Philip Rivers last week - but this is Peyton Manning we're talking about. I say the more times Rex can fool Peyton into checking off into a stupid handoff, the better his chances of winning. But I'm expecting Rex to dance with what brought him, and for Peyton to carve it up. Revis still gives the Jets a shot if he's game MVP and is in on 3 or 4 turnovers, but I think that's a long shot this week.

And, again this week, with all the talk focused on the visitors' defense, don't forget the home team's. The Colts shut down the Raven running game last week. The Jets do have a better o-line than Baltimore, and Mark Sanchez looks a little readier to loosen up the Colts D than Joe Flacco did last week. Even at that, the Colts are still good enough to slow the Jet running game down. They're going to force Sanchez to make key plays. But they only have to be great those few plays. The Jets D has to be great every play. And when faced with a defense with something to prove vs. a defense that's been reading its press clippings and cocky head coach's quotes all season, I know who I'm siding with. Sorry, Colts, you're the pick.

But hey, I am 4-4 so far this season, already clinching a better record than I had last year....

FIRST QUARTER
Wait a minute, is somebody going to catch that eagle or are we going to have to delay kickoff?

On time this year, here's the blow-by-blow for the AFC Championship. CBS announcers: Phil Simms and Jim "The Adulterer" Nantz.

Colts win the toss and elect to receive; good return by Chad Simpson across the 30. Delayed safety blitz on the opening play, picked up by Joseph Addai; plenty of time for Reggie Wayne to beat Dwayne Lowry and Kerry Rhodes for 12. Addai over right guard for 2. Just a 4-man rush on 2nd down; Jim Leonhard breaks up the pass over the middle to Gijon Robinson. 3rd-and-8. Delayed overload blitz gets the Jets a sack and forces the Colts to punt. Addai picked up the blitzing DB but nobody got MLB David Harris coming in right behind him. Jeff Saturday looked like the only blocker who had a chance. Poor punt by the Colts, too; 36 yards, and this one is not off to the kind of start Indy wants.

Jets at their 29. Thomas Jones up the middle for 3. No gain on 2nd down, with Robert Mathis and Gary Brackett making the stop. Brackett's my pick for the NFL's most underrated player. 3rd-and-7, Sanchez already has to make a play. And he does. Robert Mathis tugged his jersey but Jerricho Cotchery pulls in a high ball and makes some nice sideline footwork for the catch at the 47. Afraid of losing a challenge, the Jets rush to the line and Sanchez sneaks for 2. Replay shows the play would have stood. Shonn Greene goes off left guard for 7, then 2 and another first down. Jets at the Indy 42, now the 21 after a quick slant to Braylon Edwards. Great, the Jets are going to the freaking Super Bowl. WHY DIDNT THE RAMZ HIRE REX RYUN, I can hear Bernie Miklasz wailing (again) already. Gary Brackett asks me to hold off on the Super Bowl prediction by trapping Greene for a loss in the right flat. 2nd-12. Brackett and Bethea blow up a play-action draw for Greene for another loss. 3rd-14. Jacob Lacey eludes the block on the smoke route and stops Brad Smith for no gain. Big sequence for the Colts there, and this postseason's most reliable kicker, Jay Feely, fades a 44-yard attempt just right. Still no score.

Colts at their 34, and Manning is sacked for the 2nd straight play. They brought Leonhard and a couple of LBs and Peyton basically took a dive. The blocking's been good enough on the two sacks; Manning just can't find anybody downfield. Except Darrelle Revis, I imagine. Addai gets 5 back off left tackle; 3rd-and-12. With Addai struggling to hold off the blitz, Strickland breaks up a pass for Dallas Clark that was short of the first down anyway. Jets are dictating this game on defense. You're kidding me, right? The Colts have given up 2 sacks already? And have only one first down?

Cotchery worms out to the 25 on the punt return. Dustin Keller doesn't turn for a quick flare and Sanchez clangs it off him incomplete. Inside handoff off a fake pitch only gets Richardson a couple. Colts are swarming like bees. HANDOFF to Jones gets maybe 3. Why the hell are you calling that when Sanchez has had some early success? Way to throw away a possession, dingleberries.

Colt punt returner incompetently lets the punt bounce down to the 11. Manning to Clark for 5. Donald Brown zings right up the middle between solid blocks by Saturday and Ryan Lilja for about 12. Pierre Garcon turns a quick slant into 27 after breaking Lowery's tackle. Colts are at the Jets 45, and the crowd, smelling a rat, boos Strickland's well-timed-to-slow-the-Colts-pace injury timeout.

Garcon beats Lito Sheppard with a difficult over-the-shoulder catch at the 9-yard-line. Timeout, Jets with 1:02 left in the quarter. As Jim Ross might say, business is starting to pick up.

No gain for Brown after bouncing a delayed handoff outside. Jets rush just 4 on 2nd down and Manning overthrows Wayne at the goal line, well-covered by Revis. Ryan Diem false starts, 3rd-and-goal at the 14. Jets overload blitz over LT, so Manning throws a quick screen right to Garcon, but he only gets to the 5. Moral victory for the Jets here. FG attempt will start the 2nd quarter.

End of first quarter: Jets 0, Colts 0.
SECOND QUARTER
Matt Stover's good from 25 to put the Colts ahead by a little. Not sure that merits "Bang The Drum All Day", but you go ahead and celebrate, Indy.

Colts 3, Jets 0.

After a touchback on the kickoff, 80 YARD TD PASS TO BRAYLON EDWARDS, beating the snot out of Jacob Lacey.

Jets 7, Colts 3.

Like I said, the freaking Jets are going to the Super Bowl. Not that I picked them to. Remember, Indy, YOU LET THEM GET HERE.

Might be about time for the Man of a Million Commercials to show us some moxie here and drive his team to the end zone, hmm?

Great replay work by CBS on the TD pass; Sanchez' pump-fake got Lacey biting AND saved Sanchez from getting sacked by the so-far-very-quiet Dwight Freeney.

Brown for 5 off left tackle. Austin Collie drops a first-down pass. You do NOT need another 3-and-out here, Indy. THEY HAND OFF????????? Brown comes up well short. What kind of idiotic call was that? Oh, maybe Manning was catching the Jets with 12 on the field. You sly dog. First down Indy on the penalty. Big play for 25 as Manning eludes a Leonhard blitz, Wayne gets open in front of Revis and puts a nasty hip shimmy move on him to gain at least 10 YAC. Addai's back from a shoulder injury and gains 9 off LT; nice blocks by Charlie Johnson and Clark. Addai then powers up the middle for 4 more. Three plays after it happened, Simms on behalf of the whole CBS booth figures out Manning called that run to catch the Jets with 12 men. At least I'm not the biggest dummy watching this game. Soo-weet jump cut by Addai gets him up the middle for 8. THAT's why I compared him to Marshall Faulk the year he was drafted. Revis swallows Wayne alive on 2nd down to force a Manning throwaway. Jets foolishly rush only 3 - really, Rex Ryan? - and Manning hits Austin Collie on a drag route, and Collie runs down to the 4. Lowery makes a fine play to break up a pass to Garcon at the goal line. Garcon got in front of him. Collie catches a quick dig at the 2 and dives to put the ball on the goal line, but the officials don't give it to him. Indy then tries to rush a QB sneak, and Manning ACTUALLY LOSES A YARD, thanks to super penetration by Mike DeVito WHO?? 4th-and-goal at the 2.

AND JIM CALDWELL OFFICIALLY LOSES THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP RIGHT HERE AND NOW BY PUSSING OUT FOR THE FG. I am surprised they didn't challenge the Collie play (replay shows the spot was correct, though), and I am shocked they settled for Stover's meaningless FG here.

Congratulations to the New York Jets on their first Super Bowl appearance since 1969.

Jets 7, Colts 6.

Brad Smith brings the kick back from DEEP in his end zone but can't elude Jerraud Powers at the 25. Bethea and Brackett close up a HUGE hole for Greene off LT and he only gets 4. 13 for Greene the same direction, though, with TE Ben Hartsock dominating Raheem Brock. 90 flip to Greene for 3 more. Ball at the Jet 43. Out of Wildcat formation, the Jets bluff a Brad Smith option toss to Greene and he hits Cotchery all the way down at the 12. 45-yard gain. Kelvin Hayden bit on the run there harder than Mike Tyson going after Evander Holyfield's ear. After a 4-yard run by green, Philip Wheeler gets away with a blow to Sanchez' helmet as the rookie QB gets away with a wild scramble and a wilder throwaway out of bounds. 3rd-and-6 from the 8 after Rex Ryan gets the Jets' 2nd timeout.

The Colts blitz a LB, and Sanchez is hit by a stunting Brock as he throws, but he hits Dustin Keller at the goal line in front of Melvin Bullitt to extend the Jets' lead. Bullitt had just returned to the game from an injury. He's not all that's going to be hurting in Indianapolis before this game is through.

WHY DIDNT THE RAMZ HIRE RYUN AND DRAFT SANCHEESE would be Bernie's whine right about now.

Jets 14, Colts 6.

Addai gets free on a sweep right and up the sideline for 9. 2nd-1 at the 38. He powers off RT for a couple more. Lowery is out injured now; you'd think Manning is getting ready to make James Ihedbigo famous. NOT AT ALL. WITH THE COLTS STILL IDIOTICALLY RUNNING, Calvin Pace nearly beats Addai to the handoff, lights him up and forces the ball loose. Jim Leonhard, who is everywhere, and whom the Rams had every opportunity to sign as a strong safety this offseason instead of James Butler, falls on the fumble.

WTF. The Colts are down by more than 7, and they hand off three straight times? Who had the lobotomy over the weekend? Besides their outstanding defense, the Jets have exposed their third straight coaching staff clearly not ready to cope with a big game.

Jets at the Indy 30. Jones off RT down to the 25. 3:24 till halftime. Jets get the ball after halftime, btw. Indy crowd lands their first false start of the day. Freeney and Mathis next show up for the first time today and trap Jones for a 3-yard loss. Colts use their first timeout with 2:23 left. 3rd-16 at the Colts 35. Draw play to Jones down to the 30. Timeout, Colts with 2:16 left. Feely bombs it through from 48.

Jets 17, Colts 6.

Colts will have 2:11 to move 80 yards, or move 78 and settle for a field goal. Manning throws out of bounds with Rhodes blanketing Clark. 18 to Collie at the 2:00 warning.

Manning beats a delayed blitz and a leaping attempt by Drew Coleman to hit Collie again, down to the Jet 16. Huge play for the Colts. And about a second later, Manning hits Collie again in the back of the end zone while the safeties Leonhard and Eric Smith look accusingly at one another. 1:13 till halftime, and Austin Collie has the Colts back in it. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have done bupkus this half; somebody had to step up. Good time to do it, kid.

Jets 17, Colts 13.

Smith out to the 22 with the kickoff. Jones around left end for a few as it looks like the Jets are just running out the clock. Which they do, though the Colts waste all of our time first by calling their last timeout.

Halftime score: Jets 17, Colts 13.

The late score by the Colts quickened the pace of this game a little more than the Jets would like. But they still won the first half, and they get the ball to start the second half. The game's going just about perfectly for them; now isn't the time to change a thing. The Colts are suffering from some prominent invisibility problems. Wayne and Clark on offense. Collie and Garcon are going to have to win their matchups against the lesser Jets DBs to help Peyton out. Freeney and Mathis haven't done a damn thing on defense. The Colts aren't going to win this game if they don't sack Sanchez.

Basically, what we've had here is a wake-up call for the Colts, and if their stars continue to hit snooze, well, at least they'll all get to play the Pro Bowl next week.

THIRD QUARTER
Smith returns another deep kick to the 28. Greene off RG for 7. He sweeps right for 4-5 more and leaves with an injury. Ribs, maybe. No, thigh. Short pass to Keller for 5. Jets are suddenly pass-happy now, and Sanchez boots right and spears Cotchery leaning out of bounds for another 1st down. They're already at the Colts 37. ANOTHER pass, dropped by Richardson. Wouldn't have gained much. Three passes in a row and no Colt near Sanchez. Short gain by Jones leaves 3rd-and-7. Sanchez doesn't get a lot of pressure but still air-mails one a mile out of bounds. Feely can't validate that decision, pushing the 52-yard FG attempt outside right.

Huge possession coming up, for both teams.

Play-action bomb for Garcon but Lowery has him blanketed. Short dig to Garcon at midfield leaves 3rd-and-3. Manning detects absolutely everything about the oncoming blitz, adjusting Addai, throwing left away from it, and hits Collie for 7. Manning fires a play-action pass that Garcon may have stolen away from Lowery at the 28. They go up top by Collie but it's off by a mile. The Jets have reached the point of the game where they need to quit blitzing for a while. Manning is eating it up, and the Jets aren't making the Colts waste any time with stupid handoffs. Quick screen to Addai, and he breaks about half-a-dozen tackles to get down to the 15. Quick slant to Garcon down to the 4 as the Jets haven't quit blitzing. And fittingly, Garcon beats Lowery on a fade route to put Indy back in front. And yes, the Jets were blitzing again.

When I told the Jets not to change a thing at halftime, I should have added that I meant on offense. I wasn't even thinking about their defense. Their failure to adjust to the Colts killing their blitz since the first-half 2:00 warning is killing them right now. Time to step up, Rex.

Colts 20, Jets 17.

Smith gets the kick return across the 30. Huge possession for them now. Jones up the middle for 12 with Alan Faneca pulling. Greene does indeed appear to have a rib injury and is still out. He bounces outside right for 6 more but we have a rare flag, holding on Wayne Hunter. That's a big penalty. Ryan is irate over a late hit on Sanchez by Bullitt. That's a couple of times the refs have essentially let the Colts rough Sanchez today. But after a short Jones run, Sanchez fires to a crossing Keller at the Colts 45 for a 1st down. D'Brick spoils that big play with a false start. Sanchez gets forever to throw the next play but it's too far out of bounds for a briefly wide-open David Clowney to pull in. Freeney, Mathis, where are you? Braylon Edwards drops a quick slant; there's a big surprise. 3rd-15. Mathis finally gets a little pressure on Sanchez and forces a useless dumpoff to Richardson. 4:30 left in the 3rd, that was a big hold for the Colts despite Phil Simms' efforts to paint it as a victory for the Jets. Um, Phil? They're still trailing right now.

Colts start at their 16, and with outstanding surge from the left side of the line, push the practically into their own sideline, and Addai cuts back left for 17. Brilliant call by Indy; Jets weren't blitzing, they called that run at the ideal time. Handoff to Brown doesn't go nearly as well as he trips after a yard. Just a couple to Clark as the Jets continue to lay back. 3rd-7. Now here comes a big blitz, but Manning can't make them pay, overthrowing Garcon. Huge stop for NY.

Cotchery fair-catches a huge Pat McAfee punt at the 10. Jones off LT for a couple. Wheeler, Mathis and Clint Session blow up a sweep on 2nd down, though. 3rd-10. Sanchez hits Cotchery perfectly on an out route for 12. Again, no pass rusher comes close. Freeney in particular is shaping up as today's LVP. Jones spins away from Brock but Eric Foster gobbles him up for no gain as the third quarter ends.

End of third quarter: Colts 20, Jets 17.

Well, I really called the second half wrong. None of the Colts' stars have stepped up save Manning, and they have taken the lead, and the Jets' problems came because they didn't adjust quickly enough on defense (though they did last drive), after I said they could pretty much stand pat (tho especially on offense).

FOURTH QUARTER

Sanchez hits Keller for a short gain and we'll have a very big 3rd-and-6 up next. Great grab by Cotchery at the 40 keeps the drive alive. Again, Sanchez has a Gibraltar-solid pocket to throw from. Jones off LT for 2. What looks like a screwed-up play-action pass just misses being a disaster when Sanchez' wounded duck manages to find a piece of open turf to land incomplete. He's gotten away with 2 or 3 dangerous throws like that today. Colts safety-blitz on 3rd down, Sanchez steps away from it and fires deep, but well past Edwards, who was well-covered by, of all people, Aaron Francisco anyway. Punt ends up in the end zone, and the Jets are in big need of another stop.

Wayne finally gets open, on a quick slant, and naturally has the ball punched loose by David Harris. The charmed Wayne falls on the loose ball for a 17-yard gain. Clark now with a dropped pass. Yeah, those stars aren't exactly stepping up. Collie's been Manning's best receiver today; where's he this half? There he is, a comebacker against Revis for 11 with the Jets blitzing. Have the Jets switched Revis to Collie? Manning spears Garcon at the Jets 46. Clark gets down to the 35 on an out route and also draws a face mask from Ihedbigo that was blatant enough that he should have been thrown out of the game. Though I think Ihedbigo was actually trying to reach and rip for the ball. Indy's in the red zone as a result, and boy do the Jets need a stop. From the 15, Clark is wide open at the goal line for the TD that probably has just sent the Colts to the Super Bowl. He just ran a long circle route, but the safety and MLB both bit on play-action to Addai. Colts by 10 with 9:00 left.

Colts 27, Jets 17.

Jets start the ensuing drive with a run but better think about airing it out pretty quickly here. Brad Smith drops a 2nd down slant, putting Sanchez in a pickle quickly, and Hayden tips away a pass for their go-to guy Cotchery. Rex isn't punting, is he? He is?

Congratulations to the Colts on their return to the Super Bowl. Guess that FG in the 2nd wasn't such an awful idea after all.

Indy's ball with 8:02 left at their 26. Addai gets a yard, and more importantly, a minute off the clock before Coleman resets the chains with illegal contact against Collie. Now Clark drops a pass, and um, now is the time to RUN, Indy. Quick dig to Garcon gets 7. On 3rd-3, the Jets blitz 2 LBs, and Garcon beats Lowery for a 1st down at the 48. Clock under 6:00. Addai cruises around left end for 15, the key "block" occurring when Dallas Clark swiped Kerry Rhodes' foot and tripped him. Clock under 5:00. Addai up the middle for 1. Colts are pretty much just putting the special sauce on this one. Back-shoulder cross-field throw for Garcon is incomplete at the 14. That's a strange call. Keep the clock moving! 3rd-and-9, 4:12 left, Jets blitz big and Garcon braces for and receives a big hit from Leonhard while still pulling the ball down. Game over, man, game over. The Colts will win this game thanks to a brilliant 2nd half plus 2:00 by Manning and his 3rd- and 4th- best receivers, Garcon and Collie.

The Jets start using their timeouts, but it looks like their impressive postseason run is coming to an end.

3:23 left. Colts bang Addai again to eat up another Jets timeout. Addai writhes down to the 3 to get a 4th-and-1, and darned if the Colts aren't going for it. I think I'd rather kick the chippie FG and make the Jets score 2 TDs. Simms argues that it might get blocked. How often does a PAT get blocked, Phil? That's what you're kicking here.

And here comes Stover. If the Jets block this I will poop my pants. Stover slants one through.

Colts 30, Jets 17.

Nantz just said Stover is on his way to becoming the oldest player to appear in a Super Bowl. Is that still Mike "The Janitor" Horan's record? Is nothing from the Greatest Show days sacred?

2:22 left with the Jets in desperation mode. VERY quietly, the Colts have held the fearsome Jet rushing game to 86 yards today. Keller gets out of bounds with a completion at the Jet 48. I'm going to be lucky to get this game done before the next one starts.

Nope, Hayden just picked off a deflection by Clowney, slightly overthrown, to deliver the coups de grace. Galvanizing performance by the Colts today, whom the Jets definitely had on the ropes.

Final score: Colts 30, Jets 17.

MVP: Garcon's stats were superior, and he was key to the TD drive that put the Colts in front to stay, and of course the Colts never get it done without Manning, but this game ball's going to Austin Collie. He caught every pass on the Colts' last drive before halftime, and if the halftime score's 17-6 instead of 17-13, we'd be talking about a completely different game.

Looking ahead: Outstanding, gallant performance by the Jets. Just before halftime, this game was going exactly the way they wanted it to. The Colts just had a little bit more. The future's bright for the Jets, too, with Sanchez and Greene (don't underestimate how much his absence affected their second half today) maturing and one of the NFL's best offensive lines returning. Don't be surprised if the Jets' first draft pick in 2010 is a cornerback. Of course they already have Revis, but Rex Ryan's always going to be looking for another shutdown corner who will enable him to blitz even more. And he can't feel real good that he got beat today by Indy's 3rd and 4th-best receivers. Their need pick may be WR, though they traded enough for Braylon Edwards that they may be stuck with him. His one catch was obviously big today, but I think that's all he had.

Imagine that, Fox is interviewing Brett Favre right now. We'll see how he does in a few minutes.