For some time now Manning and Colts coach Tony Dungy have been saddled with the charge that they were somehow mesmerized by Belichick's schemes and the Patriots' defensive execution, a case that was certainly reasonable to make considering that Manning went into last night's showdown between the undefeated Colts and the once-beaten Patriots with a 2-7 record against Belichick and a 1-6 mark against Brady.
But while his playoff performances have been dismal against New England, his last four regular-season games have been well-above-average and last night's was better than that in a 27-20 Colts victory that gave them a two-game lead over their closest competitors in the AFC for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Although much can change between now and that second season, back-to-back wins over the Broncos and Patriots certainly argued strongly for the Colts' place atop the AFC and all of pro football, at least for the moment.
In his past two games against the Patriots, Manning is 48 of 73 for 647 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions, and last night he clearly outdueled Brady, who struggled his way to a 20-for-35 night for 201 yards and four killer interceptions against a defense that was third in the league in pass defense in the opinion of most NFL observers primarily because they were awful against the run.
Last night was not a story of what Brady didn't do, however. It was the story of what Manning did, which was about everything one could ask. He took his team downfield for scores every time he had the ball in the first half, pushing the Colts out to a 17-14 lead in a half in which he threw for 147 yards and put up a near-perfect 132.5 quarterback rating.
He had them in position to score on the first drive of the second half but Adam Vinatieri missed a 37-yard field goal and he found Harrison for a 4-yard touchdown after hitting him for a 29-yard gain and tight end Dallas Clark for 37 more on the way to taking a 24-14 lead halfway through the third quarter from which the Patriots never recovered.
