OAKLAND (AP) — Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts had to work a
lot harder than expected to get a week off to open the playoffs.
Manning threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 4:49
remaining for the Colts' first offensive touchdown of the game, and
Indianapolis rallied to beat the Oakland Raiders 21-14 Sunday and clinch
a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
The Colts (12-2) trailed 14-13 after Justin Fargas' 2-yard run early in
the fourth quarter. But Manning completed all seven passes on the
ensuing drive, including a key third-down conversion to Reggie Wayne, to
drive Indianapolis 91 yards for the go-ahead score. Joseph Addai ran in
the 2-point conversion to make it a seven-point game.
Kelvin Hayden broke up a fourth-down pass to Jerry Porter from the
Indianapolis 16 with 1:50 remaining and the Colts ran out the clock to
win it.
The win clinched Indianapolis' fifth straight AFC South title, made the
Colts the first team ever to post five straight 12-win seasons and gave
them the No. 2 seed in the playoffs because Pittsburgh lost 29-22 to
Jacksonville earlier in the day.
The Raiders (4-10) are assured of their fifth straight double-digit loss
season.
The Raiders held the high-powered Colts offense in check until midway
through the fourth quarter as Indianapolis' first 13 points came on T.J.
Rushing's 90-yard punt return in the first quarter and two field goals
by Adam Vinatieri.
Addai was held to 44 yards on 15 carries by the league's second worst
rush defense, and Manning was just 15-for-31 until the go-ahead drive.
But Manning was sharp when it counted, finishing 22-for-39 for 276 yards
and the touchdown on the perfectly thrown pass to Gonzalez's back
shoulder. Gonzalez, given added responsibility with Marvin Harrison
sidelined, showed why the Colts used a first-round pick on him earlier
this year with seven catches for 86 yards.
Fargas had 26 carries for 89 yards, giving him 1,009 for the season, but
left in the fourth quarter with a banged-up knee. Josh McCown finished
13-for-24 for 94 yards and a touchdown for Oakland, sitting out three
series in the third quarter to allow No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell
to play.
Russell, making his second cameo appearance of the season, couldn't
generate a single first down on his three drives. Chris McFoy dropped a
third-down pass on the first drive, Russell threw an incompletion to
Porter to end the next drive and Fargas only gained 1 yard on
third-and-2 to end the third drive. Russell finished 2-for-5 for 10
yards before turning the game back over to McCown, who immediately drove
Oakland to the go-ahead score.
The Colts took a quick 10-0 lead when Vinatieri kicked a 22-yard field
goal on the opening drive and Rushing returned a punt 90 yards for his
first career score. Indianapolis looked poised to break the game open
when Manning appeared to score on a 5-yard scramble on the next drive.
But Raiders coach Lane Kiffin challenged the play and after a replay
review the ball was spotted inside the 1. Thomas Howard broke up a pass
in the end zone to Ben Utecht to give the Raiders the ball on downs.
With Oakland backed up to its own 1, Kiffin decided not to put Russell
in to start the second quarter. McCown then engineered a 20-play,
99-yard drive that burned 11:49 off the clock. McCown converted a
fourth-and-inches sneak, and connected with Porter for 8 yards on
third-and-5 before hitting Ronald Curry for a 3-yard score that made it
10-7.
