Missed opportunities cost Colts
Football Betting Lines
02/08/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning was one quarter away from capturing his second Super Bowl title in four years, but the four-time league MVP didn't get enough support from his teammates, and in the end a costly interception proved part of the downfall for the Indianapolis Colts.
Four years ago, Manning reached the summit by leading the Colts over Chicago in Miami to win the Super Bowl. Same stadium, same game, different result against a team that was destiny's pick - the New Orleans Saints.
Manning threw an interception that was returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Tracy Porter late in the fourth quarter to seal New Orleans' 31-17 win in Super Bowl XLIV.
"I don't think it will have any bearing on his legacy," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said of the interception. "Obviously, he's a great player. It never comes down to just one single play in the game."
For everything that went right for the Colts in the first quarter, periods two and four were the complete opposite. The Colts dominated the opening quarter, outgaining the Saints in yardage, 154-36. The Saints ran just 10 offensive plays in the period, but the Colts had just six in the second quarter. Indy was outgained 143-15 in the second quarter, but still maintained a 10-6 lead.
The turning point of the game though came on the opening play of the second half when rookie kicker Thomas Morstead, actually the Saints' punter, put down a perfect onside kick. Colts wide receiver Hank Baskett was in position to come up with the ball, but it squirted away and New Orleans' Jonathan Casillas came away with the football.
The Saints scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, part of a 31-7 surge in points to end the game for New Orleans in that franchise's first Super Bowl title.
"They kind of kept the momentum from there," Manning said. "We just didn't play well enough in certain times and in certain phases."
Manning finished 31-of-45 for 333 yards with a TD pass to Pierre Garcon to cap a 96-yard drive in the opening quarter.
The Colts had their opportunities, but they never got a sustained pass rush and one dropped pass in particular hurt their chances.
Dwight Freeney started for the Colts despite playing with a torn ligament in his right ankle. He had a one-handed sack of Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second quarter, preventing a possible drive for a touchdown and limiting New Orleans to three points. Freeney had the ankle re-taped, but wasn't much of a factor in the second half.
"I tried to figure out ways to keep it warm, keep it going," Freeney said. "The problem is once it gets stiff it's tough to bring it back."
Joseph Addai was the catalyst on offense for Indianapolis. He had 13 rushes for 77 yards and a TD and caught seven passes for 58 yards.
Already ahead 10-0 in the second quarter and facing a third down at their own 28, Garcon dropped a sure first-down catch with plenty of open space ahead.
Even when they were up 17-16 early in the fourth, the Colts couldn't add to their lead as Matt Stover's 51-yard field goal hooked wide left. The Saints went ahead on the next possession when Brees connected with Jeremy Shockey for a two-yard TD pass.
"They just made the plays," Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday said. "The bottom line is when the game was on the line they made the plays and we didn't."
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Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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