By Mike Beas, For CNHI News Service
INDIANAPOLIS — Like beauty, perfection evidently qualifies as one of life’s eye-of-the-beholder elements.
With 5:36 remaining in the third quarter on Sunday, it became painfully obvious which direction the high-dollar decision-makers within the Indianapolis Colts organization were leaning:
Super Bowl championship 1, perfect record 0.
Thanks largely to Indianapolis’ bigheartedness in this, the season of giving, the New York Jets manufactured 19 consecutive points for a 29-15 victory before 67,222 extremely agitated fans inside Lucas Oil Stadium, most of whom were starting their automobiles by game’s end.
Alive and well are the Jets’ AFC wild-card playoff chances; relegated to the scrap heap is Indianapolis’ opportunity to chase down the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the lone undefeated champion in Super Bowl history.
Now 14-1, the Colts, according to head coach Jim Caldwell, will be just fine if taking measures necessary to keep his starters healthy leads to a blue-and-white confetti shower the night of Feb. 7 in Miami’s Land Shark Stadium, host of Super Bowl XLIV.
“It’s something I had taken a real good look at in terms of keeping us sharp. The most important thing for us is making sure we’re operating on all cylinders when the playoffs start,” said Caldwell, whose squad locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs two weeks ago with a win over Denver. “Every guy out there, they want to go out there and go the distance. The most important season for us is the one coming up.”
Gauging by crowd reaction, a loss wasn’t supposed to be part of the 2009 equation. With the Colts ahead, 15-10, Caldwell pulled quarterback Peyton Manning and replaced him with untested rookie Curtis Painter, a move that ignited a hailstorm of boos.
“Our fans are going to express their feelings,” said Caldwell. “As I told the guys, (the booing) was more directed at me.”
Painter’s debut proved pleasantly memorable — for the Jets. On his fourth snap from center, the former Purdue signal-caller fumbled after being hit by blitzing outside linebacker Calvin Pace. New York tackle Marques Douglas scooped up the pigskin and tumbled in from a yard out, giving the visitors a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Painter’s final stat line read 4 of 11 passing for 44 yards, one pick, one fumble and a day he won’t soon forget.
“We tried to get as many points as we could while we were in there. We put Curtis Painter in a tough spot,” said Manning. “As a player you follow orders and you follow them with all your heart. Our orders were to win the game, but we didn’t follow that blueprint.”
The first evidence came with the second-half kickoff as New York’s Brad Smith covered 106 yards for a touchdown that put the Jets up, 10-9. Manning answered by moving Indianapolis 81 yards in 19 plays, the Colts’ final points coming courtesy of Donald Brown’s 1-yard run at 10:13 of the third stanza.
Caldwell at that point began substituting freely, Manning, who finished 14 of 21 for 192 yards, being the most obvious missing piece to the puzzle.
