KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Peyton Manning was actually worse.
Worse than a perfect quarterback rating he achieved last week against Denver. Worse than the convoluted, brain-teasing, decimal-defying quarterback number the NFL spat out for him in two regular-season games.
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Tony Dungy has the hottest weapon in the NFL right now in Peyton Manning. (AP) |
That was laughable after Indianapolis' 38-31 AFC divisional playoff victory over Kansas City. The converted were running their mouths and running the halls in the bowels of Arrowhead Stadium after the Colts' third road playoff victory since 1971.
Usually dour Kansas City Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson was telling anyone who would listen it was the best performance by a quarterback he had ever seen.
"Did he have another perfect rating?" Chiefs linebacker Shawn Barber said.
Numbers-wise? No. Manning's 138.8 rating was 15 points short of the highest-possible 158.3. Manning achieved the NFL's version of quarterback perfection for the second time this season against the Broncos.
"When it comes to being a competitor, he's one of the fiercest you can face," Barber said. "Once he's in that comfort zone, he's kind of like Michael Jordan."
To the point the Colts have run 117 plays in the postseason without punting. The offense has scored on 13 of 17 postseason possessions, piling up 89 points and 50 first downs. There have been only 19 third-down situations. The Colts have converted on 14. Manning's offense has done it all with exactly one turnover.
"That's kind of deep for me, that whole 'in-the-zone' thing," Manning said. "Jordan said that a few years ago. I'm just a football player. I'm hot, I guess, right now. That makes a little more sense."
With Manning, Indy's offense could be played at a school for the deaf. If the Colts aren't going no-huddle, Manning is changing the play at the line with a series of hand gestures that confuse everyone but his teammates.
Yes, Sunday was supposed to be a shootout, but the Colts had the bigger weapon, the one of mass destruction.
"Hunter Smith," Manning said with smirk while "revealing" his secret motivation -- the Colts punter. "Nobody really likes Hunter that much."
If anything, Manning's postseason shows just how worthless the NFL's math is. His game against the Chiefs will go down as one of the best playoff performances in recent history -- or at least the past two weeks.
He completed 22 of 30 for 304 yards and three touchdowns -- a week after missing on only 4-of-26, throwing for 377 yards and five touchdowns against Denver.
Which one was better? It has to be Sunday, because the shootout victory put the Colts in the AFC title game for the first time since 1995.
Consider that tie for NFL MVP to be broken. Steve McNair is sitting at home. Manning has dropped back to pass 56 times in the postseason and has hardly needed Tide yet. He has been sacked once and barely harassed.
"He is the master," Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks said. "That was an amazing performance. We just got our butt whupped. They took us behind the woodshed and beat us."
"Generally in the playoffs, you're dealing with the best teams in the league," Smith said. "Even though you might have a really good offense, you're supposedly going against a very good defense. You'd think they'd be able to stop you at least once."
Smith is qualified to say that because he was (wasn't?) part of the third playoff game in history without a punt, the first in a divisional game. He hasn't punted since last year.
"I wouldn't say the offense was clicking, I would say it is peaking," Smith said. "We had one third down there where I thought we were going to punt. I'm not insecure about it. ... Why do it if you don't have to?"
The Chiefs defense, 29th in the league, helped by living down to its reputation. It stunk, but the Chiefs No. 1 scoring offense couldn't keep up, either. The teams combined to score on the game's first five possessions.
Manning got an opening when Morten Andersen missed an easy 31-yard field goal in the first half and Priest Holmes fumbled on the second play of the second half. His 48-yard run to the Colts' 22 was negated. Naturally, Indy scored off the drive to make it 24-10.
It's much more complicated and glorious than that for the Colts right now. What we're witnessing is the top of several careers.
Manning has had to fight off criticism about his postseason record, 0-3 before this year. Last week, Manning won his first playoff game. Sunday, he won his first road playoff game. Next week, his first Super Bowl berth looms.
"We've heard it for so long," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I don't know how you can be better, really, the last three weeks. To do it in the playoffs, on a national stage, I'm really happy for him. I'm sure we'll still have questions. Hopefully, this will erase some of those doubts."
Marvin Harrison (six catches, 98 yards) has always been a dominant receiver, but now he has weapons around him to take the heat off. Eight players have caught passes in the postseason. Former Ravens receiver Brandon Stokley actually leads the team with three touchdowns. Third-year receiver Reggie Wayne is second to Harrison in postseason catches with 11.
Both players caught touchdown passes against the beleaguered Chiefs defense that did nothing to show it was anything better than third-worst in the NFL this season.
Running back Edgerrin James revisited the site where he tore up his knee on a Thursday night three years ago. Admittedly, he has never been the same. But by following his blocks for 125 yards and two touchdowns, James showed you can be different and still be effective.
"He's gotten a little bit smarter," Manning said. "He takes himself out now and then."
Some of the flash is gone, but the 214-pound James can still lower his head.
"I'm a whole lot smarter," James said. "Before I wouldn't come out at all. Now I think it's a four-quarter game, I make sure I'm fresh. The way I feel right now, I could play right now because of the approach I'm taking."
Their leader aw-shuckses his way all the way to the locker room -- and New England. If it matters, there is room for improvement. Two games into the playoffs, the Colts passing game has a 153.9 rating, 4.4 points from perfection.
"It's not trickery because we're not running flea flickers; we're not running reverses," Manning said. "We're running the same plays we did all season. We're just sharpening up our execution."
Execution that, right now, cuts like a knife.
