Jets - Colts Notes: Second Half

> Smith takes a deep kick from McAfee back to the 27 for a nice play to start the third quarter. Greene gains 7 on the right side, then does it again to gain the edge and move the sticks. Sanchez is 5 of 7 for 129 yards and 2 TDs, and in a big development, Greene limps off; he might have hyper-extended the toe. Sanchez finds Keller for five, then finds Cotchery on the sideline after a long rollout from play action. Nice catch by the wideout, and the Jets are at the Colt 37. Another rollout fools no one and ends with a Richardson drop at the line of scrimmage. Jones gets three on the right side, and we're in Field Goal Third Down Land. Sanchez has nothing with Edwards, and airmails it out of bounds a little fast; I think he could have tucked it under his arm and put pressure on the defense. Feely's 52 yard attempt misses right all the way, though to be fair, the snap might have been at fault, as that ball was straight as an arrow. Big edge to the Colts, who will have good field goal position and a shot at the lead.

> Greene goes to the locker room as we come back from commerce. Manning form the gun on first tries Garcon deep, who isn't experienced enough to wave his arms wildly for a flag. On second, the QB finds Garcon again for seven yards, and Manning is having all kinds of time. On third from the hurry up, Manning changes at the line to the gun to stop any substitutions, then goes to Collie on a pick and out for the first. It's surgery time.

> From the gun on first, Manning fakes the give and hits Garcon on ridiculously good coverage for another big chunk. He's now got 247 yards and counting. On first from the gun, the QB fakes right and misses Collie deep on the left. Second down is a shotgun snap at zero, and Addai takes a bubble screen as Leonhard and DE Shaun Ellis can't get the man down; it goes for another first. From the Jet 15, RM Mike Hart looks confused, but Manning isn't, and finds Garcon on another slant for 11 yards and the first. Then Manning hits Garcon in the back right of the end zone on yet another perfect perfect perfect throw for the touchdown, and just that fast, the Colts take the lead back. CBS reports that Ryan is mad at his secondary, but I'm not sure there is such a thing as a secondary that could have stopped those throws; if anything, it's on the defensive line to get more pressure. Colts 20, Jets 17.

> Smith makes some hay on the return, but with Greene on the sidelines and 14 straight Colt points, you can understand why Jets Fan is gripping. Jones follows a huge Alan Faneca block to get 12 as Greene's injury seems game-ending. Jones gets five more, but the run comes back on a hold as Ryan is hot at the ref; Sanchez took a spare hit from Bullitt that was questionable. On first and 20, Jones on a draw for 3, and it's a little amazing that first and 20 is a predictable running down. From play action on 2nd and 17, Sanchez finds Keller on a cross that's just out of LB Gary Brackett's reach for the first. So far today, Jet Fan can ask nothing more from their QB.

> From the Colt 46, Keller jumps early for the drive's second flag. Sanchez tries a deep ball to reserve WR David Clowney, just getting it off under pressure, but the ball is out of bounds. Second and 15 is the first Edwards drop of the day on a hot slant, and the Jets are lucky that the tipped ball isn't taken by the defense. Third and 15 is a huge play to stop the Colt tide, but Sanchez can only find Richardson in the flat. The fullback gets two yards as Phil Simms praises a drive that scores no points, and Weatherford's punt is taken on a hop to the 16. No other analyst working in the NFL praises non-scoring offensive possessions more than Simms; it's his specialty. I'm still amazed that the man had a career as a QB.

> With the Jet defense traumatized by the air assault, Addai gets 17 on a run up the middle. Manning from the gun with no huddle gives to Brown for a yard, and only Manning can run clock from no huddle. On second, he finds Clark for no real damage, gaining two on double coverage as the pressure moved in. On third with the defense showing blitz, Manning snaps at zero and misses his man against a free CB blitz, and the Jets are still alive. Punter Pat McAfee nails a 50+ yarder that Cotchery fair catches at his own 11.

> Greene makes it to the sidelines, but not the field. Jones for two as Ryan continues to Stay (Overly) Patient. Jones on second loses two as Tasker continues to denigrate Greene's chances of coming back. On third and 10, Sanchez is perfect to Cotchery for the first, and, um, I think I'd give the kid a chance to throw it on more than third and long, myself. From their own 23, Jones makes the first man miss to get back to the line of scrimmage, and that's the end of the third quarter. Colts 20, Jets 17.

> Second an 10 from the 23 is Sanchez to Keller for four yards and a cloud of no yards after catch. On third and six in the loud dome, Sanchez hits Cotchery again, as the WR nearly misses a laser to move the sticks. From their own 41 now, Jones gets two on first, and if you've taken a drink every time that's happened, you'd be pretty hammered by now. Second and eight was supposed to be a throwback screen to Jones, I think, but the RB got leveled and Sanchez is lucky to find empty ground for his duck incomplete. Wow, that was ugly. Third and eight sees the QB make a man miss, then try for Edwards on a long ball. The WR runs over the corner trying to draw a call, and he's lucky that wasn't offensive PI. Weatherford's punt leaks into the end zone, and Manning will have the ball on his 20 with a shot to put the game (and cover, dammit Peyton, cover!) away.

> 12:25 left as Manning hits Wayne, who smoothly picks up the first, then unsmoothly fumbles it. The room service hop comes back to the WR to avoid disaster, and the play goes for 17. Clark drops a perfect ball, and that should have been eight at least. Curious. Collie takes a curl at the sticks in front of Revis as Manning is able to unload before the blitzer gets there. Manning to Garcon on a low laser for six, and it's a ball control passing game now as the clock moves down towards 10 minutes left. The QB has all day to find Clark in a seam for 12 yards, and the Jets compound the damage with a face mask at the close on a try for the strip. With the ball at the Jets 19 and live surgery going on, it's Addai for four yards up the middle as the Colts start to run clock while in hurry up. Why every team does not do this, I'll never know. A fake to Addai leads to a throw to Clark down the middle, and boom, boom, boom. The Colts have needed Manning's A game to win today, and they've gotten it, starting with the last drive before the first half. Colts 27, Jets 17, and if there are no more scores today, I've called this game perfectly. Hail Me!

> McAfee's kick is deep enough to force Smith into a touchback. Jones, you will be shocked to learn, takes an interior first down run and gets five. A slant to Smith is behind the wideout and dropped. With Colt Fan in full throat and sensing a kill shot with 8:15 left, Sanchez's attempt for Cotchery is tipped away by outstanding coverage by DB Kelvin Hayden, and that's a three and out. Weatherford's punt goes out of bounds, and it's on the Jet defense, who has given up touchdowns on three out of the last four drives, to keep this one in any kind of doubt.

> Addai gets one on first as the Colts run clock. From the gun on second, Manning can't find Collie on a deep ball, but a defensive flag moves the sticks, and the call was justified. From the gun on first, Clark can't find the handle, and that stops the clock and loses a few yards. Garcon gets seven yards on an internal curl. Manning takes the full clock from the gun on third and three, and it's Garcon again to move the chains. As predicted, its the secondary weapons doing the job for Indy. On first, Addai gains the corner, makes yards, moves the chains and falls down in bounds; dead solid perfect. On the Jet 36, with under five minutes left, Addai hops for a yard. From the gun on second, Manning tries Garcon on a back shoulder deep throw, but the connection is missed and the clock stopped. Third and nine is just about the end of drama if converted, and Manning to Garcon makes the killshot with a great 23 yard stop and go. Wow. The Colts are about to pass 450 yards in total offense against the best defense in football, and it would take turnovers and miracles for the road team to make the comeback now. Ryan calls his first timeout as CBS notes Garcon's Haitian background. Go, Good Haitian Karma! A give to Addai burns a yard and the second Jet timeout. Third and eight from the ten sees Addai take it to the three for fourth and one, and there's all kinds of stuff to think about... Manning calls the team to the line to burn clock and see if he can draw a flag, but neither happens, and the Colts call timeout with 2:33 left... then send Stover out for the field goal. His third chip shot of the day makes it Colts 30, Jets 17, and we are one Jets touchdown away from a great suckout cover. Boo, great suckout covers!

> As CBS fellates Stover for being old, Smith takes a long dribble kick back to the 32. The nation's gamblers are on their feet as Sanchez can't find Jones on a throwback screen, and that might be the first throw on first down today from Gang Green. (OK, it's not. But you get the point.) Sanchez finds Keller after a pump fake for the first down as Colts DE Dwight Freeney gets attention on the sideline, and Sanchez has a ball tipped off the hands of Clowney and into the hands of Hayden. Not a great throw by Sanchez, but still, a bit unlucky. A Brown give goes nowhere, but clock matters a lot more than results right now, and that's the two minute warning.

> Brown for nothing, and that's the final Jets timeout with 1:54 left. Hart grunts it a little further up the middle and the ball is loose, but it's after the whistle. With 1:12 left, McAfee punts it to the Jet 10, where Cotchery takes a fair catch. Sixty six seconds left, and Suckout Cover still possible. Boo, Suckout Cover, Boo!

> From the gun, Sanchez to Keller, but he can't get out of bounds after 10 yards. The QB takes the giveup toss to Jones for another 10, then clocks it with 30 seconds left. Smith also can't get out of bounds, and the final play of the Jets season is useless yards to Jones. The Colts go to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in their history, and still have a very real shot at Team of the Decade status, given Spygate.

> Say this for the Jets: to get to the Final Four with a rookie QB and RB says worlds about their future. They need a CB who isn't clearly inferior to Revis, a better pass rush, more dangerous WR options, and the safe return of special teams ace Leon Washington, because Smith is kind of useless, and Cotchery isn't making anyone miss on punts. It would also help if their offensive playcalling wasn't the equivalent of a hold'em poker player who only plays a pair of jacks or better, or better luck than losing their game-changing RB to injury in the middle of the game.

But really, that's not all that much, and Jets Fan has to be as pleased as he's been with the end of a year in decades. But they aren't in the same world as the Colts, at least not when Manning is Manning. They will be favored in the Super Bowl, and should be.