15 years ago Colts defeat Patriots in historic comeback for AFC Championship
It’s been 15 long years since the Indianapolis Colts defeated the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game that sent them to the Super Bowl in Miami.
With Championship Weekend here, four teams have the shot to vault themselves into NFL history. It’s the perfect time to reflect on what got the Indianapolis Colts into history.
The New England Patriots defeated the Colts in the 2003 playoffs in the AFC Championship. Peyton Manning was intercepted four times in a crushing 41-24 defeat at Gillette Stadium. The following year, the Patriots again defeated the Colts in the Divisional Round. It was a tough couple of years for the Indy roster.
The tides turned the next year when the Colts defeated the Patriots in the regular season in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Then the Colts hosted the Patriots in the AFC Championship game on January 22, 2007. This time, things are going to change.
Colts got down early
Indianapolis was excited coming into this game finally getting to host the AFC Championship for the first time. Although, Tom Brady was a pro, causing the RCA Dome to get quiet very quickly. On a goal-line fumble, Logan Mankins recovered the ball scoring the game’s first touchdown for the Patriots.
Then Corey Dillion scored a touchdown, followed by an Asante Samuel pick-6 on Manning. Luckily, the Colts were able to get two field goals in the first half by legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Things weren’t looking great for the Colts after one half of play. In fact, before the field goal right before the half, the Colts were down 18 points. No team has ever overcome an 18 point deficit in the Conference Championship game and it was looking like the Patriots were going to have the Colts’ number again.
A second half to remember
I wish I was a fly on the wall in the Indianapolis locker room at halftime that day. Was it a Tony Dungy inspiring speech? Was it Manning with a heartwarming “let’s pull it together and win this”? Maybe Marvin Harrison just stared at everyone and it got them focused.
The Colts responded in the second half with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion to tie the game up late in the third quarter. From here, the score went back and forth until the final minute of the game.
In the second half, we saw Manning with a rushing touchdown, Dan Klecko with a receiving touchdown, Jabar Gaffney pushed out for a touchdown, and a Jeff Saturday fumble recovery for a touchdown. All before a battle between Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski for three back-to-back-to-back field goals.
Then, the drive happened. Manning finally put everything together to put Indianapolis one minute away from a Super Bowl. Words cannot explain this, so just watch for yourself.
https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1251873184908840964?s=20&t=NFOyq934UWwEXG0CHtLazw
Marlin Jackson seals the AFC Championship
After Joseph Addai‘s rushing touchdown to take a 38-34 lead over the Patriots, Brady had one minute on the clock to win the game. We’ve seen this so many times. He’s won three Super Bowls by the time this game came around.
With 20 seconds left, Brady dropped back for a pass and was intercepted by Marlin Jackson to seal a Colts victory for the ages.
Tom had been stellar in the playoffs when leading, but that AFC Championship is the one mark on his record that will always stand the test of time. The Colts defeated the best to be the best.
Tom Brady is 72-1 as a starting QB, including the playoffs, when he has a halftime lead of 14+ points, including 51 straight wins entering today.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 21, 2019
The lone loss was the 2006 AFC Championship game against the Colts. pic.twitter.com/I9ePPBdJki
Colts go on and win in Miami
From here, Indianapolis took care of business and defeated the Chicago Bears in Miami to win the cities first major championship in history. It was the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory, but first in 38 years.
It may have been so long ago, but many to this day will never forget the feeling of finally knocking off the Patriots. It’s where Colts fans were born. Many to this day believe that the AFC Championship win over the Patriots far surpassed the importance of the Super Bowl win over the Bears.
The Super Bowl was a great cap to an incredible season, but finally knocking off a rival in the greatest moment was a key to the future. Peyton finally got the monkey off his back and was able to be great when greatness mattered most.
The Colts will always be a part of NFL history and that was sealed on January 22, 2007.
