Indy is going the distance

Last Monday night, an important question was answered for the NFL. Not whose locker room… Last Monday night, an important question was answered for the NFL. Not whose locker room Terrell Owens would be picking fights in next season, but, more importantly, who this year’s Super Bowl champion will be.

With a 26-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was much worse than the score indicated, the Indianapolis Colts climbed higher atop the rest of the league and locked up the number one spot with security comparable to USC’s in college football.

However, nearly every network television NFL analyst that has been able to squeak out some kind of coherent football analysis between hysterical laughter pertaining to their co-hosts’ shortcomings has proclaimed that it is virtually impossible for Peyton Manning and the Colts to run the table and finish even the regular season undefeated.

Why?

At 11-0, Indianapolis has proven itself able to beat any opponent any way it pleases. On his first play from scrimmage on Monday, Manning connected to Marvin Harrison for an 80-yard touchdown, stretching their all-time record to 91 scores together and displaying the patented, quick-strike offense the Colts have perfected.

And when their Pro Bowl quarterback isn’t having such a good day? Like when Manning failed to complete 50 percent of his passes for 122 yards and no touchdowns against Jacksonville in Week 2? The defense held the Jaguars to just three points, winning the game on a late fourth-quarter drive, capped by a Ran Carthon six-yard rushing touchdown.

In fact, the Colts played like this for the first three weeks of the season, making analysts and fans alike scratch their heads, wondering what happened to the Colts’ passing machine that saw Peyton Manning break Dan Marino’s single-season touchdown record last season.

In the eight games since, that machine started working as efficiently as ever. Manning has thrown for 20 touchdowns, garnering the league’s second-highest quarterback rating. Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer, the same Carson Palmer Manning outperformed in the Colts’ 45-37 victory over the Bengals, is currently number one.

And furthermore, to take some of the pressure and focus away from Manning’s arm, Edgerrin James has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight of Indianapolis’ 11 games. That includes running for 124 yards Monday night against a Steeler rushing defense ranked in the top five. He is the NFL’s second leading rusher, trailing only Seattle’s Shaun Alexander by 99 yards.

It doesn’t stop with just the offense, though. Robert Mathis, one of Indianapolis’ tenacious pass rushers, is tied for the league’s lead with 11 sacks. On the other side of the line, Dwight Freeney is not far behind with seven. Combined, the two have more sacks than any other pair of teammates in the NFL, anchoring a defensive unit that ranks in the league’s top 10 in every statistical category.

So, is proclaiming Indianapolis as the Super Bowl XL champions a little premature? I mean, come on, they haven’t even won their division yet. And look at their remaining schedule. It’s pretty tough.

True, they do have to play 8-3 division foe Jacksonville, but they have beaten them before and will beat them again, especially with Byron Leftwich on the sidelines. San Diego and LaDanian Tomlinson have to come to the RCA Dome as well, where the Colts have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher.

Practically the only team that could stop the Colts is Seattle, who will host Indianapolis a week after the Colts will have clinched the AFC South, and they might want to rest some of their stars in preparation for their championship-bound playoff run.

The road to Ford Field in Detroit is blocked by the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots. But to quote ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, “Quite frankly-the Patriots dynasty is over.” (OK, the end part of that was mine.)

Nonetheless, the Patriots’ NFL dominance has ceased. They’ll still make the playoffs,considering they play in the worst division in the AFC. But the swagger has left and has set up shop in the tranquil Midwest.

The Colts are the new Patriots, and Manning is the new Brady. Not only will the Colts win the Super Bowl this year, they have the potential to be the dynasty that was the Patriots the last four years, the Cowboys in the ’90s, the 49ers in the ’80s and the Steelers in the ’70s.

Right now, nobody can stop Peyton Manning and the Colts.

Not even Danny Wuerffel.

Pat Mitsch is a staff writer for The Pitt News.