Peyton's party
Colts rookie quarterback has breakout game
Posted: Monday November 16, 1998 11:48 AM
| |
Peyton's place: Manning throws three touchdowns in a comeback win over the Jets AP |
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - At the end, it wasn't Peyton Manning's name the
Indianapolis Colts were
calling out. It wasn't Marcus Pollard's, either.
As the Colts ran into the locker room after Pollard's touchdown catch
gave them a 24-23 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday,
they began chanting "Iron-head, Iron-head," paying tribute to fullback Craig Heyward, who
underwent surgery on Thursday for a benign tumor at the base of his skull.
"He hasn't been here long, but he's become a team favorite," coach Jim
Mora said. "I know all the guys were busting their tails for him."
The Colts awarded the game ball to Heyward, who remained in serious but
stable condition at Methodist Hospital. He was expected to stay in the
hospital at least until Monday.
"Talk about the odds being against us ... we kept believing something
good would happen, and it finally did," said Manning, who passed for three
touchdowns, including 14 yards for the game-winner to Pollard with 24
seconds to go.
Chrebet hauls in a 26-yard pass to set up the first of three New York field goals AP | |
"We stopped ourselves some in the first half. It was just a matter of
being patient and getting a chance to win in the fourth quarter," Manning
said. "Marcus is a great athlete. I thought he would have a chance to drive
it in the end zone."
Pollard, the Colts' tight end, appeared stopped just short of the goal
line, but stretched his arms into the end zone before he hit the ground,
tying the game. Mike Vanderjagt, whose missed field goal at the end of the
first half led to one New York touchdown, then kicked the extra point to
and snap a four-game Jets winning streak.
"It was will and determination," Pollard said. "I had to make the play,
or we lose."
The Colts (2-8) drove 80 yards on their final possession. Manning, the
first pick in this year's draft, also had touchdown passes of 4 yards to Torrance Small in the
first quarter and 38 yards to Marvin Harrison in the
third period and finished 26-of-44 for 276 yards.
After Pollard's touchdown, the Jets reached their 47-yard line before
Vinny Testaverde fumbled
the snap and the Colts" Al
Fontenot recovered with six seconds remaining.
Martin rumbled for 134 yards on 28 carries AP | |
"We deserved to get beat," Jets coach Bill Parcells said. "We weren't
sharp. The receivers couldn't catch, we couldn't tackle.
"That's a big loss for us, a big step back. I'm just really, really
disappointed."
The Jets (6-4) seemed to have the game in control after Aaron Glenn returned a
missed field goal by Vanderjagt an NFL-record 104 yards for a touchdown.
"I had the easy job. I just ran. Everybody else did all the work. They
blocked for me," said Glenn, who also had a fourth-quarter interception.
"All that sounds good, but when you lose, it takes away from the
excitement."
The Jets scored 10 points in the last 22 seconds of the first half,
starting with a 25-yard field goal by John Hall that put them up
16-10. The Colts reached the New York 46 after a 15-yard run by Manning,
but with one second to go, a 63-yard field goal attempt by Vanderjagt was
short.
| |
The Jets seemed to have the game in control after Glenn returned a missed field goal for an NFL-record 104-yard touchdown AP |
Glenn caught the ball 4 yards deep in the end zone and returned it for
a touchdown, breaking the NFL record of 101 yards by Philadelphia's Al
Nelson against Dallas in 1971.
After the Colts cut a 23-10 New York halftime lead to 23-17 and
threatened midway through the final period, Glenn grabbed a deep pass by
Manning at the Jets 20.
Testaverde, unbeaten in his first six starts with New York, was
intercepted once, on his first pass of the game, and sacked four times. But
he used big plays for each of the first three scores by the Jets, including
a 26-yard pass to Wayne
Chrebet that set up the first of three field goals by Hall.
The touchdown pass from Manning to Small gave Indianapolis a 10-3 lead
after one quarter, but the Jets tied it with a 63-yard completion to
Chrebet. On the next New York possession, Testaverde hit Chrebet for 15
yards and Keyshawn
Johnson for 22 and 33 yards, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Hall
for a 13-10 lead.
Hall's third field goal, the 25-yarder late in the half, came 12 plays
after Otis Smith's
interception off Manning, and the 104-yard return by Glenn gave the Jets
the 23-10 lead at the half.
Extra points: Manning has had seven games in a row with at least
one TD pass, tying the most by an NFL rookie since 1970. ... Colts guard Tony Mandarich hurt his
back in the first half and left the game. ... Jets RB Leon Johnson, who had
three touchdowns in an earlier victory over the Colts this season, missed
his second straight game because of a knee injury. ... Marshall Faulk rushed for
69 yards and caught eight passes for 70 yards, his Colts-record 71st
straight game with at least one catch.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
