Manning rallies indy to comeback win over vikings

Where have we seen this before? Trailing Minnesota 15-0 late in the third quarter the Indianapolis Colts were staring into the abyss of their first 0-2 start in a decade. Another Peyton Manning-led comeback later, the Colts win 18-15 on a last second FG by Adam Vinatieri, and the Vikings drop to 0-2.

Despite Minnesota’s 15-0 lead in the third, it was far from an impressive performance by the home team. All of the scoring was via Ryan Longwell FGs and despite moving the ball fairly well against the Colts’ defense the Vikings shot themselves in the foot thanks to a pitiful 2-15 mark on third down conversions. Tarvaris Jackson had problems moving the ball when it counted, though he played a relatively mistake free game with 130 yards and no interceptions. The Vikings were aided by a solid rushing attack, led by 160 yards from Adrian Peterson but were unable to do better than 5 FGs.

The Colts needed Manning’s heroics because their rushing game was downright pitiful. Dominc Rhodes and Joseph Addai combined for a mere 25 yards on the ground. The ineptitude of the running game, combined with an uncharacteristic two interceptions from Manning were instrumental in helping the Vikings did the Colts’ 15-0 hole.

A bad start isn’t enough to get Peyton Manning unglued, a fact that the Vikings learned as he led the Colts to 18 straight points on two TDs and the winning FG as time expired. The Vikings did their part by going three and out on their final two possessions. While it may not have been a classic Manning performance he got the job done thanks to 311 yards passing.

The Vikings dropped to 0-2, though have played reasonably well in the early going. The two losses—to Indy and last week against Green Bay—were by a combined 8 points. They’ll host Carolina next Sunday, and with the Panthers starting to show signs of regaining their scrappy toughness it’ll be a definite challenge. The 1-1 Colts will host Jacksonville next Sunday—a team that typically gives them a tough game—before a much needed bye week.