Friday, December 19, 2008

Manning On Cruise Control in Colts Win

Peyton Manning completed his first 17 passes of the game, threw for 364 yards and tossed three touchdowns in leading the Indianapolis Colts to their eighth consecutive win by defeating Jacksonville 31-24 last night. Despite trailing 14-0 and 24-14, Manning was calm, cool and effective as the savvy vet led the Colts comeback despite playing without Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison. The Jaguars, meanwhile, fell to 5-10 and are undoubtedly one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year.

One of the biggest questions remaining is whether the Dallas Cowboys came together last week in midst of team turmoil and used their game against the New York Giants as a springboard to bigger and better things. We will find out on Saturday night as the 'Boys host the Baltimore Ravens in the final regular season game at storied Texas Stadium.

The Giants, meanwhile, play another big Sunday night game this week against the Carolina Panthers. Back-to-back poor performances against the Eagles and Cowboys have Giants fans wondering if this team can indeed win without Plaxico Burress. The bigger key, indeed, is the health of Brandon Jacobs, as his presence and productivity allows Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw to be bigger factors.

Mike Holmgren will be coaching his last home game as head honcho of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday fittingly against Brett Favre and the New York Jets. While Holmgren will be stepping away from Seattle at the end of the year, I would be shocked if he was not back in the league after a year away from the game to re-energize. I wouldn't even be shocked if he contemplated coaching somewhere else next season, as he surely will be wooed by another team this offseason and has already admitted to St. Louis media that he has had second thoughts about his decision. This game for the Jets, meanwhile, will make or break their season, as the team is winless on the West Coast this year.

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