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INDIANAPOLIS – A stunning gamble by Bill Belichick set up a stunning win for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
After the New England Patriots were stopped short on fourth down deep in their own territory, Manning took advantage by throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining that rallied the unbeaten Colts to a 35-34 win Sunday night.
Manning’s toss to Reggie Wayne completed the Colts’ comeback from a 17-point deficit. A decision by the Patriots coach put them in position for their 18th consecutive regular-season win.
Belichick decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots’ own 28 with 2:08 to go.
Tom Brady threw to Kevin Faulk, who made a juggling catch but was pushed backward and came up just short.
Manning needed just four plays before hooking up with Wayne for the winning score.
“We were preparing to go 60, 70 yards,” Manning said. “It was a great play by the defense, shortened our field.”
It was the most improbable victory for the Colts (9-0) in their winning streak, tied for the second-longest in NFL history with New England. It was the first time Belichick’s Patriots had lost when leading by at least 13 in the fourth quarter.
The Colts trailed 34-21 with four minutes left and seemed all but written off – just as they have in several other prime-time games this decade.
Manning threw four touchdown passes and Brady had three in the matchup of AFC division leaders, and longtime rivals for the conference title.
While it was another magical comeback for Manning, this one was set up by Belichick’s bungled play-calling.
Belichick called two timeouts on that key series, the second to set up the fourth-down play. Faulk came up about a half-yard short of the first-down marker, giving Manning the ball at the New England 29 with 1:57 left and all three timeouts – an eternity for the three-time MVP.
Manning ran three plays before finding Wayne for the winning score and left New England with virtually no chance to rally.
New England (6-3) has now lost five of the last six in this series.
Manning passed Fran Tarkenton on the career victory list with No. 126, a win that Manning certainly will remember for a long time and many reasons.
New England led 24-14 in the third quarter and could have gained firm control, but Philip Wheeler caused Laurence Maroney to fumble into the end zone, and Indianapolis’ Gary Brackett recovered. New England had taken nearly eight minutes off the clock on the drive. The Colts failed to score on the next possession.
Brady’s scoring tosses of 63 yards to Moss and 9 yards to Julian Edelman in the second quarter put the Patriots up 24-7.
The Colts responded when Manning completed a 20-yard scoring pass to Wayne to cut New England’s lead to 24-14.
Both teams went three-and-out on their opening series, then scored on their second.
Manning’s 15-yard touchdown pass on a dump-off to Joseph Addai finished an 8-play, 90-yard drive to put the Colts ahead 7-0. A key play was a 23-yard catch by Wayne on the sideline against double coverage. The Patriots challenged the ruling that the pass was complete, but the original call was upheld, costing New England a challenge and a timeout.
