After defeating theDenver Broncos and theKansas City Chiefs in the first two rounds, the Colts advanced to their first AFC Championship Game in eight years, losing to the eventualSuper Bowl championNew England Patriots in the first of five playoff meetings betweenTom Brady and Peyton Manning. This was the final season that the team wore blue facemasks on the helmets.
The Colts had high expectations leading into the 2003 season, and hoped to start the season on the right track after a humiliating loss theNew York Jets in the2002 AFC Divisional Playoffs.Peyton Manning struggled for most of the game, throwing two interceptions in the first half.Kelly Holcomb and theCleveland Browns suffered from similar problems, however, as Holcomb twice drove the Browns inside of the Indianapolis ten yard line, but failed to score a touchdown on either drive. With the game tied 6–6 in the fourth quarter, Manning flawlessly drove the Colts from their own 8 yard line to the Cleveland 25, the highlight of the drive being a 15-yard connection towide receiverReggie Wayne on a 3rd and 10 situation. With six seconds left, coachTony Dungy called timeout and sent in kickerMike Vanderjagt to attempt the game-winning field goal, which he connected on. This kick was Vanderjagt's first game winner since being labeled as an idiot kicker by Manning in the offseason after charging that Manning needed to show more emotion in games.
IND –Reggie Wayne – 10 receptions, 141 yards, 2 TD
After being down 3–0 at halftime, the Colts scored 17 third quarter points followed by six points in the fourth quarter to beat Jacksonville 23-13 and improve to 3–0. A standout moment from the game occurred when Colts' rookie DBMike Doss caused a fumble by Jaguars' RBFred Taylor. Doss reportedly quipped, "Hey, Fred, you forgot something." In retaliation, Taylor told reporters ahead of their next encounter, "I'm going to bust his (butt). I'm going to punish him."[1]
The Colts offense was nearly flawless asPeyton Manning andMarvin Harrison hooked up six times for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Harrison accounted for half of Manning's 308 passing yards whileRicky Williams,Marcus Pollard, andDallas Clark threw in good receiving days as well. The Colts rushing attack was not as strong withoutEdgerrin James but Indianapolis still picked up 101 yards on the ground.
In Tampa on Monday Night, the Bucs scored 21 unanswered points and held a 35–14 lead with 5:09 remaining. The game began to change hands whenBrad Pyatt returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards.James Mungro scored a short touchdown, the Colts recovered an onside kick, and Peyton Manning threw a touchdown to Marvin Harrison to cut the lead to a touchdown. With 35 seconds left, Ricky Williams scored a touchdown from 3 yards out to tie the game. With four minutes to go in overtime,Mike Vanderjagt missed a potential game-winning 40-yard field goal wide right, but it was called back by a rare leaping penalty when Bucs DESimeon Rice landed on his own player. Vanderjagt's ensuing 29 yard attempt was blocked, but kept going and bounced off the right upright and through the posts.[2]
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Jaguars rallied with two touchdowns to take the lead. On the next possession, Peyton Manning connected with Marcus Pollard, who raced 70 yards to set up a go–ahead field goal. The Jaguars then moved deep into Colts' territory, but a fumbled field goal snap by punter/holderMark Royals thwarted their efforts. After the Colts went three–and–out and a strong punt return set Jacksonville up at the Indianapolis 31–yard line, Fred Taylor made a 32–yard run, evading Mike Doss as he fell, to score a touchdown and put the Jaguars ahead with just a minute remaining. Manning's attempt to respond ended in an interception, sealing the Jaguars' first–ever victory over the Colts in a surprising upset.[1] After the game, Doss remarked, "I guess you'd have to say he got the final word today." Taylor expressed that his frustration arose from Doss forcing his head to the ground after he recovered the fumble, expressing "I felt he truly disrespected me,"[3]
The Colts hosted the Patriots in the first meeting between the two clubs since October 2001 and the first meeting since divisional realignment took the Colts out of theAFC East into theAFC South. With both teams at 9–2 it was the latest in a season in which two teams with no more than two losses had ever met. The Patriots opened up with a flurry; anAdam Vinatieri field goal was followed by the sacking ofPeyton Manning and a fumble recovery, followed by aMike Cloud rushing score.Dedric Ward then caught a 31-yardTom Brady touchdown throw for a 17–0 Patriots lead.Peyton Manning led two scoring drives that left the score 17–10 New England with 12 seconds in the first half, but on the ensuing kick to end the halfBethel Johnson ran the ball back for a 92-yard touchdown.
The Patriots increased their lead to 31–10 on another Cloud rushing score, but the tide turned decisively as Brady threw two picks late in the third quarter; Manning completed a 13-yard touchdown toReggie Wayne on fourth down, then foundMarvin Harrison for a 23-yard score. A six-yardTroy Walters touchdown catch in the fourth tied the game at 31, then Bethel Johnson had another huge kickoff return, setting up a 13-yard Brady toDeion Branch touchdown.Kevin Faulk was then steamrolled in the Pats' redzone and fumbled the ball, leading to a 29-yardMike Vanderjagt kick and a 38–34 Patriots lead. The Patriots were forced to punt in the final minutes andKen Walter laid a huge egg as his punt landed at the 50. The Colts drove to the Patriots 2-yard line entering the final minute and Patriots linebackerWillie McGinest suffered a momentary leg injury that necessitated stopping the clock. On first downEdgerrin James was stopped at the 1; on second he was stopped and Manning called the Colts' final timeout; on third he threw to the left side of the endzone but the ball sailed over everyone's heads; finally on fourth with 15 seconds remaining James was stopped at the 1 by McGinest,Ted Washington, andRodney Harrison. The 38–34 thriller left the Patriots shaken ("I've never seen anything like it," Rodney Harrison said afterward) and left them 10–2 and the Colts 9–3.
This offensive shootout became the second game without a punt in NFL history, and first since the Buffalo Bills played the San Francisco 49ers in 1992. Colts quarterbackPeyton Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, whileEdgerrin James ran for a career postseason high 125 yards and two scores. On the Kansas City side,Dante Hall caught a touchdown and returned a kickoff for another; andPriest Holmes, who set the regular-season rushing touchdown record, rushed for 176 yards, caught 5 passes for 32 yards, and scored twice. Kansas City quarterbackTrent Green threw for 212 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 18 yards in his first career postseason game. The Chiefs defense failed to stop the Colt's offense. Kansas City's defensive coordinatorGreg Robinson was asked to resign the following week.
