Bodog AFC Championship Preview

Fran Tarkenton, Dan Fouts and Dan Marino, Manning has - for the last nine years, anyway - been a member of an exclusive NFL club: Great QBs Who Never Won A Super Bowl.

Adding insult to inclusion are those who contest that Manning and Fouts shouldn’t have been accepted into the organization. While Kelly, Tarkenton and Marino all played in a Super Bowl, neither Fouts nor Manning ever advanced past the AFC Championship.

The plight of Peyton is not without its cruel drama and primary antagonist, either. Twice he has gone to New England in the postseason, knocking on the proverbial door of the Super Bowl; twice he has been given the Jehovah Witness treatment by his nemesis, three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.

Yet there are reasons aplenty to think that Manning is finally ready to break on through to the other side. This is the first time the Colts have hosted an AFC Championship Game since coming to Indianapolis in 1984. Indy's season-long success in the RCA Dome is well documented, but let's review the gaudy numbers anyhow:

* 9-0 straight up | 6-3 against the spread
* Averaged 28.9 points for | 17.3 against
* Manning: 18 TDs | 2110 yards | 109.6 rating

This year, Manning takes on the Patriots with a couple of aces in the hole - the first is field-goal machine Adam Vinatieri. Chowderheads know of Vinatieri's postseason exploits, but the Canton-bound kicker seems intent on writing a Colt-themed chapter to his storybook career. He's 8-for-8 this postseason, including a five-FG extravaganza versus Baltimore where he represented all of Indy's scoring last Saturday.

Manning also has an old reliable just itching to regain his form. With Marvin Harrison quietly waiting for his turn to shine - the star wideout has a mere 93 yards combined in the playoffs thus far - the loaded weapons at Manning's disposal could be ready to fire come Sunday.

But kickers and receivers aside, this game still comes down to one man - Manning.

Statistical evidence leads us to believe that he simply cannot have a third straight more-INTs-than-TDs game; the last time he threw for five picks over a two-game stretch (in 2002), he followed it up with a two-touchdown, 327-yard passing day.

If regular-season results are any indication, Manning may have already gotten over the New England hump. In the past two games against the Patriots, both at Gillette Stadium in the regular season, Manning went:

* 28-of-37 for 321 yards with three TDs and one INT (2005)
* 20-of-36 for 326 yards with two TDs and one INT (2006).

Those are the numbers of a man who's exorcised his demons. Prepare to leave Dan Fouts in the lobby, Peyton. You're going to your first Super Bowl.

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Adrian Brijbassi: WHAT ABOUT BOB (SANDERS)?

Can an injury-prone 5-8 safety from Iowa who's only played 24 games in three pro seasons make this much of a difference?

If you've followed the Colts, the answer is yes. Bob Sanders, who missed 12 games in the regular season because of injury, is the finger in the dike on defense for an Indianapolis team that has turned from fiasco to fortified in a matter of two playoff games. In the Colts' Nov. 5 win over the Patriots, Sanders was credited with a team-high 11 tackles.

With him, the Colts give Peyton Manning room for error. Because of that fact, Indy gets through.
Carlisle Richards:

PEYT ACCOMPLI?

Peyton Manning has thrown five INTs the past two games and the Colts are still in the AFC Championship Game. This has to be fate.

Is it even possible for Manning to have three bad games in a row? Odds are he's coming out efficient and firing. What most forget amidst the "Manning is 0-2 in the playoffs versus Tom Brady" hoopla is that he's 2-0 straight up and ATS in the last two regular-season meetings versus the Pats, and he dropped 300 yards in both games. What did Brady do in their last meeting? Four INTs and 201 passing yards. It's Super Bowl time for the Colts. Jason Brough:

THE LUCK STOPS HERE

Peyton Manning has been lucky. The Colts have advanced in spite of his play. If Trent Green and Steve McNair had brought half a game, it might’ve been a different story.

Tom Brady will almost definitely be a different story on Sunday. After crapping the bed against the Colts in the regular season and throwing three picks against the Chargers last week, Brady now has two things on the agenda: Win another Super Bowl and save face in the process. Bettors should remember how he finished the San Diego game. After the Marlon McCree fumble, Brady led two scoring drives, completing 6 of 9 pass attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown.

PHOTO: It's the same old story - Colts vs. Pats - for Peyton Manning this Sunday. He's just hoping to write a new ending. (AP Photo)

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