Mattie T’s Thursday Night Football Recap
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on December 18, 2008
Time to recap tonight’s thriller between the Colts & Jaguars! Peyton Manning put on a clinic and started this game by connecting on his first 17 passes.
Just imagine watching LeBron James or Kobe Bryant attempt 17 straight shots without a single layup or dunk, and hitting them all…that’s the kind of zone that Peyton was in tonight. As a fan of his, it was a masterpiece to witness & will probably go down as one of the best games of his career.
While Manning showed up tonight, the Colts’ defense didn’t for most of this game. Indianapolis had to rally from a 14-0 deficit & twice from 10 point deficits (17-7 & 24-14) to win a crazy game & clinch a playoff spot.
I can’t believe i am about to say this, but Dennis Northcutt looks like he is Jacksonville’s clear-cut #1 receiver. For the 2nd week in a row, Northcutt surpassed the 100-yard mark & scored a touchdown. Maurice Jones-Drew also had a very nice game, as he totaled 162 yards from scrimmage BUT was injured late in the 4th quarter.
Play of the game was definitely Keiwan Ratliff’s 35 yard interception from David Garrard, which was returned for the go-ahead score. Other than the turnover, Garrard played well & went over 300 yards passing for just the 2nd time all season. (317 yards against Minnesota in Week 12)
Dallas Clark has come up huge in the past couple of weeks, as the Pro Bowl snub caught 8 balls for 105 yards & scored a touchdown for the 3rd straight week. This is what made Manning’s performance that more special, is the fact that he did it without Marvin Harrison.
With the playoff berth clinched, Indianapolis can now afford to rest some of their starters during their Week 17 game against Tennessee. The Colts’ Wild Card opponent will most likely be Denver, whom Indianapolis has beaten both times in their only two head-to-head playoff meetings.
For Jacksonville, it has obviously been a disappointing season as they will finish with 10 or more losses for the first time since 2003.
Be sure to tune in on Saturday night for the final regular-season game at Texas Stadium, as the host Dallas Cowboys will take on the Baltimore Ravens in a game with huge playoff implications on both sides!
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DJ Special Blend from Chicago On December 19, 2008 at 11:12 am
Aight dog… Indianapolis’ D scored fourteen points last night in my other league, where I’m playing for third. However, I went with Chicago-D in both leagues… so they gotta make it happen in every since of the word Monday night!