Year in Review - Indianapolis Colts (16-2), AFC South and AFC Champions

The Colts came into the 2009 season with many questions. Would Jim Caldwell be an adequate replacement for coach Tony Dungy? Would Peyton Manning miss WR Marvin Harrison, who had been his favorite target for years? Would they reclaim the AFC South throne from the Tennessee Titans? In typical Colts fashion, they went out and quickly put any of these questions to rest.

The Colts opened the season at home against Jacksonville. It was a typical Colts/Jaguars game that went right down to the end. Manning was relatively held in check and as would be a theme throughout the season, the running game did nothing. However, another theme that eventually emerged was the improvement of the Colts defense. They held the Jaguars to just one touchdown and helped preserve a 14-12 win. Week 2 saw the Colts travel to Miami for a Monday night game. The Colts offense only saw the ball for 15 minutes but they took advantage of their opportunities. The Colts came from behind four times in the game, eventually winning it 27-23. In Week 3, the Colts again were in prime time, this time on the road against the defending NFC champion, Arizona Cardinals. Manning played a great game, finishing with 379 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. The Colts defense smothered Arizona, leading the Colts to a 31-10 rout. The schedule eased up a bit in Week 4 as the hapless Seattle Seahawks visited Lucas Oil Stadium. Manning threw for over 300 yards for the fourth straight game and the Colts rolled to a 34-17 win.

In Week 5 the Colts traveled to Tennessee to once again play on a Sunday night. The Titans were 0-4, but were hoping a win could turn around their season. Instead the Colts ripped their hearts out and asserted their dominance of the AFC South. Rookie WR Austin Collie had 2 TDs, proving to be a great new target for Manning to have. The Colts defense held the Titans without a touchdown in the 31-9 victory. After a bye, the Colts went to St. Louis in Week 7. Manning didn't throw for over 300 yards for the first time but he threw for 3 TDs in the 42-6 win. In Week 8 the Colts got a dog fight from the San Francisco 49ers. Manning and the offense had trouble finding the end zone, but RB Joseph Addai threw for a TD, and the Colts hung on for a 18-14 win. In Week 9, the Colts hosted the upstart Houston Texans. The Texans came into the game 5-3 and were trying to prove that they were an upper echelon team. The Colts jumped out to a 13-3 lead but the Texans eventually fought back and had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation. K Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal and the Colts won 20-17, improving to 8-0.

Week 10 saw a rivalry renewed as the New England Patriots traveled to Indianapolis. The Patriots came out on fire, building a 24-7 halftime lead. This game is of course famous for Bill Belichick choosing to for it from his own 28 on fourth and two, with the Patriots leading 34-28. The Colts stopped the Patriots and Manning coolly led the team down the field, hitting Reggie Wayne for the game winning touchdown. Things didn't get any easier for the Colts in Week 11 at Baltimore. The Ravens physical defense kept the Colts offense in check all game, but the Colts defense was ready to do their part. The defense forced a Ravens field goal after the Ravens had first and goal from the one. Then former Ravens kicker, Matt Stover hit the game winning field goal, earning the Colts a narrow 17-15 win. In Week 12, the Colts clinched the AFC South win a 35-27 win over Houston. The Texans jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead but once again were unable to hold a lead over the Colts at home. The Colts scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and won 35-27. In Week 13, the Titans came to Indianapolis looking for revenge. After starting the year 0-6, the Titans had won five in a row. However, they still were no match for Indianapolis. WR Pierre Garcon had a huge game, catching 6 passes for 136 yards and the Colts won 27-17. The Colts were now 12-0 and just four games from perfection.

The Colts clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 28-16 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 14. Despite allowing Brandon Marshall to set an NFL record with 21 catches, the Colts controlled the entire game. Manning had an up and down game, starting off with 3 TDs, but eventually finishing with 4 TDs and 3 INTs in the game. The big question going into their Week 15 game at Jacksonville was how much would the Colts starters play. Their fans wanted them to go for perfection but the team wanted to be cautious with home field clinched. The starters ended up playing the entire game and the Colts won another close game against the Jaguars, 35-31. Manning threw for 4 TDs and 308 yards, and Wayne had 5 receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. Week 16 saw perhaps the oddest scene in NFL history. A team that was 14-0 was booed out of their own building. The starters played the first half against the New York Jets, earning a 9-3 halftime lead. However, in the second half, coach Caldwell decided to rest his starters and the back ups were destroyed by the Jets. The Colts ended up losing 29-15 and their chance at perfection was gone. In Week 17 the starters played a quarter and the Colts were crushed by Buffalo, 30-7.

The Colts entered the playoffs 14-2 but because of the bitter taste left from how their season ended, people doubted the Colts. Also, contributing to those doubts was the Colts past playoff failures. The Colts hosted the Ravens in the Divisional Round. The Ravens could get nothing going on offense the entire game, and the Colts did just enough on offense, winning 20-3. Their AFC Championship opponent would be the surprising Jets. The Colts players wanted to show that had they played their starters the whole way they would have beaten the Jets the first time. Instead, the Jets surprised everyone by passing their way to a 17-6 lead. However, before the end of the first half Manning marched the Colts down the field, hitting Collie on a 16 yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to four heading into the half. Then in the second half the Colts offense dominated the Jets defense. Manning finished with 377 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. With Wayne made obsolete by amazing CB Darelle Revis, it was Collie and Garcon that came up huge. Garcon finished with 7 catches for 151 yards and a TD, while Collie had 7 catches for 123 yards and a TD. The Colts would go on to win 30-17, earning their second trip to the Super Bowl in four years.