WILD CARD RECAP: STAND AND D-ELIVER

There were two guarantees going into the first round battle between the Chiefs and the Colts. Larry Johnson was going to run all over the Colts, and Peyton Manning was going to pick apart the Chiefs defense. However, what looked like it was going to be an offensive shootout turned into one of the ugliest playoff games in recent memory. From the opening moments of the game it was quite clear that the Colts defense, who had shown no signs of being able to stop the run throughout the regular season, had come to play on Sunday. After the Chiefs received the opening kickoff, they went straight to their game plan of handing the ball off to Larry Johnson. On the first two rushes of the game Johnson barely got past the line of the scrimmage. It was a theme that was going to be seen all day for Johnson who finished with 13 carries for just 32 yards. The way the Colts shut him down was by making the first tackle. Whoever was the first player to reach Larry Johnson wrapped him up or put enough of a hit on him so that he would not go much further. While most of the success must go to the Colts defense for stepping up and saving their offense, there must be some blame given to Larry Johnson himself. When the Chiefs running back was handed the ball, it appeared as though he was running with a tentativeness I had never seen him have during his career. Johnson was literally tip-toeing past the line while waiting for a hole to open up, rather than bruising his way into the secondary. With such high expectations it would not be a stretch to think that Johnson and the Chiefs almost expected to tear apart the Colts defense. Once they saw that it was going to be harder than first expected, the Chiefs failed to know how to react.

When the Colts had the ball, things went according to script, but it was a script that had been forgotten by most analysts covering the game. Perhaps the biggest mismatch coming into the game was not Larry Johnson against the Colts run defense, but Ty Law against Peyton Manning. If one player in all of football has Peyton's number and knows exactly what he is going to do, it is Ty Law. So is it really surprising that Law, who once intercepted Manning three times in a playoff game, picked him off twice on Saturday. On the first interception that went into Law's hand, it was clear that Manning was rattled. However, in year's past Manning, who did not play well at on Saturday, would dictate if the team would advance or not. This time the defense and a rookie running back by the name of Joseph Addai bailed him out. Manning knew that he was off his game and was content with just turning around and handing the ball off to Addai for the majority of the second half. Addai, who clearly out shined the superstar Johnson, rambled for 122 yards and a TD on 25 carries. The first player ever to rush for 1000 yards without starting a single game became the player who made everyone in Indianapolis forget about Edgerrin James. With Addai behind Manning and a suddenly rejuvenated defense, the Colts look like they are in good shape for not only the rest of the playoffs but also many years to come.

With the win, the Colts were able to make everyone forget about their glaring weaknesses for at least another week. Next Saturday they will travel to Baltimore, the place where they once called home, in an enticing game full of story lines. Baltimore's old team versus Baltimore's new team. A historic offense versus a historic defense. Manning versus McNair. It's a classic game featuring classic styles that if you love the NFL, should automatically create excitement for you. The pressure will be on Peyton Manning when he takes on quite possibly the best defense he has faced in years. At the end of the day we will know a little bit more about the question that has been unanswered for years. Can Peyton Manning and the Colts win the big game?