NFL Old School Game of the Week: Manning Gets The Best of Marino in Quarterback Duel

 

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed 23 of 29 passes for 260 yards in leading Indianapolis to a Week 14 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Every once in a while in sports, the past meets the future when a great athlete towards the end of his or her career goes up against an athlete who seems poised for greatness.

That was the case in Week 14 of the 1999 NFL season as Dan Marino, who was in his 17th NFL season faced with off second-year quarterback Peyton Manning as the Miami Dolphins hosted the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts came into the game with a 9-2 record which was a remarkable turnaround for Indianapolis as the Colts had had back-to-back 3-13 seasons in 1997 + 98.

In his second year since being selected with the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Manning had thrown for 2,952 yards and 21 touchdown passes up to this point in the 1999 NFL season as the Colts traveled to Miami, hoping to extend their seven-game winning streak.

While Manning's career was on the upswing, Marino was clearly in the twilight of his career as the 38-year-old had missed five games of the '99 season because of a bone spur in his throwing shoulder.

Marino returned for the Dolphins' Thanksgiving showdown with the Dallas Cowboys where Marino was benched after throwing five interceptions in a 20-0 loss to the Cowboys to drop the Dolphins to 8-3 and one game behind the Colts in the AFC East.

Many in the media thought it was a possibility that Marino would not start and that Damon Huard, who had the Dolphins to a 4-1 record during his time as the Miami starting quarterback, would get the start in the Dolphins' showdown with the Colts.

But head coach Jimmy Johnson said that Marino would start as Miami fans hoped that Marino could do against the Colts what he had done eight weeks earlier as he lead Miami to a 34-31 win when he threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 27 seconds to go in the game.

However, that finish did come with controversy when an apparent Marino fumble with 1:22 left in the game was overturned to an incomplete pass which allowed the Dolphins to continue on their game-winning drive.

If Miami defeated Indianapolis, the two teams would be tied for the AFC East division with identical 9-3 records but the Dolphins would hold the tiebreaker as they had swept the season series with the Colts.

After the Dolphins went three-and-out to start the game, the Colts would get the ball at their 46-yard-line as Manning handed the ball off to rookie running back Edgerrian James three straight times as the rookie running back gained 22 yards on the three runs to put Indianapolis at the Miami 32-yard-line.

Manning would then throw his first pass of the game, a 15-yard pass to tight end Ken Dilger to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the Miami 17-yard-line when James get another carry as he ran for six yards, only to have it called back because of an illegal crack block on wide receiver E.G. Green.

The penalty pushed the Colts back 15 yards as Indianapolis wound up settling for a 44-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to give Indy a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with a 11-play, 55-yard drive that took over five minutes to complete and did not end until Olindo Mare kicked a 31-yard field goal to tie the game at 3.

The Colts would start its ensuing possession at its 21-yard-line and appeared it was going to be a three-and-out as Manning threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 3 only to have Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas get called for holding to give Indianapolis a fresh set of downs at its 33-yard-line.

On the very next play, Manning would find Dilger for 26 yards to put the Colts in Miami territory as James would then run it in for a 41-yard touchdown to give Indianapolis a 10-3 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

Colts running back Edgerrian James ran for 120 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns.

It would not take long for the Colts to get back into the end zone as on the opening play of the Dolphins' ensuing possession, cornerback Jeff Burris stripped running back J.J. Johnson of the ball at the end of a seven-yard run, leading to a scoop and score by strong safety Chad Cota for a 25-yard touchdown to increase the Indianapolis lead to 17-3 with just 19 seconds to go in the opening quarter.

Things went from bad to worse for the Dolphins on their next drive when Marino was intercepted by the Colts' other starting cornerback in Tyrone Poole, whose 36-yard return put Manning and the Indy offense at the Miami 33-yard-line.

The Colts would drive to the Miami 19-yard-line until a snap from center Larry Moore went over the head of Manning as the second-year quarterback would fall on the ball after a 22-yard loss, forcing Indianapolis to punt the back to the Dolphins who would get the ball back at their 12-yard-line.

Miami picked up one 1st down before facing a 3rd & 17 at their 17-yard-line when Marino fired a deep pass for Tony Martin which fell incomplete but a drew 43-yard pass interference penalty on Colts defensive back Tony Blevins to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Indianapolis 40-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Dolphins were in the end zone as Marino fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden to cut the Colts' lead in half to 17-10 with 5:16 left in the second quarter.

The Colts would respond with an eight-play, 68-yard drive which saw Manning complete all four of his passes for 53 yards which culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by James to push the Indianapolis lead back to two touchdowns at 24-10 with just 57 seconds left before halftime.

The Dolphins tried to muster a drive to get some points before the end of the first half but would go three-and-out as Manning would take a knee to run out the remaining nine seconds as the Colts went into the halftime break ahead 24-10 and set to get the ball to start the second half with a chance to extend their lead.

However on the second play from scrimmage, Manning threw a pass that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Marvin Harrison and into the arms of Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison who returned the interception back for a 21-yard touchdown to cut the Colts' led to 24-17 just 49 seconds into the second half.

Manning would shake off the pick-six on the first play of the Colts' ensuing possession as he hit Harrison on a 36-yard bomb to give Indianapolis a 1st down at the Miami 38-yard-line.

After a James run that lost two yards, Manning went back to Harrison on the next two plays as the two connected for a six-yard gain on 2nd & 12 then after a holding penalty pushed the Colts back three yards, connected again this time for 13 yards on 3rd & 9 to give Indianapolis a fresh set of downs at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

Manning would then complete a 17-yard pass to Dilger to give the Colts a 1st & goal where James ran for two yards to set up 2nd & goal when Peyton found Terence Wilkins for the five-yard touchdown to push the Colts' lead back to 14 points at 31-17 midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dolphins got the ball at their 43-yard-line when Marino completed a 24-yard pass to Martin which was followed by a 33-yard touchdown from Marino to Martin to cut the Colts' lead to 31-24 with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter.

The Colts would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line and seemed poised to increase their lead back to two touchdowns as Manning completed a 19-yard pass to Harrison which was followed by two runs by James that totaled 24 yards to put Indianapolis at the Miami 37-yard-line when Manning was picked off by the Dolphins' other starting cornerback, Patrick Surtain, whose 28-yard return gave Marino and the Miami offense the ball at their 49-yard-line.

After two incomplete passes, Marino would find Yatil Green for 26 yards to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Colts' 25-yard-line as Marino would complete a one-yard pass to Stanely Pritchett, before hitting Gadsen on back-to-back passes for 23 yards to give Miami a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.

That is when Marino threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Pritchett that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 13:07 to go in regulation.

Dan Marino bounced back from a five-interception game to throw for 313 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort to the Colts.

The Miami defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 35-yard-line as two runs by Johnson collected two yards to set up 3rd & 8 when Marino was sacked by Colts linebacker Cornelius Bennett, knocking the ball loose as Mike Peterson recovered the fumble to give Indianapolis the ball at the Miami 32-yard-line.

However, the Colts could not take advantage of the turnover as Manning was sacked by Dolphins defensive end Trace Armstrong for a nine-yard loss, knocking the Colts out of field goal range and forcing them to punt the ball back to the Dolphins, who would take over at their five-yard-line.

The Dolphins would pick up one first down before punting the ball back to the Colts, who would take over in Miami territory after Wilkins returned the ensuing punt 27 yards to the Miami 37-yard-line.

Two runs by James gained nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Manning handed the ball off one more time to James, only to dropped for a three-yard loss by Thomas, forcing the Colts to settle for a 48-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to give Indianapolis with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter.

Miami would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line as the Dolphins hoped that Marino would do what he did two months earlier against the Colts and lead Miami to the winning score.

Marino would come out firing as he would complete a 23-yard pass to Gadsden to start the drive which was followed by a 15-yard pass to Martin to put Miami in Indianapolis territory at the Colts' 42-yard-line.

JJ Johnson would get his hands on the next two plays as he caught a seven-yard pass on 1st down, then ran for two yards on 2nd down to set up 3rd & 1 when Marino completed a three-yard pass to Green to give Miami a fresh set of downs at the Colts' 30-yard-line.as the two-minute warning struck.

After a 10-yard pass to Martin, Marino would hand the ball off to Johnson who gained just one yard to set up 2nd & 9 when Marino threw a five-yard pass to make it 3rd & 4 when Marino throw an incomplete pass to bring up 4th down as Mare would come on to kick a 32-yard field goal to tie the game at 34 with 36 seconds left in regulation.

That was enough time for the Colts to try and get into field goal range especially with the fact that they had all three timeouts left in their pocket as Manning would get good field position as Wilkins returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Indianapolis 30-yard-line.

Manning would go to his most trusted receiver as Harrison as two connected for a 16-yard completion to start the drive that was followed by a 18-yard completion to put the Colts at the Dolphins' 34-yard-line with 17 seconds to go.

Manning would then hand the ball off to James in hopes of making the field goal attempt a little shorter but James would be dropped for an one-yard loss as head coach Jim Mora sent in Vanderjagt to attempt a 53-yard field goal with six seconds to go.

Vanderjagt's kick was straight but the distance was a question mark as it appeared it might fall short of the goal posts.

But the kick would barely pass the crossbar as time expired as Vanderjagt's 53-yard field goal gave the Colts a 37-34 win and a two-game lead in the AFC Eastern Division.

Marvin Harrison caught eight passes for 125 yards including two for 34 yards on the game-winning drive.

Marino and the Dolphins would win only one more game during the regular season as Miami finished with a 9-7 record but earned a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs thanks to winning a tiebreaker over the Kansas City Chiefs as the Dolphins had a better record against common opponents they had with the Chiefs.

In the playoffs, Marino would lead the Dolphins to a 20-17 upset win over the Seattle Seahawks only to be eliminated the following week by the Jacksonville Jaguars 62-7 in one of the most lopsided losses in NFL playoff history.

Two months later, Marino announced his retirement from the NFL after 17 seasons in which he threw for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdown passes in a Hall-of-Fame career which unfortunately featured zero Super Bowl rings.

As for Manning and the Colts, they would go on to win the AFC East division title, the first division title in 12 years, as Indianapolis finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

But the Colts would be stunned by the Tennessee Titans 19-16 in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs, ending the greatest single season turnaround when it comes to wins and losses in NFL history.

Manning would go a spectacular 18-year NFL career in which he threw for 71, 940 yards and 539 touchdown passes as he led the Colts to a Super Bowl title in 2006 and then the Denver Broncos in 2015 which was Peyton's final season.

Six years later, Manning would join Marino in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Manning Outguns Favre in Memorable Quarterback Duel

 

Peyton Manning would complete 28 of 40 passes for 393 yards and throw five touchdown passes.

When the Green Bay Packers traveled to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in Week 3 of the 2004 NFL season, many fans were hoping for a shootout as this game would feature two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history in Packers quarterback Brett Favre and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

The fans at the RCA Dome and the millions of fans who watched on TV would not be disappointed as they would get a quarterback duel for the ages.

Both teams entered the game with a 1-1 record and were considered Super Bowl contenders as the Packers had won the NFC North Division the previous two seasons under head coach Mike Sherman while the Colts had made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game the previous year under head coach Tony Dungy.

Both teams' strengths would be their offenses as the Colts had Manning who was coming his first MVP season in 2003, which he shared with Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, and led an offense that featured running back Edgerrian James and a trio of wide receivers in Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley.

As for the Packers, Favre still had some juice left entering his 13th season as the Packers' quarterback as he had running back Ahman Green in the backfield, who had run for 1,883 yards in 2003.

With all these explosive offensive players, many fans expected a shootout and would get it.

The Colts got the ball to start the game at their 34-yard-line where Manning came out firing as he would four of five passes on the drive with the last completion being a 36-yard touchdown to Wayne to put Indianapolis on the scoreboard first just 1:45 into the game.

The Packers would get the ball at their 18-yard-line for their first possession of the game which was a little bit more methodically as they mixed passes and runs to drive 82 yards in nine plays with Favre completing all four of his passes on the drive, including hitting Donald Driver for 14 yards on 3rd & 11 from the Green Bay 44-yard-line.

The drive would culminate with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Javon Walker to tie the game at 7 with 8:39 to go in the first quarter.

After James Mungro returned Ryan Longwell's short kick 17 yards to the Colts 40-yard-line, Manning would hit Wayne for 15 yards, then Stokley for 9, then back to Wayne for 8, and then finally hitting Harrison for a 28-yard touchdown as the Colts took a 14-7 with less than seven minutes to go in the opening period.

The Packers would take over at their 21-yard-line when Favre fired a deep pass for Walker, who beat his man to make the catch and run untouched for the 79-yard touchdown to tie the game just 16 seconds after Harrison's touchdown.

The Colts would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line where Manning was able to catch the Packers with 12 men on the field to pick up a 1st down on 3rd & 5 from the Indy 33-yard-line.

Manning would find Harrison for 12 yards, then after Packers defensive back Michael Hawthrone a would-be interception, connected with Wayne for 16 yards, before going back to Stokley, who was wide open for a 34-yard touchdown to put the Colts back on top 21-14 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

Green Bay took over at its 32-yard-line when a strange thing happened; they went three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Colts, who took over at their six-yard-line.

Manning kept firing as he hit Wayne for eight yards, then found Wayne again for 21 yards for a 1st down at the Colts' 35-yard-line.

Manning would then connect with tight end Marcus Pollard for 11 yards, then Stokley again for an nine-yard gain which became a 24-yard gain as Packers linebacker Na'il Diggs was called for roughing the passer to give the Colts a 1st down at the Green Bay 30-yard-line.

Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne would catch 11 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown.

Manning would complete his fifth pass in a row to Pollard for five yards to bring the first quarter to an end with the Colts on top 21-14.

In all, Manning completed 17 of 22 passes for 247 yards and three touchdown passes in the first quarter alone while Favre completed five of six passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

To begin the second quarter, the Colts surprised the Packers with their first running play of the game as James ran for six yards and a 1st down at the Green Bay 19-yard-line.

A holding penalty and two incomplete passes forced the Colts into a 3rd & 18 situation when Manning found Stokley again for a 27-yard touchdown to increase the Indianapolis lead to 28-14 with 13:43 left in the second quarter.

The Packers would come right back with a 50-yard kickoff return by Antonio Chatman to the Colts' 41-yard-line as Green would carry the ball three straight times, picking up 16 yards before Favre connected with tight end Bubba Franks for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Indianapolis 14-yard-line.

But a seven-yard loss on a screen pass to Tony Fisher would kill the drive, forcing the Packers to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell to make it a 28-17 game with 9:34 left in the first half.

The Packers defense finally stopped the Colts' offense on their next drive, forcing them to go three-and-out to get the ball back at their 31-yard-line.

Favre decided to do his best Manning impression as he threw the ball on all but two plays as he completed four of seven passes for 35 yards to set up a 52-yard field goal attempt by Longwell.

But Longwell's kick came up short as it hit the crossbar keeping it 28-17 and giving Manning and the Colts the ball at their 43-yard-line.

Manning wasted no time in driving the Colts down the field as he found Wayne for 25 yards to start the drive, then hit Stokley for 11 more yards to the Packers' 22-yard-line.

The drive bogged down a bit as Manning hit Harrison for only three yards, then had a six-yard completion to Wayne called back because of a holding penalty, pushing the Colts back to the Green Bay 28-yard-line when Manning fired a pass for Wayne in the end zone, which fell incomplete but drew a 27-yard pass interference penalty on Packers defensive back Jason Horton to set up 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.

After Dominic Rhodes was stopped for no gain, Manning went back to the air and found Mungro for the one-yard touchdown, his fifth touchdown pass of the first half, to increase the Colts' lead to 35-17 with 57 seconds left before halftime.

Favre was able to complete three passes but only got Green Bay to their 47-yard-line before punting the ball to the Colts who took a knee to run out the clock in the first half as they went into the locker room with a 35-17 lead.

The Packers would get the ball to start the second half as they took over at their 35-yard-line where after Favre threw an incomplete pass to start the drive, completed four in a row for 35 yards before handing the ball off to Green, who ran up the middle for six yards and a 1st down at the Colts' 24-yard-line.

Four plays later, Favre found Walker wide open in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown to cut the Indianapolis lead to 35-24 with 9:59 left in the third quarter.

Packers wide receiver Javon Walker would catch 11 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

The Packers would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 16-yard-line when they drove to the Colts' 39 yard-line until a holding penalty on left tackle Chad Clifton helped kill the drive and force a Green Bay punt.

The Colts took over at their 21-yard-line and decided to go to James, who had carried the ball only three times in the first half, as he would carry the ball six times for 27 yards while Manning found Wayne for a 23-yard completion to drive Indianapolis to the Packers' 29-yard-line as the third quarter came to a close.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Colts appeared to have a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line as Manning found Stokley for 28 yards, only to have wiped it out by a holding penalty on left tackle Tarik Glenn pushing the Colts back 10 yards to the Green Bay 39-yard-line, which was followed by a false start penalty on right guard Tupo Peko which cost the Colts another five yards.

Manning would connect with James for 17 yards to set up a 45-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to increase the Colts' lead to 38-24 with 13:34 left in the fourth quarter.

Then on the ensuing kickoff, Robert Ferguson would run it back 71 yards before being stopped by Vanderjagt at the Colts' 22-yard-line, giving Green Bay an excellent opportunity to cut into the lead.

After an incomplete pass and a false start penalty, Favre fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to Driver just 21 seconds after Vanderjagt's field goal to make it a 38-31 game.

Both teams would exchange punts until the Packers got the ball at their 21-yard-line and drove to their 43-yard-line as Favre completed three passes in a row.

Favre would complete his fourth pass in a row, a eight-yard completion to Walker, only to have Colts cornerback Jason David knock the ball loose, causing a fumble that was recovered by the other cornerback,  Nick Harper, whose 15-yard return gave the ball to the Colts at the Packers' 36-yard-line with 6:07 left in the fourth quarter.

From there, Manning decided to use up as much time as he could while leading the Colts for a score that could put the game out of reach.

After James picked up five yards on the first play of the drive, Manning hit Wayne for nine yards and a 1st down at the Green Bay 22-yard-line.

Then after James lost two yards on 1st down, Manning found Wayne again, this time for 15 yards to give the Colts a 1st & goal at the nine-yard-line.

James would pick up five yards on back-to-back carries to set up 3rd & goal where Manning threw an incomplete pass only to have Packers cornerback Al Harris be called for holding, giving the Colts an 1st down at the two-yard-line.

It would take the Colts three tries to punch into the end zone as James ran it from the one-yard-line to increase the Indianapolis lead to 45-31 with 1:49 left in the game.

If the Packers were to pull off a miracle and score two touchdowns in the final 1:49, they would have to do it without Favre, who was pulled from the game because of a charley horse in his left hamstring.

Brett Favre would finish with 360 yards and four touchdowns on 30-of-44 passes.

Future Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson came in at quarterback and completed his first four passes for a total of 34 yards to drive the Packers from their 38-yard-line to the Colts' 28-yard-line.

But that is where the Packers' hopes ended as Pederson would throw an incomplete pass then be intercepted by Colts linebacker David Thornton, allowing for Manning to come onto the field and take a knee to run out the clock as the Colts would come away with the 45-31 win.

In total, Manning and Favre combined to complete 58 of 84 passes for 753 yards and throw nine touchdown passes as the Colts moved to 2-1 while the Packers dropped to 1-2.

The Packers would lose their next two games to fall to 1-4 before going on a 9-2 tear over the rest of the regular season to finish with a 10-6 record and clinch their third straight NFC North Division title, only to be knocked in the Wild Card Round by the Minnesota Vikings 31-17.

The following year, the Packers would fall to 4-12, leading to Sherman's firing as Mike McCarthy was hired in the offseason as two years later the Packers made all the way to the NFC Championship Game before losing in overtime 23-20 to the New York Giants in what would be Favre's final game as a Packer.

As for the Colts, they would go to finish the season with a 12-4 record to win the AFC South for the second year in a row as Manning would break Dan Marino's record of most touchdown passes in a season as he threw 49 touchdown passes to earn his second straight MVP award.

Manning and the Colts would knock off the Denver Broncos 49-24 in the Wild Card round, but would be eliminated again by the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.

Two year later, the Colts would finally get over the hump as they defated the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship Game after trailing 21-3, then knocked off the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI.

Favre and Manning greet each other after their classic quarterback duel.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Colts Beat Titans in Battle for First Place in AFC South

Peyton Manning completed 22 of 34 passes for 228 yards in the Colts' win over the Titans.

Throughout the 2003 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans were not only locked up in a tight race for the AFC South Division title, but their quarterbacks, Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and Tennessee's Steve McNair were in a neck-and-neck race for the NFL MVP race.
It seemed that both races would come to a head as the two teams meet in Nashville in week 14 of the season.
Both teams entered with identical 9-3 records, but the Colts had defeated the Titans 33-7 back in Week 2, which meant if the Colts won in Nashville, they would essentially hold a two-game lead over the Titans as they held the head-to-head tiebreaker.
So whoever won the game would not only have the upper hand in the race for the division title, but the NFL MVP race as well as Manning and McNair were seen by the media as the two frontrunners for the award.
Through the first 12 games of the season, Manning entered the game leading the league in passing yards(3,383), touchdowns(23), and completion percentage(66.7)while McNair had the highest quarterback rating in the league at 103.5
The Titans got the ball to start the game as they drove 44 yards in eight plays with the biggest play being a 26-yard run by Eddie George to set up a 40-yard field goal by Gary Anderson to give Tennessee a 3-0 lead with 10:29 to go in the first quarter.
The Colts would be given a short field thanks to a 29-yard return by Dominic Rhodes on the ensuing kickoff to give Indy the ball at their 45-yard-line.
Manning would complete three of four passes for 35 yards on a nine-play, 52-yard drive that would end with a 21-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to tie the game at 3 with 6:50 left in the first quarter.
The Titans would respond with a nine-play, 80-yard drive which saw McNair complete all three of his passes for 45 yards on the drive which ended with a two-yard touchdown run by the quarterback to give Tennessee a 10-3 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter.
The score was still 10-3 early in the second quarter when the Colts defense forced the first turnover of the game when cornerback David Macklin stripped Titans tight end Shad Meier at the end of a 16-yard catch, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Macklin at the Tennessee 43-yard-line.
The Colts would drive to the Titans 17-yard-line primarily on the running game as Manning only completed one pass during the drive which ended with a 35-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to cut the Titans' lead to 10-6 with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Colts would get the ball back at their 15-yard-line as Indianapolis would drive 67 yards in 12 plays only to end up with another Vanderjagt field goal, this one from 36 yards out to make it a 10-9 game with just 1:53 left before halftime.

Edgerrian James ran the ball 25 times for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns.

However, the Colts would get the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff as strong safety Mike Doss knocked the ball loose from Titans kick returner Eddie Berlin, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Robert Mathis to give Indianapolis the ball at the Tennessee 29-yard-line with 1:39 left in the half.
Manning would hit three passes in a row, gaining 20 yards before handing the ball off to Edgerrian James three straight times including on a 4th & 1 at the six-yard-line which James converted to give Indianapolis a 1st & goal with just 13 seconds left.
That was enough time for Manning to take a few shots at the end zone but both of his passes fell incomplete, forcing the Colts to settle for another field goal, which Vanderjagt made from 23 yards out to give Indianapolis a 12-10 lead as the first half came to a close.
The Colts would get the ball to start the second half and just like their first drive of the game would be given a short field as Rhodes returned the kick 44 yards to the Colts' 46-yard-line.
From there, it would take the Colts nine plays to drive 56 yards and finally get in the end zone as James punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to extend Indianapolis' lead to 19-10 with 9:39 left in the third quarter.
Lightning would strike twice on the ensuing kickoff as the Colts forced Berlin to fumble the football again, this time with Mathis providing the hit that knocked the ball loose and Ricky Williams(not that Ricky Williams)recovering the fumble at the Titans' 15-yard-line.
But once again, the Colts could only convert the fumble into three points as the Titans defense did not permit a 1st down and forced Indianapolis to settle for its fifth field goal of the game, a 26-yarder by Vanderjagt which increased the Colts' lead to 22-10.
The Titans would respond with a 10-play, 54-yard drive which ended with a 40-yard field goal by Anderson to cut the Colts' lead to 22-13 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
The Colts got the ball back at their 32-yard-line and after Manning hit Marvin Harrison for 16 yards to start the drive, Harrison would make one of the most brilliant catches of his career as Manning threw a deep pass that seemed that went over Harrison's head, only to have Marvin dive and catch it with his right arm for a 42-yard gain and a 1st down at the Titans' 10-yard-line.

From there, Manning handed the ball off to James on two straight plays, with the latter being a five-yard touchdown to increase the Colts' lead to 29-13 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
Things looked bleak for the Titans as they needed two touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie the game with just over a quarter left to play.
But the Titans would not quit as they put together a 12-play, 69-yard drive which saw McNair account for all but six of the yards on the drive as he ran the ball twice for 18 yards and completed seven of nine passes for 45 yards with the last completion being a one-yard touchdown to running back Robert Holcombe to make it 29-19.
The Titans would attempt a two-point conversion to try and make it a one-score game, which they were able to do as McNair ran it in for the two points to make it 29-21 with 9:29 left in regulation.
The Titans defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at thier 23-yard-line, but were unable to go past the Tennessee 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Colts who took over at their 10-yard-line.
The Colts were able to pick up two 1st downs before having to punt the ball back to the Titans only to have Hunter Smith shank the punt which went only 18 yards to give the Titans the ball at the Colts' 48-yard-line with 2:40 left and a chance to tie the game.
On the first play of the drive, McNair would connect with Justin McCariens for 29 yards to Indianapolis 19-yard-line, then after two straight incomplete passes, McNair would hit McCariens again, this time for 18 yards to give Tennessee a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line.
Holcombe was dropped for an one-yard loss on 1st down, which was followed by an incomplete pass, setting up 3rd & goal when McNair found Derrick Mason for the two-yard touchdown to make it a two-point game at 29-27.
Now come the all important two-point conversion which the Titans needed to tie the game.
Lined up in the shotgun, McNair fired a pass intended for Mason, only to have defensive end Dwight Freeney tip the pass and making it fall incomplete to keep it 29-27 in favor of the Colts with 1:52 left in the game.
With two timeouts in his pocket, Fisher decided against the onside kick and instead kicked it deep as the Colts would take over at their 19-yard-line.
The Tennessee defense would do its job by forcing a three-and-out as the Titans were set to get the ball back as the Colts would punt it away with 50 seconds left.

Steve McNair accounted for 255 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.

This time, Smith didn't shank it as his punt went 52 yards before it was caught by McCariens, who caught it at his own 29-yard-line and ran it back to the Titans' 40-yard-line, only to have the Colts' Clifton Crosby poke the ball loose which was recovered by teammate Anthony Floyd, the third special teams fumble recovery by the Colts of the game.
Manning would come on and take a knee to run out the clock as Indianapolis won the game 29-27, but more importantly were now in 1st place by themselves with a 10-3 record while the Titans fell to 9-4.
The Colts' season sweep of the Titans would ultimately decide the AFC South as both teams finished with 12-4 records with the division going to the Colts because of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Titans would have to go on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round where Anderson made the game-winning field goal from 46 yards out with 29 seconds left to give Tennessee a 20-17 win.
As for the Colts, they would make it all the way to the AFC Championship Game as Manning completed 44 of 56 passes for 681 yards and eight touchdowns in Indianapolis' two playoff wins over the Denver Broncos(49-24 in the Wild Card Round) and the Kansas City Chiefs(38-31 in the Divisional Round).
But both teams' seasons would end at the hands of the New England Patriots, who eliminated the Titans 17-14 in the Divisional Round, then picked off Manning four times in a 24-14 win in the AFC Championship Game as the Patriots would go on to win their second Super Bowl title.
And for the MVP race, it would end up in a tie as Manning and McNair were named co-MVPs for the 2003 season.