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: 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.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Lamar Smith Carries Dolphins To Wild Card Win

Lamar Smith(26) ran for the second most yards in a NFL playoff game in the Dolphins' win over the Colts in their 2000 AFC Wild Card Game.

Like in music, sports can sometimes having a one-hit wonder with an athlete being memorable for just one play or great performance and then not being heard from again.
You could argue that for Lamar Smith, whose 40-carry, 209-yard performance help lead the Miami Dolphins to a memorable win over the Indianapolis Colts in their 2000 AFC Wild Card Game.
Even though they had made the playoffs the previous three seasons and five out of the last six, the Dolphins making the 2000 playoffs was a surprise considering they had lost quarterback Dan Marino and head coach Jimmy Johnson to retirement following the 1999 season.
Johnson was replaced by defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt while Marino was replaced by Jay Fielder, who had spent time in the now defunct NFL Europe League, before signing with the Dolphins in 2000 and beating out Damon Huard for the starting quarterback role.
An under the radar move was the signing of free agent Smith who had spent six years in the NFL but his only claim to notoriety had been him being charged with vehicular assault after an accident left his then-Seattle Seahawks teammate, Mike Frier, paralyzed from the neck down.
However in 2000, Smith experienced his best season as he rushed for over 1,139 yards and scored 14 touchdowns in helping the Dolphins to a 11-5 record and an AFC East division title.
Despite their success and playing at home, the Dolphins were slight underdogs to the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
Led by Peyton Manning, the Colts had gone 10-6 and made the playoffs for the second straight season, just two years after going 3-13 in 1998.
Manning threw for 4,413 yards and 33 touchdowns, with 14 of those touchdowns and 1,413 of those yards going to wide receiver Marvin Harrison, while running back Edgerrin James complied over 2,000 yards of offense + 18 touchdowns(1,709 rushing + 594 receiving).
The Colts were not looking for their first playoff victory since 1995 but also head coach Jim Mora's first ever playoff victory as he lost his previous four games, the first three coming during his nearly 10-year stint in New Orleans as the Saints' head coach.

Colts running back Edgerrin James carried the ball 21 times for 107 yards and caught three passes for 33 yards.

After forcing the Colts to go three-and-out on their opening drive, the Dolphins got the ball at their 28-yard-line.
It took Miami only three plays to drive to the Colts' 34-yard-line as Fielder hit Tony Martin for 12 yards on the first play of the drive which was followed by a pair of runs by Smith that totaled 26 yards, setting up 2nd & 1.
However, a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass lead to a 4th & 6 from the Indy 39-yard-line where Wannstedt decided to go for the 1st down.
But Fielder's pass intended for O.J. McDuffie fell incomplete, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the ball back to the Colts.
Manning would connect with Jerome Pathon for 25 yards and then hit James for 13 yards to help set up a 32-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt to give the Colts a 3-0 lead midway through the 1st quarter.
After both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, the Dolphins got the ball at their 34-yard-line when they went to Smith to drive them into Colts territory.
Smith carried the ball five straight times, gaining 35 yards, then caught a three-yard pass to set up 3rd & 9 from the Colts' 28-yard-line.
However, a false start pushed the Dolphins back five yards, which was followed by Fiedler being picked off in the end zone by Colts strong safety Chad Cota.
James would get the ball and run it for 34 yards to the Miami 46-yard-line to end the first quarter, which was followed by five plays gaining 18 yards, setting up what looked like to be a 46-yard field goal.
But trying to catch the Dolphins off guard, holder Hunter Smith tried to run for the two yards needed for the 1st down, but was tackled by Dolphins all-pro defensive end Jason Taylor for a six-yard-loss to give Miami the ball at their 34-yard-line.
However, on the next play from scrimmage, Fielder threw his second interception, this time the culprit being defensive end Chad Bratzke, who returned it to the Dolphins' 25-yard-line.
The Colts would convert the interception into points as Vanderjagt made a 26-yard field goal to increase the Indianapolis lead to 6-0 with 9:33 left in the third quarter.
Fielder's woes would continue on the Dolphins' ensuing possession as he was picked off the third time in the first half, second by Cota, whose 23-yard return set up the Colts at the Miami 18-yard-line.
One play after James ran for one yard, Manning hit Pathon for a 17-yard touchdown, then hit tight end Ken Dilger on a two-point conversion to push the Colts' lead to 14-0 with 7:47 to go in the first half.
With their quarterback having thrown three interceptions, the Dolphins decided to lean on Smith to get their offense going and he would answer the call as he carried the ball five straight times to start the drive, picking up 22 yards, with the last one going for no gain and setting up a 4th & 1 at the Colts' 42-yard-line.
Once again, Wannstedt went for the 1st down, but this time the gamble paid off as Fielder ran it for two yards on a fresh set of downs for the Dolphins.
Then it was back to Smith, who only gained three yards on his next two runs, setting up a 3rd & 7 situation from the Colts' 37-yard-line.
That is when the Dolphins went back to the air as Fielder connected with Orande Gadsden for 12 yards and a 1st down.
The drive would stall as the Dolphins would pick up only four more yards, forcing them to settle for a 38-yard field goal attempt by Olindo Mare.
But Mare's kick sailed wide right as the first half came to an end with the Dolphins trailing 14-0.

Peyton Manning completed 17 of 32 passes for 194 yards and threw a touchdown.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the second half and went back to Smith, who carried the ball seven times for 42 yards on a 11-play, 70-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Smith to put Miami on the board and cut the Colts' lead in half to 14-7 with 8:09 to go in the third quarter.
Neither team would mount a scoring threat for the rest of the third quarter as the Colts clinged to their 14-7 lead as Fielder hit McDuffie for 12 yards on the final play of the third quarter for a Miami 1st down at their 40-yard-line.
From there, the Dolphins ran the ball seven straight times, with Smith carrying it five times for 24 yards, to set up a 38-yard field goal by Mare, which cut the Colts' lead to 14-10 with 10:23 left in the 4th quarter.
Following the kickoff, the Colts would take over at their 23-yard-line but seemed to get into Miami territory very quickly as Manning hit Harrison for an apparent 38-yard completion to the Dolphins' 26-yard-line, only to have Harrison get called for pass interference, pushing the Colts back 10 yards to their 28-yard-line with a 1st & 20.
That is when Manning connected with Pathon for 18 yards, which was followed by a two-yard run by James to pick up the 1st down at the Colts' 48-yard-line.
Then after a 16-yard-run by James gave Indy a 1st down at the Miami 36-yard-line, the Dolphins defense stiffened and allowed only four more yards on the next three plays, forcing the Colts to attempt a 50-yard field goal.
Vanderjagt would make the kick to push the lead back to seven points at 17-10 with 4:55 left in regulation.
Taking over at their 20-yard-line and needing a touchdown to force overtime, the Dolphins begin the drive with an eight-yard pass from Fielder to Smith.
Then after Smith picked up only one yard on 2nd & 2, Fielder would ran for three yards on 3rd & 1 to give Miami a 1st down at their 32-yard-line.
Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Fielder connected with Gadsden for nine yards, which was followed by a three-yard run by Smith and another 1st down at the Miami 44-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
Now knowing that this was probably their last chance to tie the game, the Dolphins went into hurry-up mode as Fielder hit Tony Martin for nine yards on 1st down, then ran for 11 yards to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Colts' 36-yard-line.
An incomplete pass and a false start would force the Dolphins into a 2nd & 15 situation where Fielder found McDuffie for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Indy 22-yard-line, which was followed by a 13-yard pass to McDuffie to give the Dolphins a 1st & goal at the Colts' nine-yard-line.
Then after two straight incomplete passes, Fielder found tight end Jed Weaver, who made the catch at the two-yard-line, then lunged in for the touchdown that with Mare's extra point, tied the game at 17 with 34 seconds left in regulation.

Dolphins quarterback Jay Fielder completed six of 10 passes for 67 yards on the Dolphins game-tying touchdown drive.

The Colts ran the ball one time to run out the clock and send the game into overtime where the Dolphins won the coin toss and took over at their ten-yard-line, but only drove 19 yards before punting the ball back to Indianapolis who got the ball at their 18-yard-line.
The drive began with Manning hitting Harrison for 30 yards to put the Colts at their 48-yard-line.
Then Manning connected with Harrison for six yards, which was followed by a six-yard run by James and a 1st down at the Miami 40-yard-line.
After an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack, the Colts were faced with a 3rd & 12 at the Dolphins' 42-yard-line when Manning hit Harrison for 11 yards, one yard short of the 1st down.
However, the Dolphins offsides on the play, which if Mora accepted would have given the Colts an extra play as they would have had 3rd & 7 at the Miami 37-yard-line.
But Mora declined the penalty and decided to send Vanderjagt in to attempt the game-winning 49-yard field goal with 9:22 left in overtime.
But Vanderjagt's kick was nowhere close to the uprights and sailed wide right, giving the Dolphins the ball at their 39-yard-line with a chance to drive for the winning score.
After an incomplete pass on the first play of the drive, Fielder would hit his next two passes, first to Smith for seven yards, then a six-yarder to Jeff Ogden for a Miami 1st down at the Colts' 48-yard-line.
A 14-yard run by Smith was reduced to four yards as Martin was called for holding, leaving the Dolphins with a 1st & 6 at the Indy 44-yard-line.
Smith would pick up five yards on the next two plays, which lead to a 3rd & 1 where Fielder ran for two yards and the 1st down.
Then after Smith picked up just one yard on 1st down, Fielder found Gadsden for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Colts' 23-yard-line, clearly putting them in field goal range.
But Wannstedt decided to keep the offense and after Smith ran for six yards on 1st down, Fielder handed the ball to Smith for his 40th carry.
Smith ran to the right side, stopped at about the 20-yard-line, then busted through a hole and broke two Colt defenders at the five-yard-line to run for the winning touchdown, a 17-yard run to give the Dolphins a 23-17 win.

The loss dropped Mora's playoff record to 0-5 and would be his final playoff appearance as the Colts went 6-10 the following season, leading to his dismissal after four seasons in Indianapolis with a 32-32 record.
He was replaced by Tony Dungy, who with Manning and Harrison, but not James and Vanderjagt, would lead the Colts to a Super Bowl title during the 2006 season.
As for the Dolphins, they would be eliminated by the Oakland Raiders the following week as Smith was held to just five yards on eight carries and Fielder threw three more interceptions as Miami lost 27-0.
The Dolphins would return to the playoffs the following season but would be knocked out in the Wild Card Round by the Baltimore Ravens as they lost 20-3.
Miami would not make it back to the postseason under Wannstedt as he would resign midway through the 2004 season after an 1-8 start.
Smith would leave Miami after the 2001 season and go to Carolina where he would spend the 2002 season until another DUI arrest lead to him being placed on paid leave which lead to his eventual release in the offseason.
Smith would play four games for the New Orleans Saints in 2003 before retiring from the NFL after nearly a decade in the league.