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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Curtis Martin sees himself as the
ultimate blue-collar professional. The Indianapolis Colts picture
him as an unstoppable vision in green.
Martin rushed for a career and franchise high of 203 yards and
the clinching touchdown Sunday, lifting the New York Jets past the
Colts 27-17. The victory kept the Jets in second place in the AFC
East and severely damaged the Colts' chances of getting to the
postseason.
|  | | Curtis Martin's 2-yard run capped the Jets' scoring in the fourth quarter and ensured a win over the Colts. |
Two weeks after injuring his buttocks, Martin spearheaded a
ground game that balanced Vinny Testaverde's 295 yards passing and
two touchdowns. Martin's 30 carries included a 55-yard run, his
longest this season, in which he now has 1,094 yards.
"The thing that I am happy about is I feel I had a major part
in this win," said Martin, who joined Barry Sanders and Eric
Dickerson as the only players to rush for 1,000 yards in their
first six seasons. His performance was the fourth 200-yard game of
the day, the first time that's happened in NFL history.
"After a performance last week that was embarrassing, 29 yards
(on 17 carries), we knew we couldn't afford to do that again this
season. We brought our lunch pails to work and we worked hard on
the running game and it paid off."
New York (9-4) has won three straight following a three-game
slide. It is one game behind Miami in the division.
The Colts (7-6) have lost four of their last five and saw their
four-game winning streak against the Jets snapped. Peyton Manning
was sacked three times and threw two interceptions, and NFL rushing
leader Edgerrin James gained only 49 yards.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Colts: What happened to the Colts' offense on
Sunday?
Donahoe: The Colts' offense has suffered this year because the
defense has generally put them in a hole. The Colts have one of the best
running backs in the game in Edgerrin James, but often they
are forced to go away from him because they are in a catch-up mode. The Jets
have a strong defense and challenged the Colts in this game. It really
wasn't until the second half that the Colts found some things that worked
against the Jets' defense. The Colts have so many highly skilled players --
James, quarterback Peyton
Manning, wide receiver Marvin
Harrison. They should be better than their 7-6 record.
Question on the Jets: Does Curtis Martin deserve to be the
league MVP?
Donahoe: Curtis Martin may not have enough stats to be considered for
the league MVP, but if you could measure his heart and what he means to the
Jets, there is no question he would be an MVP candidate. Curtis had a
tremendous game today, rushing for 203 yards (a new team record). The thing
that impresses me about Martin is that he comes to play every week. He is
physical with the football and as a blocker -- plus he's one of the better
pass-receiving running backs in the NFL. This was simply a superb
performance by an outstanding player.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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But Manning threw for 339 yards and two TDs.
"We've been talking about trying to correct the mistakes and we
haven't taken it to the field in three straight road games,"
Manning said. "We don't help our cause at all like this."
The Jets, who only recently have overcome a penchant for slow
starts, were nearly unstoppable in the first half. They marched 78
yards on 12 plays on the opening series, including rookie Windrell
Hayes's first NFL catch, for 32 yards. Wayne Chrebet caught
Testaverde's 11-yarder for the score.
New York made it 14-0 on the next series. Dedric Ward's
one-handed catch in the back of the end zone capped a 70-yard
drive. Martin had a 36-yard run on which he broke three tackles.
Indianapolis had the ball for just 3:31 in the first quarter and
gained 23 yards. New York had 201.
It didn't get much better for the Colts in the next period. John
Hall hit a 45-yard field goal to make it 17-0 moments after
Martin's 55-yard gallop put him over 1,000 yards.
"Coming back from injury, Curtis is one of the toughest guys
I've ever known," Testaverde said.
And when Manning got the Colts rolling late in the quarter, his
errant pass was picked off at the goal line by Victor Green, who
returned it 43 yards.
That led to Hall's 21-yarder and a 20-0 lead at halftime.
"We knew we had to stop accepting we are this big-play comeback
team, this fourth-quarter comeback team," Martin said. "We knew
that we had to get on top early and stay on top."
But the Colts, outgained 336-91 in the first half, immediately
moved to the Jets 15 before Mike Vanderjagt's 32-yard field goal
got them on the scoreboard.
They got to 20-10 on Manning's 17-yard pass to Marvin Harrison,
then Terrence Wilkins beat Marcus Coleman on a fly pattern for a
43-yard touchdown, making it 20-17. The score came just three plays
after Testaverde's weak pass to Chrebet was intercepted by rookie
David Macklin, who returned it to the Colts 46.
New York secured the victory after a critical mistake by Colts
center Jeff Saturday. His shotgun snap barely moved a yard and was
pounced on by Bryan Cox at the Indianapolis 20. A 16-yard pass to
Chrebet on third down set up Martin's TD run.
"It was a freak play there on the snap," Manning said. "You
won't see that happen again in five years."
Sunday's other 200-yard rushers were Tampa Bay's Warrick Dunn,
Cincinnati's Corey Dillon and Denver's Mike Anderson.
Game notes
The Jets hadn't scored TDs on their first two possessions
all season ... New York's Tom Tupa, an All-Pro last year, got off a
5-yard punt. ... Indianapolis safety Chad Cota sustained a mild
concussion. ... Manning finished 27-for-51, while Testaverde was
26-for-41 and moved into 10th on the career passing list with
35,472 yards. ... Adrian Murrell held the Jets' previous rushing
record at 199 yards.
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ALSO SEE
Indianapolis Clubhouse
NY Jets Clubhouse
NFL first: Four 200-yard rushers
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Curtis Martin feels the Jets are finshing out the season as if it's a fourth quarter rally.
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Coach Jim Mora was not pleased with his team's effort against the Jets.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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