Where's the brotherly love? Peyton, Colts nip Eli, Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- After beating little brother Eli,
all Peyton Manning felt was relief and pride.
It was over when ... |
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With 1:12 to play, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 32-yarder to push the Colts' lead to 26-21. The Giants tried to rally, but, from their own 46, Eli Manning's final pass of the game was incomplete. | Game ball goes to ... |
Vinatieri -- who kicked four field goals in his first game for the Colts -- and Peyton Manning -- who finished 25-of-41 for 276 yards, a TD and a pick in his first NFL game starting against his little bro -- both get props. | Scouts Inc.'s take ... |
The Colts were able to win thanks to Peyton Manning's ability to keep the mistakes and turnovers to a minimum. The Colts still need to find some kind of a running game, but Peyton was able to dissect the Giants when it was needed. The Giants, with Eli Manning at the helm, were able to move the ball, especially on the ground, but couldn't put the ball in the end zone, especially when it counted. That, and inopportune penalties, really cost the Giants a chance to win this game. |
Relief that the much-hyped battle of the brothers was over, and
pride in the way they handled it. No gloating, no giddy postgame
interviews, no big scene as the two met when it was over.
"I told him I loved him," Peyton said after the Indianapolis
Colts outlasted Eli and the New York Giants 26-21 on Sunday night.
"I enjoyed watching him play in person," the elder Manning
added. "He's every bit as good as he looked on TV. He's going to
be a great player in this league for a long time. I'm proud to be
related to the guy. I'm proud to be his brother."
As for the game itself, the "Manning Bowl" actually lived up
to the hype. The brothers played well and so did their teams,
though the Giants made far too many mistakes to win the first NFL
game to feature two brothers starting at quarterback.
Peyton finished 25-of-41 for 276 yards, a touchdown and an
interception. The two-time MVP also led the Colts to scores on five
of their first seven possessions.
Eli was 20-of-34 for 247 yards and touchdowns passes to Plaxico
Burress and Jeremy Shockey. He also had two costly second-half
mistakes -- a fumble and an interception, both of which came with
New York down two points. Both led to Indianapolis scores.
After it was over, the siblings came to midfield, surrounded by
photographers, big brother patting little brother on the back of
his head.
"It kind of hit me in the pre-pregame when I was out there
talking to someone and I see this guy walk by and it was my
brother," Peyton said. "I found myself watching him during
warmups. I was peeking at him during the national anthem. It was
kind of neat to be on the same field as him, knowing that's my
little brother out there."
Peyton threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark and Dominic
Rhodes scored on a 1-yard run for the Colts' touchdowns.
Adam Vinatieri, the hero of two Super Bowl wins by the New
England Patriots, kicked four field goals in his first game for the
defending AFC South champions, including a 32-yarder with 1:12 to
play to push the lead to five points.
Trailing 23-21, Eli Manning tried to drive the Giants for a late
go-ahead score. A play after a questionable offensive pass
interference call against Tim Carter denied New York a first down
at its own 37, Manning was intercepted by Nick Harper and Peyton
moved the Colts 19 yards for an insurance field goal.
"It was very difficult for me to think that play was a foul,"
Giants coach Tom Coughlin said, adding that his team also hurt
itself with way too many mistakes.
While Eli had a big fumble and interception, he wasn't the only
one to make errors.
Giants defenders dropped two potential first-half interceptions
that could have stopped scoring drives. Jay Feely missed a 40-yard
field goal and the Giants had a plethora of penalties that slowed
or ended drives, including an illegal snap by center Shaun O'Hara
with 17 seconds to play that forced officials to take 10 seconds
off the clock.
That allowed Eli Manning to throw one more pass -- and it fell
incomplete.
The Giants, who also got a 110-yard rushing effort from Tiki Barber, had closed to within 23-21 on a 1-yard touchdown run by
Brandon Jacobs with 8:01 to play. It marked the second time that
the Giants, who had trailed 13-0 late in the first half, had
rallied to close the gap to two points.
The 15-yard touchdown pass to Shockey cut the lead to 16-14, but
Eli Manning fumbled a snap near midfield and Indianapolis recovered,
setting up Rhodes' touchdown.
Peyton Manning was nearly unstoppable in the first half. The
Colts had the ball four times, scoring on each possession. Big
brother hit 17-of-27 passes for 196 yards, converted 9-of-11
third-down chances and helped Indianapolis control the ball for
17:37 in taking a 16-7 halftime edge.
Vinatieri capped the first two drives -- which included a
17-play, nearly nine minute march to open the game -- with field
goals of 26 and 32 yards for a 6-0 lead early in the second
quarter.
Seconds before the first field goal, Giants backup safety James Butler had a chance to end the first drive. But he dropped what
should have been an interception of a Peyton Manning pass that was
right in his hands.
Another mistake kept New York off the scoreboard following
Vinatieri's second field goal.
Burress, who got called for two illegal blocks in the first
half, made a one-handed catch for a 37-yard gain to the Colts 26.
However, Feely missed a 40-yard field goal four plays later.
Peyton Manning made the Giants pay on the next possession,
moving the Colts 70 yards in 10 plays and finishing it with a
2-yard strike to tight end Dallas Clark. Peyton outran blitzing
safety Gibril Wilson on a rollout to the right and put a deft touch
on a pass over the outstretched hands of Pro Bowl defensive end
Michael Strahan, who was in zone coverage.
The touchdown gave Indianapolis a 13-0 lead, and for a moment
the so-called Manning Bowl looked like it would be lopsided.
But Eli countered with a beautiful drive, moving the Giants
86-yards in eight plays. Barber got it going with 17 reception and
two 11-yard runs, and Manning capped it with a 34-yard touchdown
pass to Burress, who won a jump ball with Harper near the goal
line.
The score got New York within 13-7 with 32 seconds left in the
half, but that was enough time for Peyton to do some more damage.
Taking over at his own 38 with 25 seconds to go, Manning hit
Marvin Harrison on three straight passes for 30 yards, setting up a
48-yard field goal by Vinatieri, who was signed in the offseason as
a free agent to replace Mike Vanderjagt.
Game Notes
WR Sinorice Moss, the Giants second-round draft pick, was
inactive for the game. He missed most of training camp with a
quadriceps injury. ...Giants G Chris Snee left the game late in the
second with an ankle injury, the extent of which is not known.
Giants Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora left in the second half
with leg cramps. Harrison had nine catches for 113 yards. ...Rhodes
and Joseph Addai combined for 23 rushes for 55 yards in taking over
for Edgerrin James as the Colts running back.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Walt Anderson
2023 AFC South Standings
Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 377 | 353 |
Jacksonville | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 377 | 371 |
Indianapolis | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 396 | 415 |
Tennessee | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 305 | 367 |
2023 NFC East Standings
Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dallas | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 509 | 315 |
Philadelphia | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 433 | 428 |
New York | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 266 | 407 |
Washington | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 329 | 518 |