Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - Joseph Addai ran for 122 yards and a touchdown, while the much-maligned Indianapolis defense allowed just 126 total yards as the Colts dominated Kansas City, 23-8, in the first round of the AFC playoffs at the RCA Dome.
Peyton Manning completed 30-of-38 passes for 268 yards but had just one TD and three interceptions for Indianapolis (13-4), which will now move on and visit Baltimore in the AFC divisional round next Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (et).
"They were trying to take the deep pass away and I took what they gave me," Manning said. "We are off to a good start. It's a different season and we have to take it a game at a time."
Dallas Clark had nine receptions for 103 yards for the Colts, who are in the midst of their fifth straight postseason appearance, the longest current streak in the league. Adam Vinatieri kicked three field goals in the win and the Colts defense isn't allow Kansas City to record a first down until over 11 minutes were gone in the third quarter.
Trent Green finished just 14-of-24 for 107 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown for the Chiefs (9-8), who are now 0-5 in playoff games since last competing for the AFC Championship in 1993. Only the Cincinnati Bengals (1990) and Detroit Lions (1991) have endured a longer stretch without a postseason triumph.
"The Colts are underrated at home and their defense is built for home and built for speed," said Green. "They did a great job coming off the ball."
Larry Johnson rushed for just 32 yards on 13 carries while Tony Gonzalez caught four passes for 25 yards and a score for Kansas City.
"You got to give Indianapolis a lot of credit," said Kansas City coach Herman Edwards. "They deserved to win, they beat us, they didn't allow us to score very many points early in the football game."
Down 16-0 late in the third quarter, the Kansas City offense finally awoke with a lightning quick eight-play, 60-yard drive. Green was 6-for-6 on the march and capped things by finding Gonzalez for a six-yard TD. The quarterback then hooked up with Kris Wilson on a two-point conversion to make it a one- possession game, 16-8, with just eight ticks left in the third quarter.
But, the beleaguered Manning, who has been dogged by playoff struggles in the past, responded by taking advantage of a soft Kansas City zone with throws underneath. The Colts went right down the field and sealed the game when Manning used a pump fake to fool Patrick Surtain and find Reggie Wayne for a five-yard TD. The score gave Indianapolis a comfortable 23-8 edge with 10:16 left in the game.
Any hope of a miracle Chiefs comeback was snuffed out by a Bob Sanders interception on Kansas City's next possession. Sanders, one of Indy's best tacklers, had only played in two games since having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in mid-September and his presence was a huge difference maker for Indianapolis.
"Passion...If I could put a word on it, there was a lot of passion out there," said Sanders. "Everybody was just so anxious and so ready to play and so fired up. The energy was just crazy."
The Colts took an early 6-0 lead thanks to a pair of Vinatieri field goals in the opening quarter. After the Indianapolis defense forced the Chiefs to go three-and-out, the Colts moved down the field using a short passing game and the running of Addai. They eventually stalled at the Kansas City 30 and Vinatieri came on to split the uprights from 48 yards out to make it 3-0 with 8:41 left in the first.
The Indianapolis defense continued to surprise and forced another three-and- out. The Colts offense then went back to work. Manning hit Marvin Harrison on a crossing route and the star receiver took it 42 yards to the Kansas City 33. Indy continued to move the ball from there, but on 3rd-and-1 from the Chiefs one-yard line, Manning overthrew Clark and the Colts were forced to settle for a 19-yard Vinatieri field goal with just over two minutes left in the opening frame.
The Chiefs got their first break early in the second quarter. Manning and Harrison weren't on the same page and the QB threw an out while Harrison ran an inside route. Ty Law was sitting in the cover-2, picked the ball off at the Kansas City 48 and returned it all the way to the Colts nine. The Chiefs couldn't move the ball, however, and were forced to attempt a field goal after Green tripped over Brian Water's leg while dropping back to pass on third down. But, Lawrence Tynes missed the 23-yard chip shot when he hit the left upright.
The Colts were threatening to extend their lead late in the first half but Manning threw his second interception of the game to Jarrad Page at the Kansas City two.
But, the Chiefs failed to take advantage of the momentum shift and quickly punted back to Indianapolis. Manning then steered the Colts into filed goal position and Vinatieri drilled his third kick of the game, a 50-yarder, as time expired in the first half to make it a 9-0 game.
The beginning of the third quarter produced more of the same. Kansas City couldn't move the ball offensively but Manning's mistakes kept the Chiefs in the game.
Manning threw his third interception of the game to Law on a pass eerily reminiscent of his first faux pas. But, Kansas City did nothing with it and Indianapolis finally went away from the passing game and let Addai take over. The rookie running back was the horse on a 12-play, 89-yard drive that produced the game's first TD. Addai accounted for 65 yards on the march and capped things by taking it in from six yards out to make it a 16-0 game with just 4:14 left in the third quarter.
"I'm proud of our team, the way we played today," said Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy. "Playoff games are hard to win. This was a good win for us. I thought our defense went out and played with a lot of energy and our guys just rose to the challenge."
Game Notes
Law has picked off Manning five times in the playoffs...Indianapolis is searching for its first Super Bowl appearance since leaving Baltimore in 1983. Indy advanced as far as the AFC Championship in 2003, but have been knocked out in the Divisional Playoff round in each of the past two seasons. Last year, the Colts squandered the top seed in the AFC by falling at home to eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh, 21-18...The Chiefs went 13-3 and earned the No. 2 seed when it last reached the playoffs in 2003, but was knocked out by the Colts (38-31) at home in what marked Kansas City's only postseason game in an eight-year stretch (1997-2005)...Edwards is the first Kansas City coach in the organization's 47-year history to lead the Chiefs to the playoffs in his initial season...Indy is now 3-0 in the playoffs against Kansas City, claiming the aforementioned 2003 AFC Divisional Playoff (38-31) at Arrowhead Stadium and a 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff in its home stadium (10-7)...The Colts are now 14-16 all-time in the playoffs while the Chiefs are 8-13.
