INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts are perfectly human and the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins are perfectly happy.
The San Diego Chargers (9-5) are perfect examples of how many good teams there are in the AFC. They knocked the Colts from their 13-0 perch with a convincing 26-17 whipping Sunday and the Chargers might not even make the playoffs.
Desperation beat desire as the Chargers pounded the Colts one week after the Colts had wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
But the Colts wanted to make clear afterward what the Chargers had made clear on the field: this was no lackadaisical loss by a contented team coasting toward the postseason. This was a trouncing inside the RCA Dome so thorough it gave hope to other teams who might have thought the Colts invincible.
“You have to give San Diego credit. They beat us. They forced the action,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “Our guys wanted to stay undefeated. They wanted to go 16-0. These guys came in and outplayed us.”
Instead of thinking about 16-0, the Colts found themselves behind 16-0 with rookies Shawne Merriman and Luis Castillo pressuring Peyton Manning relentlessly and Drew Brees defying the deafening noise to call audibles and run a no-huddle offense that people thought only Manning could do. After an interception and a fumble by Brees allowed the Colts to take a 17-16 lead in the third quarter, the Chargers came up with two huge plays out of the shadow of their own goal post and scored 10 points in the final 6:41.
A 49-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding was followed by a stunning 83-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner with 2:09 left, causing champagne corks to pop again in Miami, where the 17-0 Dolphins of 1972 remain pro football’s lone unbeaten team.
A Colts’ win would have matched the perfect regular season record of those Dolphins when there were only 14 games. The Colts had tied the Dolphins, 1934 Bears and 1998 Broncos as the other 13-0 teams.
Instead of congratulating the Chargers, former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula and quarterback Bob Griese congratulated the Colts on their quest, which Shula called “a great accomplishment.”
“I know that Tony and the team will learn from their defeat today,” Shula said.
Griese also congratulated the Colts and added, “It’s not like they are the Oakland Raiders, where it would be hard to root for them to go undefeated.”
Turner, a second-year running back, was subbing while Chargers’ star LaDainian Tomlinson rested sore ribs.
“Anybody who has watched that young man play, he can flat run,” coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “He’s our secret weapon.”
Turner had lost three yards on first down and the Chargers were trying to draw the Colts offside when Brees called an audible that Turner popped.
“It feels good to be the first team to beat them, but that wasn’t our ultimate goal,” Turner said. “We knew if we lost the game, it’s over.”
Turner blew by safeties Bob Sanders and Mike Doss. Earlier, Sanders had allowed Brees to complete a 54-yard pass to Keenan McCardell on third down from the Chargers’ own 9-yard line to set up Kaeding’s kick.
“They made big plays backed up in their end and that’s what we’re designed not to let happen,” Dungy said.
The Colts were playing without injured defensive linemen Corey Simon and Robert Mathis and lost right tackle Ryan Diem, who used to block for Turner at Northern Illinois, in the first quarter.
Merriman and the Chargers’ defense rattled Manning with four sacks, two by Merriman, a 275-pound linebacker with Lawrence Taylor-type skill. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips stacked Merriman and linebacker Steve Foley on one side of the defense much the way the Bears used to use Wilber Marshall and Otis Wilson in Buddy Ryan’s “46” defense and Manning didn’t have time to set his feet.
“We hadn’t shown that before,” Phillips said. “We had to come up with something to get pressure on the guy.”
“We had to get him out of the pocket,” Merriman said. “Once out of the pocket, he throws some loose balls. The whole week we knew we could beat them.
“My teammates have been behind me all year, telling me I’m the best rookie in the league. I never like to be compared to anybody. I want to be better than L.T.”
Manning had a fourth down at the Chargers’ 1 in the first half and tried a naked bootleg instead of handing off to Edgerrin James. Merriman chased him down, preserving a 10-0 lead at the time. James managed only 25 yards against the league’s No. 1 rushing defense.
With 3:21 left and trailing 19-17, the Colts had moved into field goal range at the 25 when Manning again was pressured and was penalized for intentional grounding. Sacked on the next play by Northwestern rookie Castillo, the Colts were forced to punt, setting up Turner’s game-breaker.
“San Diego beat us,” Manning said. “Everybody is disappointed, which is the right attitude. Hopefully this will make us a better team.”
Dungy had wavered about whether to rest veterans for the playoffs or try to stay unbeaten. The Colts finish at Seattle and at home against Arizona.
“This will probably make our decisions easier,” Dungy conceded, but he also said he didn’t like the way the Colts lost, especially at home.
The Chargers finish their tough schedule at Kansas City and at home against Denver.
“I don’t think anyone will want to play them,” Dungy said.
Said Schottenheimer, “Let me tell you, every team in this league is tough. None of them are givens.”
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AP-NY-12-18-05 1934EST
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