Indy’s Got “D”

SUDDEN EMERGENCE OF RUSHING DEFENSE IS ENCOURAGING, BUT NEMESIS NEW ENGLAND REMAINS STANDING

FITSNews - January 13, 2007 - A little over a month ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars scorched the Indianapolis Colts‘ rushing defense for 375 yards, the low point in a season that saw head coach Tony Dungy’s team give up over 100 yards in all sixteen regular season games en route to becoming the seventh-worst rushing defense in NFL history.

The Colts also dropped three of their last five games, limping into a first round playoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and Larry Johnson, the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,789 yards.

So it came as something of a shock last weekend when Indy held Johnson to just 32 yards rushing in the Colts’ 23-8 Wild Card win.

A fluke, right?

Apparently not. Indianapolis’ defense rose up again today, manhandling the Baltimore Ravens to earn a 15-6 victory and the team’s second AFC Championship appearance in four years.

In addition to causing four turnovers, the suddenly impenetrable Colts’ rushing D held Ravens’ star running back Jamal Lewis to just 53 yards.

In twenty years of following the Colts, we’ve never seen anything quite like this.

If you had told us a week ago that Indy would hold either Johnson or Lewis under 100 yards, we would have laughed in your face. If you had told us that the two marquee backs would COMBINE to produce a measly 85 yards, we would have bet you anything you wanted.

Indianapolis (14-4) will play the winner of the San Diego Chargers-New England Patriots game tomorrow.

Obviously, the Pats are the Colts’ traditional playoff nemesis, but facing superback Ladainian Tomlinson and the red hot Chargers (on the road, no less) isn’t exactly an enticing prospect, either.

Bottom line, we’re excited about the emergence of the rushing “D” but aren’t getting our hopes up.

NOTE: In other NFL news, the New Orleans Saints continued the feel good story of 2006-07 by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles to earn a trip to the NFC Championship game.