Mora’s Postseason Drought Gets Old

Jim Mora is 65 but looks younger, surprising given his history in the NFL playoffs.

At 0-5, Mora has the kind of postseason record that puts wrinkles on a coach’s face. He will try again for his first playoff victory today when his Indianapolis Colts play the Miami Dolphins in an AFC wild-card game at Miami.

“I don’t put any extra pressure on myself because I’ve never been able to win a playoff game,” said Mora, the league’s oldest coach. “We’ve tried hard to win those games. We came up short. We’ll try hard this week.”

Mora went 0 for New Orleans, losing all four playoff games in 11 years as coach of the Saints. Last season his Colts were considered one of the AFC favorites but were eliminated at home by eventual conference champion Tennessee, 19-16.

“It was a motivating factor in the off-season, finishing on a sour note,” quarterback Peyton Manning said.

This year the Colts are seeded last in the AFC playoffs, but they may be the hottest team in the balanced postseason field. To earn a playoff berth, Indianapolis (10-6) had to win its final three games, beating Buffalo, Miami and Minnesota.

The Colts have played better in December than the Dolphins (11-5), who slipped into their traditional late-season slump. Miami needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat New England in the final game and win the AFC East for the first time since 1994.

*

The game won’t be televised in Miami because the Dolphins failed to sell their remaining 7,500 tickets.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, were 1,500 tickets short of a sellout as well. However, the Fox station in Philadelphia lifted the blackout by promising to buy any unsold tickets.

The NFL requires teams to sell out 72 hours before a game, or the game is blacked out in the local television market.

The New Orleans Saints, who play host to the St. Louis Rams today, avoided a blackout after the league granted the team two extensions.

There have been two blacked-out NFL playoff games in the last 16 years.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

CAPSULE

* The line: Indianapolis by 2 1/2.

* Story line: These division rivals split their season series by winning in each other’s stadiums. The Colts have been tough to stop lately, winning their last three games convincingly and securing a wild-card spot. Meanwhile, the Dolphins barely got past a bad New England team last Sunday. The last four games between these teams have been decided by a touchdown or less, three by a field goal.

* Keys to the game: RB Lamar Smith: QB Jay Fiedler’s deficiencies must be compensated for by the running game as the Dolphins can’t expect to win throwing the ball, even against the Colts’ shaky pass defense. Miami front four: Led by Pro Bowler Jason Taylor, Miami possesses one of the fiercest pass-rush units in the league. If the Dolphins get decent pressure from their front four, they can allow LB Zack Thomas to do what he does best, roam around and wreak havoc. RB Edgerrin James: James averaged 114 yards rushing in the two previous matchups this season. Indianapolis needs James to get off to a good start, as this will let Peyton Manning establish a rhythm against Miami’s loose coverage scheme.

* Injury report: IND-None. MIA--CB Terrance Shaw (knee, questionable); WR Leslie Shepherd (knee, questionable).

*

*--*

THE MATCHUPS IND MIA Points scored 26.8 (4) 20.2 (16) Points allowed 20.4 (15) 14.1 (3) Passing Off. 267.6 (2) 160.4 (27) Rushing Off. 116.2 (16) 118.4 (14) Passing Def. 213.9 (18) 181.3 (5) Rushing Def. 120.9 (25) 108.5 (14) Time of Poss. 29:33 (20) 30:56 (12) Turnover Ratio -7 (22) +15 (5) Red Zone TD% 60.4 (3) 54.4 (T8) 3rd Down Con. 46.8 (2) 35.1 (23) Opp. 3rd Down 38.7 (18) 33.2 (4) 3 & Out 19.1 (4) 28.5 (29) Opp. 3 & Out 23.9 (17) 24.4 (12) Sacks 42 (T12) 48 (7) Sacks Allowed 20 (T1) 28 (T4)

*--*

--Capsule by ROY JURGENS

* Robyn Norwood’s pick: Indianapolis. The Colts keep getting better and the Dolphins keep getting worse.