Manning Continues His Rise

Peyton Manning’s 49th touchdown pass of the 2004 season sent a football game into overtime, where his team would eventually win it, and broke a long-standing NFL record. Six reasons why this accomplishment should be roundly celebrated, with perhaps the notable exceptions of Dan Marino and the San Diego Chargers:

* 1. In all likelihood, no steroids were used in the making of this record.

* 2. Forty-nine touchdown passes in a single season is the football equivalent of 73 home runs in a major-league season, only without the surliness, the attitude, the Alcatraz-sized chip on the shoulder, the court battles over the record-setting ball, the locker-room entourage, the clear and the cream.

* 3. Conclusive proof that at least one 49er is having a good season.

* 4. Temporarily deflects media attention away from little brother Eli, whose record as an NFL starter dropped to 0-6 with the New York Giants’ 23-22 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday.

* 5. Gives some television face time to father Archie, an outstanding professional quarterback who never made the playoffs with the New Orleans Saints, who could make them this season despite eight losses in their first 12 games. With Sunday’s 26-13 triumph over Atlanta, the Saints climbed back to 7-8 and can clinch a playoff berth next week with a victory at Carolina. In more ways than one, Archie was a quarterback ahead of his time.

* 6. Shaq and Kobe had absolutely nothing to do with it.

That 49th touchdown pass was important in a number of ways for Manning, who has done pretty much everything in the NFL except win the big one. Manning still has work to do on his reputation as a clutch performer, but the record-breaker was a step forward in that regard, coming in the last minute of regulation with the Indianapolis Colts trailing by eight points. A successful two-point conversion sent the game into overtime, giving Manning the opportunity to win it there, 34-31, over a quality opponent, the AFC West champion Chargers.

Manning’s season has been inspirational, and instructional, and it remains experimental. Under examination: Are the ’04 Colts the best offensive team in NFL history? And if they are, is that enough to win a Super Bowl?

The Colts have piled up the statistical evidence. Besides Manning’s touchdown passes and 4,551 passing yards, Indianapolis also has a potential league rushing leader in Edgerrin James (1,550 yards) and three 1,000-yard receivers in Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and Brandon Stokley, who hauled in Manning’s record-setter. With 508 points, the Colts rank seventh on the all-time single-season scoring list with one game left.

It’s an impressive resume. But in terms of the bottom line -- who hoists the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 6? -- what does it mean?

For the Colts, right now, only this: They will be seeded third heading into the AFC playoffs, which translates into one home postseason game and then off to New England, where The Best Offense In Football won’t be favored to do anything except freeze up and shut down for the winter.

Defense still decides things in January, as the Pittsburgh Steelers reminded en route to their 20-7 victory over Baltimore. One week after the Philadelphia Eagles lost their most valuable player candidate Terrell Owens to an ankle injury, the Steelers lost another, rookie-of-the-year lock Ben Roethlisberger, to a rib injury in the third quarter. Did the fans in Pittsburgh curse the football gods and cry “Why us?” the way the people in Philadelphia did after Owens limped off the field?

Not quite. They simply watched Tommy Maddox come in and do what Roethlisberger primarily did during the previous 13 games, which was hand the football to someone else. The Steelers win by running the football when they have it and smothering the other guys when they have it.

Against the Ravens, the Steelers ran the ball 42 times. Jerome Bettis had 27 carries, enough to net 117 yards, his sixth 100-yard performance in as many starts, subbing for Duce Staley.

The Pittsburgh playbook can accommodate replaceable parts. The Steelers’ season turned, in fact, when Roethlisberger was forced to replace Maddox on Sept. 19, when Maddox was injured in a 30-13 loss to Baltimore. Pittsburgh has yet to lose again, and in the rematch at Heinz Field, the Steelers delivered a thank-you note by all but eliminating the Ravens from playoff contention.

Baltimore began the day seeded No. 6. The Ravens were part of a Week 16 tripleheader that provided a handy handicap of the potential AFC playoff field. The schedule had No. 6 Baltimore at No. 1 Pittsburgh, No. 3 San Diego at No. 4 Indianapolis and No. 2 New England at the No. 5 New York Jets.

What was learned:

Pittsburgh deserves its top seeding, Baltimore probably will lose the last wild-card berth to Denver (now 9-6 after its Saturday victory over Tennessee), San Diego will be a tough draw anywhere and any round, Indianapolis prefers its climate controlled, New England knows how to win important games on the road and the Jets still can’t beat a good team when it matters.

The Patriots clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seeding with their 23-7 victory over the Jets, who now cling to the No. 5 berth at 10-5. To clinch the playoffs, the Jets will need to defeat St. Louis next week or have Denver and Buffalo both lose their finales against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, respectively.

In the NFC, nothing is certain after the top three seedings -- Philadelphia, Atlanta and Green Bay.

Seattle wrapped up a playoff berth with its 24-21 victory over Arizona but could still lose the NFC West title to St. Louis if the Rams win out and the Seahawks lose next week to Atlanta.

The Minnesota Vikings are 8-7, but need the Rams to lose tonight to Philadelphia to clinch a wild-card berth. If not, the Vikings will have to win their regular-season finale, at Washington, to qualify.

The Saints and the Carolina Panthers are both 7-8 and still in the running for the last NFC spot. Interesting scheduling: In Week 17, the Panthers will play host to the Saints.

That means, in order to make the playoffs, one of these teams will be required to actually win the game. No backing in permitted this time. That’s a very foreign concept in the NFC but one that warrants some exploration.

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Three-Headed Monster

Indianapolis became the first team with three receivers to have at least 10 touchdown receptions and 1,000-plus yards in one season:

*--* Player No Yds Avg Long TD Reggie Wayne 74 1,120 15.1 44 11 Marvin Harrison 81 1,080 13.3 59 14 Brandon Stokley 68 1,077 15.8 69 10

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