Colts Bench Starters, Lose First Game

The Indianapolis Colts are no longer undefeated. And they don’t really care. They’ve already locked up home field throughout the playoffs and the team’s ultimate goal is to win Super Bowl XLIV. So if they need to lose a game or two in the process, they’re OK with that. Sure, it sounds unusual. And there isn’t anyone involved with the Colts organization who didn’t want to see the team go through the entire 2009 season without losing a game. But avoiding losing a key player to injury apparently outweighed chasing the enjoyment of a possibly undefeated season. So, after two quarters (and change), a number of Indy starters took a seat and the N.Y. Jets took advantage, outscoring the Colts 26-6 in the second half en route to a 29-15 win.

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts / Photo: Newscom

Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said the team was disappointed but ready to move on after the loss:

“It’s been a long time, obviously. But like anything else, I think our guys will be able to adjust to it and we’ll move on. It is always disappointing when you lose, regardless of the circumstances. The most important thing for us is to make sure we are operating on all cylinders come the playoffs. That’s key. That’s important. And that’s our focus. The most important season is the one coming up.”

While quarterback Peyton Manning may have had limited duty in today’s loss (14-of-21 passing for 192 yards), he did become the fourth player in NFL history to pass for at least 50,000 yards. Peyton joins Brett Favre, Dan Marino and John Elway as the only quarterbacks to do so. Impressive.

Sources: NFL.com, Colts.com