Colts edge Titans 23-20 thanks to Mr. Clutch

The Indianapolis Colts clinched their 9th straight playoff appearance tying the Dallas Cowboys for most consecutive appearances.

The Colts earned the AFC’s third seed by beating the Tennessee Titans 23-20 as time expired.

Mr. Clutch, Adam Vinatieri knocked down three field goals from 48, 44 and 43 to help lead Colts to victory.

Indianapolis finally got into the end zone with 1:55 remaining in the first half when Peyton Manning connected with Reggie Wayne from seven yards out.

Wayne had nine receptions for 68 yards and finished the regular season with a career-high 111 catches.

Colts led 13-6 at intermission.

Pierre Garcon continues to struggle the easy catches. He dropped two balls from long distance that would have kept a drive going in the second half. His inconsistency was baffling.

The game was very back and fourth and fairly even until the last two minutes. Dominic Rhodes fumbled near mid-field giving Tennessee less than two minutes and good field position to win the game.

Two plays later, Kerry Collins fumbled the exchange from center and Robert Mathis picked it up.

Manning passed Drew Brees for the most completions in a season with 450. He also tallied his record 47th 4th quarter/game winning drive.

The Colts defense held Chris Johnson to just 39 yards on 20 carries.

In a pair of important division games, the Texans defeated the Jaguars 34-17 just before the Colts closed out the Jaguars.

But the Colts needed to the win for positive momentum heading into the playoffs. The last thing they want to do is back in with the help of the Texans.

Now four wins in a row, Indianapolis will host the New York Jets Saturday at 8:00 PM on NBC. It certainly will be an interesting week full of quotes from Rex Ryan.

If the Colts would have lost, Baltimore would have came to town and they would be in the same side of the bracket as the Patriots. Now, if the Colts win their first two playoff games, they would have a chance to travel to New England for the AFC Championship.

And the curse for the previous Super Bowl loser can’t stop the Colts. They are just the third team since 2000 to lose the Super Bowl and return to the playoffs the next year.

This season has been an amazing feat to overcome all the injuries Indianapolis has had. 17 players are on injured reserve and many others have missed significant time. Fantastic coaching by Jim Caldwell and staff.

You can bet no team wants to face the Colts in the playoffs because they’ve been there many times before…