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Manning faces Pats again in playoffs

Jan 21, 2007 - 11:25 PM New England (14-4) at Indianapolis (14-4) 6:30 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- It is fitting that Peyton Manning has to beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to get to the Super Bowl for the first time in his nine-year career. At least Manning has Adam Vinatieri on his side this time.

For the third time in the last four years, Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will face Brady and the New England Patriots in the playoffs. This meeting takes place in the AFC championship game for the second time.

But for the first time, Vinatieri will be kicking field goals for Manning instead of Brady. And for the first time, the third-seeded Colts are the home team.

The winner will face the Chicago Bears (15-3) in Super Bowl XLI at Miami on February 4.

Manning is a two-time MVP and a seven-time Pro Bowler, but never has been to a Super Bowl. He is often compared to Dan Marino, the NFL's most prolific passer who went to just one Super Bowl.

"We knew we probably would have to go through them to get to where we want to go," Manning said.

Brady has a 12-1 playoff record, three Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVP awards. He is often compared to Joe Montana, who won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers.

"I almost feel like they're a division rival," Brady said. "I mean 5 1/2 months of football comes down to 60 minutes. It should be one of those classic games."

Then there's Belichick, who is just one of four coaches in NFL history with at least three Super Bowl titles. The others are Chuck Noll (4), Bill Walsh (3) and Joe Gibbs (3).

Vinatieri had a great deal to do with Belichick's postseason success, kicking two Super Bowl-winning field goals for the Patriots. But Vinatieri signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the Colts last March.

Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Patriots a 20-17 victory over St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI and drilled a 41-yarder with four seconds left in a 32-29 win over Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

The Patriots would not even have made the Super Bowl in the first year of their title run without Vinatieri, who kicked a game-tying 45-yard field goal in a heavy snowfall with 27 seconds left in regulation and booted a 23-yarder in overtime in a divisional playoff win over Oakland.

Last week, Vinatieri solidified his reputation as the league's clutchest kicker, tying a playoff record with five field goals in a 15-6 victory over the second-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the divisional playoffs.

Rookie Stephen Gostkowski is Vinatieri's successor in New England. Gostkowski has reponded to the playoff pressure, making all six of his field goal attempts in the Patriots' two playoff wins.

Belichick improved his playoff record to 13-2, including 12-1 with the Patriots, after last week's 24-21 victory over the top-seeded San Diego Chargers in last week's divisional playoffs.

Belichick has won the mind games in the biggest battles against Manning and Colts coach Tony Dungy. But there might be a shift in the trend.

The Patriots had won six straight meetings, including two in the playoffs, from 2001-04.

In Manning's only AFC championship game in January 2004, he was intercepted four times in a 24-14 loss at New England. Brady threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

The following season, Manning set an NFL single season record with 49 touchdown passes. But in the divisional playoffs, he failed to get his team into the end zone in a 20-3 loss to the Patriots.

In the two postseason games against New England, Manning passed for just one touchdown with five interceptions. Manning has also thrown for just one touchdown with five interceptions in this season's playoff wins over Kansas City and Baltimore.

Brady was intercepted three times in the win at San Diego. But in the end, Brady directed his 24th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter and overtime. The big play was a 49-yard pass down the right sideline to Reche Caldwell, setting up Gostkowski's winning 31-yard field goal with 1:10 left.

The trend reversed each of the last two years when the Colts won both regular-season meetings.

In November 2005, Manning was not so confounded by Belichick's multiple fronts and disguised coverages, passing for 321 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-21 victory over the Patriots.

Marvin Harrison caught nine passes for 128 yards and two scores and Reggie Wayne had nine receptions for 124 yards.

This past November 5, Manning threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns - both to Harrison - in a 27-20 win over New England. Harrison finished with eight catches for 145 yards.

Meanwhile, Brady was uncharacteristically sloppy, throwing a career high-tying four interceptions for the first time in almost a year.

"To beat those guys, it has to be a team win," Manning said. "Everybody has to contribute, all phases of it. Defensively, creating those turnovers when we played them this season was just huge."

Corey Dillon had two touchdown runs in the second quarter for the Patriots. He and rookie Laurence Maroney combined for 111 yards on 26 carries.

The Colts finished last in the NFL against the run, yielding 173 yards per game. But Dungy and defensive coordinator Ron Meeks have made major adjustments in the postseason. Indianapolis has allowed a total of 127 rushing yards in its playoff wins over Kansas City and Baltimore.

Dungy played for the Steelers in one Super Bowl, but in 15 years as an assistant and 10 as a coach he never made it back. He's 0-2 in conference championship games and his 114 regular-season wins are fourth-most for a coach who has not taken his team to a Super Bowl.

Dungy will try to become the second black coach to reach the Super Bowl. Lovie Smith of Chicago became the first earlier Sunday when the Bears beat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game.

If defense wins championships, then the Patriots have the edge. Led by Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour and linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel, the Patriots yielded the second-fewest points in the league (14.8 per game).

"They have a tremendous ability to adapt," Dungy said of the Patriots' defense.